Chicken Salad Shoppe Offers New Twists On Culinary Classics

AUSTIN, TX — A husband-and-wife duo are bringing a new twist on old culinary classics with Chicken Salad Shoppe, a newly launched "ghost kitchen" offering culinary fare for takeout and delivery only.

The new enterprise located at 7433 Burnet Rd. serves uniquely "flavoristic" tkes on the classic chicken salad, sandwiches, wraps, sidedishes and half-pound, gargantuan cookies. Check out the full menu here.

Owners Ivan and Molly Mills know their way around upscale cuisine, according to an advisory sent to Patch. The pair are owners of Vanilla Orchid Catering, which has been operating for 11 years. Austin-native, Molly was previously a chef at famed Hudson’s on the Bend. The Chicken Salad Shoppe menu features inventive takes on chicken salad including The Texan: Fried Chicken Salad; the James Banh: a spicy thai peanut banh mi chicken salad; Buffalo Bleu Chicken Salad; fruit focused chicken salads like Apricot and Blueberry; and spicy Chipotle Chicken Salad. All chicken salads are served in the form of sandwiches, wraps, or composed salads. The menu also offers house made soups, sides, and most notably their signature Texas-Sized ½ Pound Monster Cookies in delectable flavors like Nutella-Stuffed Double Chocolate Chip; Grasshopper Mint; Strawberry Cheesecake; Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Chip; and other seasonal flavors.

Chicken Salad Shoppe is operating as a ghost kitchen as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Ivan explained. Originally, he and his wife had hoped to open a brick-and-mortar store before the pandemic halted the plans, he said.

“We are currently operating as a ghost kitchen for a number of reasons. First is that it's a safe and convenient way for customers to order online and have their food delivered or scheduled for contactless curbside pickup. We originally planned to launch a brick-and-mortar. After a few months we realized Covid wasn't going to go away anytime soon.

"So instead of sitting on this concept, we decided to launch as a ghost kitchen in the middle of a pandemic in hopes of keeping our amazing chefs employed while also serving Austin something new and fun in a safe way during this season. We are grateful to have the opportunity to share this concept with Austin. It wasn't our original plan to 'pivot' Vanilla Orchid into this concept but for the moment, it's helping to keep our staff employed while we introduce this new concept to our community and city.”

Hours of operation for Chicken Salad Shoppe, 7433 Burnet Rd., are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and closed Sundays. Chicken Salad Shoppe operates as a ghost kitchen inside of Vanilla Orchid Catering’s brick and mortar for takeout and delivery only.

Follow Chicken Salad Shoppe on social media @chickensaladshoppe and learn more at chickensaladshoppe.com.