Chick-Fil-A's First-Ever Cookbook Offers Creative Ways To Use Up Those Leftovers

No matter how you cut it, Chick-fil-A has long been one of America's most successful fast-food chains, whether it's with its domination of customer satisfaction scores or the popularity of newly introduced products, such as the honey pimento chicken sandwich and caramel crumble milkshake. However, what many people may not know about the fast-food chain is that it does a lot of work to raise awareness about food waste and food insecurity through its Chick-fil-A Shared Table program. 

Since 2012 when it launched, Chick-fil-A Shared Table has facilitated the donation of excess food from nearly 2,000 restaurant locations to local nonprofit organizations. And now, in keeping with the goal of raising awareness about food waste and hunger, Chick-fil-A has announced the release of its first-ever cookbook.

The digital cookbook, "Extra Helpings: Inspiring Stories and Imaginative Recipes from Chick-fil-A's Shared Table," will be available for free online. It contains 26 recipes that give home cooks inspiration for creative ways to repurpose common leftover ingredients, while also sharing moving stories from nonprofit partners.

All 26 of the recipes in the "Extra Helpings" cookbook were developed by Chick-fil-A chefs as well as their nonprofit partner organizations. Plus there are two special recipes that fans of the chain might be craving: Chick-fil-A's coleslaw and chicken salad — which were once a part of the restaurant's menu before Chick-fil-A discontinued them. Besides the Chick-fil-A special recipes, the cookbook also includes plenty of newly developed and chicken-inspired ideas, from chicken and egg breakfast casserole to chicken Alfredo pasta, and Southwest grilled mac & cheese.

According to a statement from Brent Fielder, Chick-fil-A's senior director of corporate social responsibility, the cookbook's release is meant to "inspire individuals to reimagine their extra food into new, delicious recipes," and also to "spark conversations about the important issues of food insecurity and food waste." 2023 marks 11 years of Shared Table, in which time the program has facilitated the donation of more than 23 million meals. 

While this is an important milestone for the company, Fielder also emphasized in a press release provided to Daily Meal that Chick-fil-A is aware that "there is more work to be done." To celebrate the launch of "Extra Helpings" the restaurant has also announced the donation of a combined $1 million to its seven Shared Table partner organizations, as well as to nonprofits Feeding America in the U.S. and Second Harvest in Canada.