One ingredient in famous author's chicken salad recipe is raising eyebrows

Nicholas Sparks may be able to cook up a wonderful romantic story, but fans are doubting his skills in the kitchen after he backed the addition of a rather unusual ingredient in his chicken salad.

In a recent interview with the New York Times, the New York Times shared his very own recipe for chicken salad, using "two skinless, boneless rotisserie chickens, a few stalks of celery and a Vidalia onion".

But this wasn't the surprising part.

Watch the video above

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The outlet then went on to describe the author whipping together a dressing with "mayonnaise, dill pickle relish, jalapeño relish, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and 16 packets of Splenda"

"You can use real sugar, but why throw sugar in if you can use Splenda?" he said casually.

The revelation caused a reaction, with many taking issue with Spark's use of artificial saccharine.

But in a new video, he has defended his use of the sweetener.

The Dear John author shared a video of himself enjoying some of his beloved chicken salad while on a book tour, explaining why he chooses to use the sweetener instead of just adding sugar.

He explained that Dukes Mayonnaise, which is what he uses in his recipe, doesn't have any sugar, unlike other popular brands like Hellman's.

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This is why he decides to "add a little sweetness" with the sixteen packets of Splenda for two servings of the salad, meaning there is eight packets per serving.

He added defensively that he "could have added a quarter cup of sugar" but "I don't like sugar.

"Why put sugar in stuff if you don't need it?" he questioned.

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"What I love about this recipe, apple cider vinegar. You've got a little bit of jalapenos, you've got a little cayenne, you've got a little sweetness," he shared.

"The depth of flavour in this chicken is, is truly out of this world. And yes, I think if you make this recipe, you're gonna win yourself a local contest," The Notebook author guaranteed.

He then made others on his tour try the salad, who all gave it their seal of approval.

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In his caption, he shared, "I often incorporate recipes into my novels, but in my recent @NYTimes article they mentioned one I created and make for myself often. To my surprise, it's getting a bit of attention online, so I wanted to give you the full recipe!'

The author then kindly spelled out the full recipe, as seen below:

Nicholas Sparks' Splenda Chicken Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

1 x rotisserie chicken, no skin, chopped

1 x large sweet onion, diced

7 stalks celery, chopped

3 tablespoons dill relish

2 tablespoons diced jalapeños (from jar)

MAYO MIXTURE (combine together)

1 cup Duke's mayonnaise

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

8 packets of Splenda

Instructions:

Pour the mixture over the chicken, onions, celery, etc. and mix. The flavor will continue to deepen for a day, but you can eat it right away.

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