This page is going to be less satisfying than you want it to be, and that is deliberate. Allergen information for Chicken Salad Chick is incompletely published, and a lot of sites fill that gap with confident tables they have no basis for. When the stakes are an allergic reaction, guessing is not acceptable.
So: here is what is documented, what is reasonably inferable, and what is simply not knowable from public sources.
Read this first
This page is a research summary, not medical advice and not an official allergen statement. If you have a diagnosed allergy or coeliac disease, ask the restaurant for their official allergen information before ordering. No third-party site — ours included — can tell you what happened in a particular kitchen this morning.
Tree nuts — documented
This is the clearest allergen picture on the menu, because the nuts are visible ingredients in the flavor descriptions.
Nut content by item
| Flavor | Nut content |
|---|---|
| Fancy Nancy | Contains pecans |
| Lauryn's Lemon Basil | Contains pecans |
| Cranberry Kelli | Contains slivered almonds |
| All nine other permanent flavors | No nuts by recipe — shared kitchen |
| Kids PB&J | Contains peanuts |
Swipe sideways to see every column →
If you are ordering for a group and nut allergy is in play, the practical guidance is: avoid those three flavors, avoid the PB&J, and tell the staff before they prepare anything rather than after. See the flavors guide for full ingredient descriptions.
Gluten — the honest answer
The chicken salad itself contains no gluten-containing ingredients. The standard workaround for anyone avoiding gluten is to order a scoop on a bed of lettuce instead of bread or crackers. That is a widely used approach and staff are familiar with it.
What we cannot tell you is that it is safe. The company does not certify any menu item as gluten-free, publishes no dedicated gluten-free menu, and offers no cross-contamination guarantee. Bread, croissants and crackers are handled continuously in the same space. For gluten sensitivity or preference, the lettuce option is fine. For coeliac disease, ask the manager and be prepared for the answer to be unsatisfying.
Gluten-containing items to avoid
- White and wheatberry bread, all croissants
- Crackers served with scoops — ask for lettuce instead
- Pasta salad, mac & cheese
- Some soups use flour-based thickeners — assume they do unless told otherwise
- All cakes, cookies and crispy bars
Dairy
Definitely contains dairy: Sassy Scotty and Kickin' Kay Lynne (cheddar), all pimento cheese items, all melts, mac & cheese, broccoli & cheese soup, loaded potato soup, grape salad (cream dressing), and every dessert.
The remaining chicken salad flavors are mayonnaise-based and most likely dairy-free, but this is inference from published ingredient descriptions rather than a company statement. We are flagging that rather than presenting a tidy table we cannot stand behind.
Egg
Every mayonnaise-based item contains egg, which means effectively every chicken salad on the menu. Olivia's Old South additionally contains chopped hard-boiled egg, and egg salad is obviously egg throughout. There is no egg-free chicken salad option here.
Celery, onion and the seasoning
Two things people miss. Classic Carol — and therefore every flavor built on it — contains celery. And the house seasoning itself contains dehydrated celery, onion and garlic alongside unspecified “spices”.
That unspecified word is why the company's own guidance is blunt: do not eat the product if you have an allergy that could be included in a seasoning mix. That is unusually direct language for a restaurant chain, and it should be taken at face value.
Vegetarian and vegan
Vegetarian options exist: pimento cheese, egg salad, fresh fruit, grape salad, pasta salad, mac & cheese, tomato bisque. Note that broccoli salad contains bacon — it looks vegetarian and is not, which catches people out regularly.
Vegan options do not exist. Everything is mayonnaise-, egg- or dairy-based. There is no plant-based protein on the menu.
Allergen questions
Is Chicken Salad Chick safe for coeliac disease?
We cannot tell you it is safe, and neither can anyone else honestly. The chicken salad itself contains no gluten ingredients, but the company does not certify any item as gluten-free and makes no cross-contamination guarantee. The same kitchen handles bread, croissants and crackers throughout the day. If you have coeliac disease rather than a preference, speak to the manager on duty about their handling before ordering — and accept that the honest answer may be no.
Which flavors are dairy-free?
Sassy Scotty, Kickin' Kay Lynne and any pimento cheese item clearly contain dairy. Most of the remaining flavors are mayonnaise-based with no added dairy — but the company does not publish a definitive dairy matrix, so we present this as likely rather than confirmed. Ask in-store if it matters.
Does Chicken Salad Chick have nut-free options?
By recipe, yes — nine of the twelve permanent flavors contain no nuts. The three that do are Fancy Nancy (pecans), Lauryn's Lemon Basil (pecans) and Cranberry Kelli (almonds). All twelve are prepared in the same kitchen, so cross-contact is possible.
What is in the secret seasoning, and is it an allergy risk?
The company discloses it: salt, onion, spices, dehydrated celery, corn oil and garlic. The word “spices” is not itemised further, which is precisely why the company advises against consumption if you have an allergy that could be included in a seasoning mix. Note the celery — a declarable allergen in some countries and easy to miss.