Bethenny Frankel’s viral chicken salad reviews have officially grown into something much bigger.
After spending the last couple of years tasting, ranking and debating deli-style chicken salads across social media, the former “Real Housewives of New York City” star announced she’s launching what she’s calling the “Chicken Salad Olympics: Professional Chef Edition.” And rather than keeping the competition among neighborhood delis, she’s inviting some of the biggest names in the culinary world to prove they can create the ultimate chicken salad.
The challenge immediately grabbed attention because Frankel didn’t hold back when naming her dream competitors.
Bethenny Frankel Calls Out Martha Stewart, Bobby Flay and Other Celebrity Chefs
GettyIn an Instagram video announcing the competition, Frankel revealed the lineup she’d like to see participate, including Bobby Flay, Martha Stewart, Giada De Laurentiis, Cat Cora, Michael Symon and several other well-known chefs.
“Breaking chicken salad news: The Chicken Salad Olympics Professional Chef Edition,” Frankel announced before explaining that she wanted the culinary stars to battle it out for what she jokingly called the coveted, albeit unofficial, Chicken Salad Gold Trophy.
She even had a message ready for some of the competitors.
“Bobby Flay, I’ve come on your show, ‘Throwdown!’ Now it’s time to really throw down,” Frankel said. “Giada, you can say chicken in Italian.”
She also mentioned Scott Conant, Sam Talbot, Billy Durney of Sag Harbor Tavern and even floated Martha Stewart as another potential contender.
Speaking with Page Six, Frankel explained that the competition is meant to be lighthearted fun.
“In a time of so much stress and sensitivity, placing the utmost importance and severity on something with absolutely no stakes is my sense of humor,” she told the outlet.
Her Viral Chicken Salad Series Keeps Getting Bigger
What started as Frankel casually reviewing prepared chicken salads has become one of her most recognizable social media series.
Over several years, she’s traveled to markets and delis across the country, passionately critiquing everything from seasoning and texture to the ideal ratio of chicken to mayonnaise. Her enthusiastic reviews have helped turn a simple lunch staple into one of social media’s more unexpected food trends.
Frankel said she never expected the series to take on a life of its own.
“Chicken salad was a dying delicacy when I first talked about it,” she said. “Now it’s a modernized popular gourmet market and deli staple. Heavy is the Chicken Salad Queen title … but someone has to wear it.”
Within hours of her announcement, several of the chefs she tagged, including Cat Cora, Sam Talbot, Rocco DiSpirito and Billy Durney, had already jumped into the comments to accept the challenge.
As Frankel summed it up in her signature style: “Your body, your chicken, your choice.”
