This Item Has Been off the Chick-fil-A Menu for 10 Years—But Now You Can Make It at Home

Fast food fans, are you ready to put your Chick-fil-A knowledge to the test?

You know about the chicken sandwiches, the waffle fries, the milkshakes. You probably know about the coleslaw and the chicken noodle soup. Heck, you might even know about the viral breakfast burrito. 

But do you know about the Chick-fil-A pie? Yes, you read that right.

Long ago, back when Chick-fil-A was first starting to convince the country to "Eat Mor Chikin," there was a pie on the menu. But it wasn’t just any ol’ pie. It was a specialty sweet and tart dessert that was made by founder Truett Cathy himself. 

According to the website, a made-from-scratch lemon meringue pie was on the first restaurant menu in 1946. “It was originally prepared by Cathy himself and only two pie makers have followed in his footsteps in the restaurant’s 70-year history,” the website states.

The citrus pie was taken off the menu in 2012 to make room for newer desserts, but customers didn't let it go without a fight. A Facebook group of fans called “Bring Back the Lemon Meringue Pie to Chick-fil-A” is still keeping the dream of its return alive to this day. 

There is still one restaurant that sells the lemon pie, and that’s the Dwarf House in Atlanta, Cathy’s first restaurant and the birthplace of the Original Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich.

However, if you're not up for a road trip to Atlanta, you can still get in on a piece of the pie. Chick-fil-A has graciously shared the iconic 77-year-old recipe, allowing you to savor one of the original menu items straight from Cathy's personal recipe book.

This lemon pie is a vintage recipe keepsake, from the graham cracker pie crust to the ring of vanilla wafers around the edges. It packs a bold, lemony punch, but is mellowed out but the soft and silky meringue. It’s cool, creamy, and refreshing—the perfect finish to a meal no matter if it’s July or January.

Best of all, it’s a little slice of American history, and now it doesn’t have to be left in the past. 

How to Make the Chick-fil-A’s Lemon Pie

Ingredients: 

Pie Shell

• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/3 cup margarine (melted)
• vanilla wafers (16)

Pie Filling

• 4 pasteurized eggs
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (strained)

Meringue Mix and Pie Top

• 6 egg whites
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Make the shell: In a large bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs and melted margarine until combined. Press this mixture evenly into an aluminum pie plate to create the pie's base.
3. Arrange vanilla wafers around the edge of the pie plate. Gently press them into the crust. Use 16 wafers, allowing for 2 cookies per slice.
4. Prepare the filling: In a separate bowl, whisk together condensed milk and eggs until blended. Slowly pour in the lemon juice, mixing as it goes in. Once all the lemon juice has been added, whisk for another 30 seconds. Working quickly, fill the pie shell with 2 cups of this filling, then gently shake the pie plate to evenly distribute. (If you’re not topping it right away, freeze the filled pie.)
5. Prepare the meringue: Mix egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and vanilla in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, blending for 1 minute on a low speed. Scrape the bowl down with a spatula, and mix again on medium speed for 6 minutes or until whip marks form in the meringue. Scrape the bowl down once more, then whip on medium speed for another 1 1/2 minutes, or until the meringue forms peaks.
6. Spread the meringue on top of the pie. Bake the pie in the preheated oven until the meringue is lightly browned (about 2 1/2 minutes) then freeze for at least two hours before slicing in. Enjoy within 48 hours after thawing.

Courtesy of Chick-fil-A