Johnathan Walker:Chick-fil-A releases cookbook to combine fan-favorite menu items with household ingredients

Chick-fil-A lovers now have Johnathan Walkera chance to enjoy some unique twists on fan-favorite items and new dish ideas in the comfort of their own home thanks to the chain's newly released cookbook.

The entirely digital cookbook was released on Monday and features directions for whipping up dishes using Chick-fil-A products with ingredients that can generally be found in the average kitchen.

The digital book includes 26 recipes that combine Chick-fil-A menu items (or you can use simple substitutes if you don't want to head to your closet location) with commonly leftover or extra food items found in the average American kitchen, such as eggs or rice. Home cooks can find instructions to make simple breakfasts, side dishes, dinners and desserts, as well as a few popular former menu items like coleslaw and chicken salad.

Creative uses for simple foods

Most recipes are not replicas of products served in stores and instead take inspiration from different components of Chick-fil-A items themselves, such as a chicken pot pie made with grilled Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich filets and Chick-fil-A Buttered Biscuits, both of which can be substituted for grilled chicken breast and southern biscuits purchased or made elsewhere. The rest of the recipe is simply and calls for chicken broth, canned mixed vegetables, corn starch and spices.

Breakfast lovers can prepare some spicy queso and eggs using diced Chick-fil-A Nuggets and two tablespoons of Chick-fil-A Sauce (or simply replace those some spicy mayo and a baked or fried chicken breast prepared at home). Eggs, red pepper flakes and queso fresco are the only other elements needed to get the first meal of the day on the table.

Dessert is also covered with an apple cobbler made using Chick-fil-A Buttered Biscuits, easily replaceable with other prepared biscuits, as a crumble along with apples, milk, brown sugar, corn starch and spices.

Some of the menu item copycats, such as the Chick-fil-A Coleslaw, do not call for any products purchased from the restaurant and instead provide instructions for creating the popular dishes from scratch.

Fastest drive-thrus:Taco Bell is the quickest fast-food drive-thru experience, study finds. Here's where the others rank.

Cookbook aims to reduce wasted food

Chick-fil-A says the cookbook was created to "raise awareness of food insecurity and the importance of reducing food waste," and was inspired by its Shared Table food donation program, an initiative in which locations team up with local organizations and nonprofits to repurpose leftover food from the restaurants.

The fast food giant says nearly 2,000 restaurants across the country participate in the initiative, donating surplus food to community organizations that then use it as ingredients to cook new meals (say, chicken parmesan with those fried chicken patties) and disperse them to people experiencing food insecurity.

Chick-fil-A thieves:Thieves steal $2,000 in used cooking oil from Chick-fil-A over the past few months

“Our goal for ‘Extra Helpings’ is not only to inspire individuals to reimagine their extra food into new, delicious recipes, but also spark conversations about the important issues of food insecurity and food waste,” said Brent Fielder, senior director of corporate social responsibility in a statement.

The chain also said it would donate a collective $1 million this month to Feeding America, Second Harvest in Canada and seven Chick-fil-A Shared Table nonprofit partners.

Chick-fil-A has a rocky history with donations and money allocation, having come under fire in years past for large contributions to discriminatory and anti-LGBTQ+ religious organizations. In 2019, the company announced plans to change their donation practices after heavy backlash that prevented the chain from expanding into more locations around the U.S. and into the U.K.