Catch up Over Lunch with Wendy’s New Chef Inspired Salads! #NewSaladCollection #Wendys

My best friend as an adult is definitely my younger sister.  Growing up my mom always told me not to snub her because one day we would be friends. HA!  Yeah right.  Or… so I thought. 

Like most siblings we have had our ups and downs but mostly it has been ups.  Since Keira was born though most of our interactions have been child related.  Taking Keira to the park, coming over to play with Keira and see Ava and so on.  You get the pattern.

I thought it would be really nice to get together and have some baby-free time over a couple of Wendy’s New Chef Inspired Salads for lunch! 

Yeah. That’s right, Chef Inspired Salads at Wendy’s.  About that.  I’m so addicted to their Apple Chicken Pecan Salad.  That right there is the ish!  I guess after over 30 years of salad innovation it’s no surprise that Wendy’s could present such delicious offerings.

Some might even say that Wendy’s is a leader in the business of salad; they were the first quick service restaurant to introduce the salad bar after all!  Wendy’s has once again reinvented the salad by tapping into the latest culinary trends with three brand new options available in Canada –  Asian Cashew Chicken Salad, BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad and Taco Supremo Salad.

When we got to Wendy’s, I ordered the full sized BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad and Sarah ordered the full sized Taco Supremo Salad.  We could have ordered half sized portions but they are 50% lower in fat grams, 29% lower in sodium, and 61% lower in saturated fat, so why not?

I was a bit concerned over Sarah’s salad.  I was kind of imagining soggy greens with warmish chili on it.  Thankfully that wasn’t the case at all as Wendy’s salads are prepared fresh in the restaurant every day and the chili was put on the salad when we ordered it.

I couldn’t wait to dig into my BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad, I was really excited by the premium ingredients –  fire roasted corn, freshly diced tomatoes, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, applewood smoked bacon, and a honey BBQ sauce.  It really reminded me of food you would find in the summer around the barbecue; all put together in one savoury bowl. 

It doesn’t stop there either as it is served with a delicious BBQ Ranch dressing, made with real buttermilk, parmesan cheese, ancho chili peppers, honey and brown sugar.

The crunchy texture, fresh vegetables, smooth barbecue sauce and the melt-in-your-mouth crunchy bacon really come together with that BBQ Ranch dressing.  This is definitely a salad I will be coming back to!

The Taco Supremo salad is a fitting tribute to the unique flavour profile and freshness of Mexican cuisine thanks to the diced tomatoes, tangy salsa, rich meaty chili, shredded cheddar cheese, crunchy taco chips, and sour cream served on a crisp bed of fresh lettuce.  My sister really enjoyed it and mentioned that it was like a nacho platter in reverse.

The new salads are bold, flavourful and full of vibrant, fresh, on trend premium ingredients.  I mean roasted corn?  Are you serious?  I would never have expected to find such an awesome ingredient in a salad at a quick service restaurant! 

Did you know that Wendy’s slices their tomatoes, cucumbers, and red peppers by hand in the restaurant?  They even go as far as making sure that each restaurant has a salad spinner in place because they wash and hand-chop the freshest romaine and iceberg each day to mix with a triple-washed leafy spring mix made with 9 different greens.  The commitment to fresh doesn’t stop there either, they also use 100% premium all white chicken breast meat that is freshly grilled on site. I really had no idea about this and I’m impressed!

Sarah and I had a really great time catching up. We talked about my up-coming move across the city and about life in general. It was so nice to just sit and chat.  I really appreciated being able to eat a full meal without being asked to share though! 

These three new salads really show that Wendy’s isn’t willing to give up their leadership when it comes to salad innovation. Why not visit a local Wendy’s with a girlfriend to catch up and try one of the new salads like these girls? 

Check out the Wendy’s Youtube channel to see more episodes of ‘Girlfriends at Wendy’s Eating Salads and Talking about Stuff’ and to learn more about the three new salads!

Which of the new Salads has your mouth watering?

Disclosure: Although this post has been generously sponsored by Wendy’s, the opinions and language are all my own, and in no way do they reflect Wendy’s.

Elizabeth Lampman

Elizabeth Lampman is a coffee-fuelled Mom of 2 girls and lives in Hamilton, Ontario. She enjoys travelling, developing easy recipes, crafting, taking on diy projects, travelling and saving money!