Massaged Lacinato kale, broccolini, dried sour cherries, roasted almonds, and a maple vinaigrette with a precise sweet-tart ratio form the base of this homemade recreation of Chick-fil-A’s discontinued Superfood Side. Getting that ratio right transforms tough, bitter kale into something tender and bright.
This walkthrough covers the dressing formula, kale technique, assembly order, and storage strategy so you can recreate a faithful version at home.
The Original Salad and Why It Disappeared From Menus
The Superfood Side launched as part of Chick-fil-A’s push toward lighter options, pairing Lacinato kale with broccolini, dried sour cherries, and a blend of roasted nuts. It sat alongside the Kale Crunch Side on the menu, giving health-conscious customers a substantial side dish that felt intentional rather than an afterthought.
Regional availability shrank over time. Some locations rotated it off the board entirely, and the salad became one of those items people drove across town to find. That scarcity pushed home cooks toward recreating it from scratch.
What Made the Original Work
The ingredient list was short but deliberate. Each component played a specific role:
- Lacinato kale provided the sturdy, slightly bitter base that held up to dressing without wilting.
- Broccolini added a mild, slightly sweet crunch that contrasted the kale’s chew.
- Dried sour cherries delivered the tart-sweet pop that made every bite interesting.
- Roasted almonds contributed fat, salt, and a crisp texture against the soft greens.
- Maple vinaigrette tied everything together with a sweet-acidic balance that kept the salad from tasting flat.
Knowing these five components and their roles gives you the blueprint. The dressing is where most attempts fall short, so that’s the logical starting point.
Building the Maple Vinaigrette From Scratch
Three tablespoons of pure maple syrup, two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, one teaspoon of Dijon mustard, and a quarter cup of extra virgin olive oil. That’s the ratio that lands closest to what Chick-fil-A served. The Dijon acts as an emulsifier, keeping oil and vinegar bound together rather than separating within minutes.
Whisking Order and Emulsification
Combine the maple syrup, vinegar, and mustard first. Whisk until the mixture looks uniform and slightly thickened. Then stream in the olive oil slowly while whisking continuously. This gradual addition lets the mustard’s mucilage coat each oil droplet, creating a stable emulsion that stays creamy for days in the fridge.
Pouring all the oil at once produces a greasy, separated mess. The difference is visible immediately: a properly emulsified dressing coats the back of a spoon evenly, while a rushed one pools into distinct layers.
Tuning Sweetness and Acidity
Taste the dressing before it touches any greens. The restaurant version leaned slightly sweet with a sharp acidic finish. If your batch tastes too sharp, add half a teaspoon of maple syrup. Too cloying means another half teaspoon of vinegar. Small adjustments matter here because the kale itself carries bitterness that will absorb some of the sweetness once combined.
That bitterness is exactly why texture matters just as much as flavor balance.
Whole grain mustard works as a substitute for Dijon, but it adds visible specks and a coarser texture. For the closest match to the original, stick with smooth Dijon.
Massaging Kale for the Right Texture
Raw kale straight from the bunch is fibrous, tough, and aggressively bitter. Massaging breaks down the cellulose structure in the leaves, softening them enough to eat raw while reducing that harsh, grassy bite. This single step separates a salad that feels like chewing cardboard from one that’s genuinely pleasant.
The Correct Technique
Tear the kale into bite-sized pieces and discard the thick central ribs. Drizzle about one teaspoon of olive oil or a pinch of coarse salt over the leaves. Then squeeze and press the kale between your palms, working in sections, for two to three minutes. The leaves will shrink in volume by roughly a third and shift from dark, almost black-green to a vibrant, slightly glossy emerald.
That color change is your signal. It means the cell walls have broken down enough. Stop there. Pushing past three minutes or squeezing too aggressively turns the leaves mushy and waterlogged, which ruins the texture contrast the salad depends on.
Why This Step Is Non-Negotiable
Skipping the massage means the dressing sits on top of rigid leaves rather than being absorbed into them. The result tastes like oil on paper. A properly massaged base soaks up the maple vinaigrette and delivers flavor in every bite, which is the entire point of this kale crunch salad recipe.
Assembling the Salad to Match the Restaurant Version
With dressed, massaged kale as the foundation, the remaining components go together in a specific order that preserves texture.
Preparing the Broccolini
Two approaches work here. Blanching broccolini for 45 seconds in salted boiling water, then shocking it in ice water, gives a tender-crisp bite similar to what the restaurant served. Alternatively, shaving raw broccolini thinly on a mandoline produces a sharper crunch that holds up longer in meal prep situations.
For the blanched route, cut the broccolini into one-inch pieces before cooking. The smaller size distributes evenly through the kale rather than clumping in one corner of the bowl.
Adding the Fruit and Nuts
Dried sour cherries are the signature element. Their tartness cuts through the maple sweetness and keeps the salad from tasting one-dimensional. Scatter about two tablespoons per serving across the top rather than mixing them in, so each forkful gets a concentrated burst.
Toasted almonds finish the build. Dry-toast sliced almonds in a skillet over medium heat for three to four minutes, tossing frequently, until they turn golden. The Maillard reaction deepens their flavor and adds a roasted note that raw almonds simply cannot provide. A mix of almonds and pecans works well for a more complex nut profile.
Smart Substitutions and Dietary Adjustments
Not every ingredient is easy to source, and dietary needs vary. This salad tolerates swaps without losing its identity.
- Broccolini to broccoli: Cut regular broccoli into small, tight florets and shave the stems thinly. The flavor difference is minimal, and the texture holds up to the same preparation methods.
- Sour cherries to cranberries: Dried cranberries are the most common stand-in. They’re slightly sweeter and less tart, so reduce the maple syrup in your dressing by half a teaspoon to compensate.
- Maple syrup to honey: Honey shifts the flavor toward floral rather than caramel, but the dressing still reads as the same style. Use the same volume.
- Making it vegan: The base recipe contains no animal products. Skip any cheese garnish and the salad is plant-based without modification.
- Gluten concerns: Every component is naturally gluten-free. No substitutions needed unless you’re adding a grain like farro for extra bulk.
These swaps keep the salad accessible without sacrificing the sweet-tart-crunchy balance that defines the original.
Once the ingredients are dialed in, the real challenge becomes keeping everything crisp until serving time.
Meal Prep, Storage, and Keeping It Fresh
This kale and broccolini salad recipe is one of the few salads that actually improves with a day or two of refrigeration, provided you store the components correctly.
The Separation Rule
Keep the dressing in a sealed jar apart from the greens until the day you plan to eat. Massaged kale resists sogginess far better than delicate lettuces, but four days is the practical limit before the leaves start breaking down. Store the dressed kale in an airtight container; the oil in the dressing creates a thin protective layer that slows oxidation.
Timing the Crunchy Toppings
Nuts and dried fruit go in last. Almonds lose their crispness within hours of contact with moisture, and dried cherries can bleed color into the greens. Portion them into small bags or containers and add them at serving time.
For a full week of meal prep, massage and dress the kale on Sunday, portion it into containers Monday through Thursday, and keep Friday’s portion undressed. That rotation keeps every serving at peak texture.
A properly stored copycat holds its quality for three to four days refrigerated, making it one of the more practical make-ahead side dishes for busy weeks.
Putting It Together
The single most important variable is the dressing ratio. Get the maple-to-vinegar balance right, massage the kale until it turns vibrant green, and the rest is assembly. Everything else, from broccolini prep to nut toasting, is technique you can refine over a few batches. Start with the vinaigrette, taste it against the massaged kale, and adjust from there. That feedback loop is what turns a good approximation into a version you’d genuinely prefer over the original.
