The Ultimate Guide to “It’s a Chicken Salad” Meme: History, Variations & Why It’s Still Funny

If you’ve ever been scrolling through your TikTok feed and heard someone suddenly exclaim, “It’s a chicken salad!” with a lot of excitement, you’ve seen one of the cutest food-related memes on the internet. Today I’m going to talk in more detail about this viral hit that makes people laugh while they’re making lunch.

Where Did the “It’s a Chicken Salad” Meme Come From?

The meme started on TikTok when someone posted a video of themselves eating lunch and getting excited about it in a way that no one expected. Not only was the chicken salad funny, but so was the sincerity with which it was said and the real excitement over something as ordinary as a chicken salad. The first video went viral right away because it was relatable and had a good vibe.

Many of us have experienced that moment of pride when making something simple yet satisfying for lunch. The creator captured that universal feeling and the internet decided it was hilarious.

Why Did It Go Viral?

The “It’s a chicken salad” meme resonated with people for several reasons:

• Simplicity: It celebrates finding joy in ordinary things
• Relatability: Everyone has been excited about food at some point
• Memeable format: Easy to recreate with different foods or contexts
• Sound bite quality: The phrase has a catchy rhythm that sticks in your head

Other TikTok users started making their own versions of the meme using the original sound in ways that had nothing to do with chicken salad. This made the meme more popular.

Popular Variations of the Chicken Salad Meme

The best thing about this meme is how versatile it became. Here are some popular variations

1. The Bait and Switch: Videos that build up to something impressive but end with a humble chicken salad
2. Pet Reactions: People showing their confused pets a chicken salad with the audio playing
3. Non-Food Applications: Using the audio for things that definitely aren’t chicken salad (like showing off a new car)
4. The Meta Version: People making actual chicken salad recipes while using the sound

Making Your Own Chicken Salad Meme

Wanna join in the fun? Here’s how to create your own version:

1. Choose something unexpected or surprisingly mundane
2. Build anticipation with your camera work
3. Use the original sound (search “it’s a chicken salad” in TikTok sounds)
4. Add your unique twist or interpretation
5. Don’t forget to use popular hashtags like #chickensaladmeme

Why We Love Food Memes

Memes about food, like “it’s a chicken salad,” are very popular on the internet. They use the fact that we all eat every day as a way to connect with us. There’s something funny about getting too excited about simple foods, especially in a world where social media is full of pictures of fancy meals and foodie culture.

I think these memes also provide a bit of relief from the pressure to be extraordinary. They celebrate the small joys of everyday life, like making a satisfying lunch.

The Real Chicken Salad: A Brief Detour

While we’re on the topic, let’s talk about actual chicken salad for a moment. This classic dish typically contains:

• Cooked chicken (usually shredded or cubed)
• Mayonnaise or yogurt base
• Celery for crunch
• Various seasonings
• Optional add-ins like grapes, nuts, or herbs

Everyone has their own variation, which is part of what makes chicken salad so great. It’s customizable, practical, and satisfying – much like the meme itself!

When Memes and Health Collide: A Strange Connection

Interestingly, while researching this topic, I noticed something unusual. The “chicken salad” meme has nothing to do with chicken health issues, but poultry owners might be more familiar with terms like “coccidiosis” than your average meme enthusiast.

Coccidiosis is a parasitic disease affecting chickens that can be serious if not treated promptly. The symptoms include:

• Weakness and listlessness
• Pale combs
• Bloody droppings
• Decreased appetite

If you actually raise chickens (and aren’t just here for the memes), keeping your flock healthy involves regular cleaning of their environment, providing clean water, and sometimes using medicated starter feeds for chicks.

But I digress – back to our regularly scheduled meme content!

The Psychology Behind Viral Food Memes

Why do we find food memes so entertaining? Psychologists suggest several reasons:

• Universal experience: Everyone eats, making food memes widely relatable
• Low stakes humor: Food jokes are generally inoffensive and accessible
• Emotional connection: Food is tied to comfort, nostalgia, and pleasure
• Identity signaling: What we eat (or joke about eating) says something about who we are

The chicken salad meme hits all these notes perfectly. It’s approachable, slightly absurd, and celebrates something ordinary in an extraordinary way.

Other Famous Food Memes

The chicken salad meme joins a prestigious lineup of food-related internet phenomena:

• Avocado Toast: The millennial financial crisis explained through breakfast
• Hot Dog Girl: The inexplicable dancing hot dog character from Snapchat
• Kale Smoothies: Representing health culture taken to extremes
• Banana for Scale: Using fruit as an impromptu measuring tool

Each of these memes says something about our relationship with food and how we communicate about it online.

The Lifecycle of a Food Meme

Like any internet trend, the chicken salad meme has followed a predictable path:

1. Origin: Someone creates content without necessarily intending to start a meme
2. Virality: The content spreads as others find it entertaining
3. Imitation: People create their own versions
4. Evolution: The meme develops variations far from the original
5. Commercialization: Brands try to capitalize on the trend
6. Decline: Eventually, interest wanes as new memes take over
7. Nostalgia: Months or years later, people reference it for nostalgic value

We’re currently seeing the chicken salad meme somewhere between evolution and commercialization, with plenty of creative takes still emerging.

Creating Content That Resonates

What can content creators learn from the chicken salad meme?

• Authenticity matters: The original creator’s genuine enthusiasm is what made it funny
• Simplicity works: Complex jokes often don’t translate as well across audiences
• Leave room for interpretation: The best memes allow others to put their spin on it
• Timing is everything: Sometimes being in the right place at the right time makes all the difference

My Take on the Chicken Salad Phenomenon

I’ve watched dozens of these videos, and I still chuckle every time. There’s something refreshing about a meme that isn’t trying too hard. It’s not political, it’s not mean-spirited, it’s just… a chicken salad.

And in today’s complex world, sometimes that’s exactly what we need – a moment of shared joy over something as simple as lunch.

The “it’s a chicken salad” meme might seem trivial, but it represents something important about internet culture – our ability to find common ground through humor and everyday experiences.

In a digital landscape often divided by controversy, a silly video about chicken salad brought people together through shared laughter. That’s worth celebrating, don’t you think?

So next time you’re making lunch, maybe film it with a bit of extra enthusiasm. Who knows? You might just create the next viral food moment. After all, if a chicken salad can become famous, anything is possible!

What’s your favorite version of the chicken salad meme? Have you created your own? Share in the comments below!