Splenda responds to Nicholas Sparks' chicken salad recipe after food gets mixed reviews

Acclaimed romance author Nicholas Sparks caused a frenzy on social media recently for his chicken salad recipe that features 16 packets of Splenda.

Fans of "The Notebook" author were left stunned by his inclusion of the artificial sweetener in his now-viral recipe.

Splenda, however, loves the novelist's sweetener choice.

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That's in contrast to the confusion expressed by many social media users.

"We were delighted to see Nicholas Sparks share that his staple #SparksSplendaSalad chicken salad recipe uses Splenda in place of sugar, spreading joy with others, something fans of our brand have been doing for over two decades," Beth Ruge, a spokesperson for Splenda, shared in a comment with Fox News Digital via email.

"Splenda helps consumers reduce added sugars, calories and carbohydrates without missing out on delicious, sweet taste, and we're so happy our wide variety of products can make this possible for millions."

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The artificial sweetener brand even shared support on X, formerly known as Twitter, by retweeting and commenting on Sparks' recipe.

"We need this recipe on our website! Also, I need to get you a pouch of granulated Splenda so you don't have to use so many packets! Send us a DM so I can make it happen. Just don't make me cry!," the artificial sweetener brand captioned Sparks' video response on X.

Splenda also complimented the author on his new book but made sure to reference the viral chicken salad recipe being called "Sparks Splenda Salad."

Aside from chicken, Sparks' salad includes a large sweet onion, celery, dill relish and diced jalapeños.

Nicholas Sparks shared his viral chicken salad recipe, which includes 16 packets of Splenda. (iStock; Bruce Glikas/WireImage)

The binding mayo mixture consists of Duke's mayonnaise, which Sparks said does not contain sugar compared to Hellmann's — which is why he said he uses Splenda packets to sweeten the dish.

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He then adds apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and, of course, Splenda. 

The recipe on his Instagram post only called for eight packets compared to the 16 he mentioned in a recent video.

Splenda is showing its stamp of approval for Nicholas Sparks' viral chicken salad recipe. (iStock; Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

The viral recipe was met with mixed reviews on social media.

"I was pleasantly surprised. Didn't really think that I would like it [with] the jalapeños and the sweetener but it was delicious. Will make the recipe again," one Instagram user commented on Sparks' post.

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"This is the second most cursed thing I've read this morning," another social media user commented.

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In Sparks' recent video, which included the viral recipe, he told fans they could opt for real sugar, "but why throw sugar in if you can use Splenda?" 

Splenda is complimenting romance author Sparks on his recent viral chicken salad recipe, which includes 16 Splenda packets. (Splenda; Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

Following the response from the interview, the author decided to share the entire chicken salad recipe, but that only led to more confusion from fans.

Fox News Digital Lifestyle reached out Sparks' team for comment.

Sydney Borchers is a lifestyle production assistant with Fox News Digital.