What Cheese is on the Market Salad? A Guide to Market Salad Cheeses

January 2, 2026 •

3 min read

According to official menu descriptions, the popular Market Salad served at Chick-fil-A is topped with crumbled blue cheese. This tangy, flavorful choice is just one of many types of cheese you might find on a fresh market salad, depending on the restaurant or recipe.

Quick Summary

The specific cheese on a market salad often varies by recipe, but a prominent example is the crumbled blue cheese featured on Chick-fil-A's popular version. Other popular options include creamy goat cheese, savory feta, or aged parmesan, each offering a unique flavor and texture profile for your salad.

Key Points

Chick-fil-A's Market Salad: The popular restaurant's Market Salad features crumbled blue cheese, which provides a sharp, tangy contrast to the salad's sweet fruits.
Varying Cheese Options: The term "market salad" can encompass a wide variety of cheeses, including creamy goat cheese, savory feta, aged parmesan, and mild mozzarella, depending on the recipe and other ingredients.
Balancing Flavors: Choosing the right cheese is about balancing flavors; the strong, pungent blue cheese contrasts with the sweet fruits and nuts in the Chick-fil-A salad, while milder cheeses pair better with delicate greens.
Texture Contrast: Different cheeses offer distinct textures, such as the soft, creamy rounds of chèvre, the salty crumble of feta, or the savory shavings of parmesan.
Recipe Customization: For homemade market salads, you can easily substitute different cheeses to create a custom flavor profile that perfectly complements your seasonal ingredients.
Pairing Cheeses: Bold cheeses like blue cheese or parmesan can stand up to hearty greens, while mild, creamy cheeses like mozzarella or ricotta salata are better for delicate leaf mixes.

What Cheese is on the Market Salad at Chick-fil-A?

The query "What cheese is on the market salad?" most commonly refers to the popular offering from Chick-fil-A. Their official description confirms the salad features crumbled blue cheese. This pungent, salty, and creamy blue cheese is a key component of the salad, providing a strong flavor contrast to the other ingredients. The salad also includes a mix of red and green apples, strawberries, blueberries, and chicken breast, all complemented by a zesty apple cider vinaigrette. The sharp, tangy taste of the blue cheese perfectly cuts through the sweetness of the fresh fruit, creating a balanced and satisfying flavor experience. This particular combination highlights a classic pairing strategy where a bold cheese enhances and balances milder or sweeter elements in a dish.

Exploring Other Market Salad Cheese Options

While the Chick-fil-A version is iconic, the term "market salad" can be applied to any salad featuring a variety of seasonal, fresh ingredients, and the cheese can vary greatly. A true market-inspired salad uses ingredients fresh from the local market, and the cheese should be chosen to complement these flavors. Below are some of the most popular and versatile cheese options for a fresh, homemade market salad.

Feta Cheese

Originating from Greece, feta is a salty, tangy, and crumbly cheese typically made from sheep's milk or a mix of sheep and goat milk. Its briny flavor makes it a fantastic addition to salads with crisp vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onions. For a Greek-inspired market salad, crumbled feta is a perfect choice.

Goat Cheese (Chèvre)

Goat cheese is known for its distinct earthy and tangy flavor, with a soft, creamy texture. It can be served in soft rounds, crumbled, or even gently warmed on toast (known as chèvre chaud). It pairs beautifully with ingredients like roasted beets, candied nuts, and peppery arugula. The creamy texture provides a delightful contrast to the crunchy components of the salad.

Parmesan (Parmigiano-Reggiano)

This aged, hard Italian cheese is celebrated for its nutty, savory, and complex flavor profile. Instead of crumbles, parmesan is often shaved or grated over a market salad. Its bold taste stands up well to robust greens like kale and romaine, and it's a perfect companion for a classic Caesar-style or balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Mozzarella and Burrata

For a milder, creamier touch, fresh mozzarella or burrata is an excellent option. Burrata, a pouch of mozzarella filled with cream, offers a luxurious, rich texture that works wonderfully with juicy tomatoes, fresh basil, and a drizzle of high-quality olive oil. These cheeses are best suited for salads with more delicate flavors that don't need a strong, overpowering cheese.

Ricotta Salata

As an aged, salted version of ricotta cheese, ricotta salata is firm and crumbly, offering a salty flavor that is less intense than feta. It's a great choice for adding a mild, savory element to a market salad with fresh greens and a light vinaigrette. Unlike fresh ricotta, which is very soft, ricotta salata holds its shape and provides a pleasant, salty texture.

A Market Salad Cheese Comparison Table


Cheese Type	Flavor Profile	Texture	Best Paired With	Common Salad Styles
Blue Cheese	Strong, tangy, pungent	Crumbly, creamy	Berries, apples, walnuts, pecans	Chick-fil-A Market Salad, Steak Salads
Feta	Salty, briny, tangy	Crumbly	Cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, red onion	Greek Salads
Goat Cheese	Earthy, tangy	Soft, creamy	Beets, figs, candied nuts, arugula	Goat Cheese & Beet Salad
Parmesan	Nutty, savory, salty	Shaved, grated	Robust greens (kale), Caesar dressing	Caesar Salad, Italian Market Salads
Mozzarella/Burrata	Mild, creamy, fresh	Soft, smooth	Tomatoes, basil, olive oil	Caprese Salads, Italian Salads
Ricotta Salata	Salty, mild	Crumbly, firm	Arugula, roasted vegetables, legumes	Mediterranean Salads

Conclusion

The cheese on the Market Salad can be a definitive characteristic of the dish, and the choice of blue cheese in the Chick-fil-A version sets a clear and popular standard. For those looking to replicate or customize this experience, understanding the role of different cheeses is key. Whether you opt for the classic tang of blue cheese, the creamy earthiness of goat cheese, or the salty crumble of feta, the right cheese can elevate a simple market salad into a gourmet experience. Experimenting with these various options based on your fresh ingredients and preferred dressing is the best way to craft your perfect, personalized salad. For more ideas on cheese pairings and recipes, exploring resources like the Cheeses of Europe website can be a great next step.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Chick-fil-A Market Salad is topped with crumbled blue cheese. The bold flavor of the blue cheese complements the sweet mix of berries, apples, and chicken breast.

Yes, you can easily substitute the blue cheese. Some excellent alternatives include crumbled feta for a salty tang, creamy goat cheese for a milder, earthy flavor, or shaved parmesan for a nutty and savory addition.

Beyond blue cheese, other gourmet options include goat cheese (chèvre), feta, aged parmesan (Parmigiano-Reggiano), creamy burrata, and firm, salty ricotta salata.

The strong, pungent flavor of blue cheese provides a bold counterpoint to the sweetness of fruits and nuts. This creates a balanced and complex flavor profile, where the tangy cheese cuts through the sugar.

Feta cheese is typically briny and salty with a crumbly texture, while blue cheese has a stronger, more pungent flavor and can range from crumbly to creamy. Feta is ideal for Greek-style salads, while blue cheese is often paired with sweeter fruits or hearty meats.

For a salad with nuts and fruits, crumbled blue cheese or creamy goat cheese (chèvre) are excellent choices. Their strong, contrasting flavors and textures work well with the sweetness and crunch.

Consider the other ingredients and dressing. For robust greens and dressings, choose a bold cheese like parmesan or blue cheese. For delicate greens and ingredients, opt for a milder, creamier cheese like fresh mozzarella or goat cheese.