The internet is no safe haven for Nicholas Sparks’ chicken salad recipe.
The bestselling author behind The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, The Last Song and Dear John—all of which were later adapted into feature films—shared his personal spin on the culinary classic, which typically includes a combination of chicken, mayonnaise and various fruits and vegetables.
While Sparks’ variation included notable customizations like jalapeños and cayenne pepper, he also revealed that his recipe called for one particularly eye-catching ingredient: 16 packets of Splenda sweetener, equivalent to 2/3 cup of sugar.
“You can use real sugar,” the romance novelist told the New York Times in a profile published Sept. 24, “but why throw sugar in if you can use Splenda?”
The low-carb modification quickly sparked a wave of strong reactions on social media, ranging from intrigued to bewildered. One X (formerly Twitter) user wrote, “Some recipes really leave you questioning everything about a person.”
