Cleveland, OH isn’t the most well-known for its food scene, but one salad has managed to get people from all over the US flocking to the city’s East Side to visit 81st Deli. The family-operated establishment is home to an unassuming chicken salad that now goes by the name “TikTok salad” on the menu due to its popularity across the app. Co-owner and creator of the salad Wael Herbawi has only been on TikTok since August, but a video he posted the same month of a family friend eating the salad was enough to catapult his business into internet fame.
Herbawi never expected the salad to go viral, in fact he says he only created it because he wanted to add a healthier option to the deli’s menu. The humble inspiration behind it was none other than his own mother’s recipe. Clearly Herbawi’s mother taught him well, because all over TikTok, you’ll now see locals and out-of-towners alike visiting 81st Deli just to get a taste of the salad.
So what exactly is it about this salad that makes it so delicious? “The main ingredient that it’s made with is love,” is Herbawi’s candid response. The mix-ins of the salad are less of a mystery. In the viral TikTok, Godfrey mentions grilled chicken, pickles, banana peppers, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, onions before the video cuts off, but Herbawi later revealed that it also includes cucumbers, hard boiled egg, cheese, and croutons over a bed of spring mix made up of lettuce romaine, spinach and kale. Gathering these ingredients is easy enough if you want to recreate the salad, but to get anywhere close to 81st Deli’s, the dressing and chicken marinade are key.
Ingredients
- 1 (5 oz.) package spring mix
1 skinless chicken breast
1 hard-boiled egg
⅓ cup cucumbers
⅓ cup cherry tomatoes
¼ cup pickled jalapenos
¼ cup banana peppers
¼ cup red onion
⅓ cup green peppers
¼ cup pickles
¼ cup black olives
½ cup shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese
⅓ cup croutons - For the marinade:
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sumac
1 tablespoon parsley
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon salt - For the dressing:
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
½ cup Greek yogurt
½ tablespoon za’atar
½ tsp salt
Directions
- Combine marinade ingredients and brush onto chicken.
- Grill chicken until well-browned then cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Prepare dressing by blending together olive oil, lemon juice, za’atar and Greek yogurt, and set aside.
- Place spring mix into a large salad bowl.
- Slice onions, hard boiled egg, and cucumber before adding to salad bowl along with remaining mix-ins.
- Top with shredded cheese and croutons, then drizzle generously with dressing.
- Toss together, and enjoy with a plastic fork for added authenticity.
Information
Yield 2 servings Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 15 minutes Total Time 34 minutes, 59 seconds
