It Turns Out Ina Garten's A Pretty Big Shake Shack Fan

Celebrity chef and cookbook author Ina Garten loves cooking, as she's made a career out of mastering her way around the kitchen. However, that doesn't mean Garten won't eat out from time to time. While it may seem like you're likely to find her in a fancy restaurant eating a meal that's comparable to what Garten can whip up in her kitchen, you might actually catch her in a fast food restaurant, namely Shake Shack.

So what does the Barefoot Contessa order when she's at one of the best fast-food burger joints? Well, she actually gets Shake Shack's Chicken Shack sandwich. Garten's love of the fast food chain's chicken sandwich actually began on a day when she wasn't feeling too cheery. Garten's husband, Jeffrey, decided that a meal at Shake Shack might make her feel better. She then tried the fast food chain's chicken sandwich and loved it. Garten became such a huge fan of the sandwich that she joined Shake Shack executive chef John Karangis on "The Drew Barrymore Show" to learn how to make it because there are so many elements that she loves about it.

Shake Shack's Chicken Shack sandwich was introduced in January 2016. The fast food chain's official website explains that it uses cage-free chickens to make the sandwich. The crunchy chicken breast has no artificial or synthetic additives and it doesn't contain any hormones or antibiotics. What makes the Chicken Shack perfect in the eyes of Garten are the ingredients that give the sandwich its amazing flavor.

The chicken breast is braised in a silky buttermilk marinade, dunked into Shake Shack's original batter, then dusted with flour and fried until it develops its crackling, crunchy texture. When the sandwich is constructed, the meat is accompanied by moist pickles, minced lettuce, and Shake Shack's special herb mayo. All of these ingredients are then sandwiched between two fluffy buns. Customers also have the option of adding some Louisiana hot sauce to their Chicken Shack if they want to give it a fiery kick, which is highly recommended since it's one of the best hot sauce brands. This all works wonderfully for Garten's tastes, as she said joyfully on "The Drew Barrymore Show" about the sandwich, "I just adore it." While Shake Shack may be the rare go-to fast food joint for Garten, there's actually one other fast food joint that the Barefoot Contessa enjoys.  

It's not surprising that Garten's list of preferred fast food restaurants is really short considering her incredible cooking skills, as she told Today, "I have to say, I don't eat fast food at all, with one exception." It turns out, the only other place where you might find Garten getting fast food is at the one place where you can get a double double burger animal style. Garten revealed, "When we're in California doing book tours, we always have to go to In-N-Out burger. It's so good."

In December of 2018, Garten posted an Instagram photo of herself and actress Jennifer Garner munching on some animal style burgers at In-N-Out. Garten takes pride in the fact that she shares a love of In-N-Out with her cooking muse Julia Childs. She acquired her cooking knowledge by reading Child's cookbooks. Garten told People, "I know [In-N-Out] was Julia Child's favorite too, so it's okay."