The 77-Year-Old Chick-fil-A Recipe That's Practically Perfect
Chick-fil-A's Dwarf House Lemon Pie
Let me start by saying that I am a major Chick-fil-A lover, supporter and loyalist. When it comes to fast-food chains, they are the crème de la crème, and I have yet to taste a better chicken sandwich, lemonade or waffle fry from any other establishment.
Truthfully, just telling you that I’m simply a fan of Chic-fil-A would be an understatement. I hold my Chick-fil-A rewards “Signature Member” status in high regard, along with my total 35,082 lifetime points. To me, these aren’t just points we’re talking about here. This number represents the numerous joyful memories and delightful experiences made possible by the Chic.
How serious is my Chick-fil-A pride? I’ve traveled to Atlanta to eat at Truett’s, which is a restaurant (there are four locations) honoring the legacy of CFA founder Truett Cathy and I’ve also visited the Dwarf House, which is modeled after Cathy's first restaurant, the Dwarf Grill. So, you can imagine how excited I was to find out the original recipe for Cathy Truett’s Lemon Meringue Pie from 1964 was now available to the public. As you can guess, I immediately rushed to the store to grab the ingredients I needed to make this a reality. This time, it wasn’t about the rewards, but about making—and tasting—a slice of history.
Get the recipe: Chick-fil-A's Dwarf House Lemon Pie
Courtesy of Dante Parker
Ingredients for Chick-fil-A's Dwarf House Lemon Pie
The pie has three main components: the pie shell, the filling and the meringue topping. For the pie shell, you'll need graham cracker crumbs, margarine (or butter) and vanilla wafers. For the filling, grab pasteurized eggs, sweetened condensed milk and lemons. And lastly, for what can arguably be considered the best part of the pie, you'll need egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and vanilla to make the meringue topping.
How to Make Chick-fil-A's Dwarf House Lemon Pie
I don’t know if it’s a “me” thing, but the pie recipe claims it should take only about 30-45 minutes to make this bad boy. I won’t share how long it really took me to make it, but it was a lot longer than half an hour.
First, you’re going to start with the pie crust. Take your graham cracker crumbs and melted butter and mix them together in a large bowl. Once combined, add to an aluminum pie pan and press the crumbs evenly in the pan. It may be helpful to use the bottom of a measuring cup to make sure the crumbs are tightly packed and the surface is even.
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After the crust has been laid, place your vanilla wafers along the border of the pie tin with the flat sides of the cookies facing outwards. The recipe notes that this will help you cut the pie into eight perfect slices, with each slice having exactly two vanilla wafers. So smart!
Courtesy of Dante Parker
To get started on the filling, combine your eggs and can of condensed milk in another large bowl. Use a whisk to mix it by hand, while slowly pouring in your fresh lemon juice. After all the juice has been added, continue to whisk the filling for another 30 seconds, before pouring it into the crust. (The filling must be poured into the pie crust immediately after mixing or the filling may become too firm to pour.) Give the pie a few shakes so everything settles, and set it to the side to begin on the meringue topping.
The meringue may be a little tricky, but if you follow the directions and trust the process, it will all eventually start to come together.
Add your egg whites, cream of tartar and vanilla in a separate mixing bowl, then mix on low for one minute. Turn the mixer off and scrape the edges of the bowl with a large spatula. Turn the mixer to medium-low and mix until the meringue forms soft peaks (the beaters will start to leave marks in the meringue mixture). Finally, whip the meringue on medium until stiff peaks from, which took about 90 seconds for me. Spoon the finished meringue on top of the pie.
Courtesy of Dante Parker
For the final step, broil the pie until the meringue turns golden brown and delicious, then remove the pie from the broiler and freeze it for at least two hours before serving. I recommend finding something to occupy your time while the pie sets, otherwise this may be the longest two-hour wait of your life. I know it was for me.
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What I Thought of Chick-fil-A's Dwarf House Lemon Pie
You had better be a fan of lemon because this pie is packed full of lemony flavor. I thought the lemon flavor was a bit overpowering in some bites, but even so, I still thoroughly enjoyed this dessert.
I'm not usually a big fan of cold desserts (unless we're talking about cheesecake), but I found this pie to be very satisfying. The flavors from each part of the pie—the crust, the filling, and the topping—all stood out individually, and yet still complimented one another very well. It is very reminiscent of Chick-fil-A's seasonal ice cream shake, the Frosted Lemonade. The only difference is you don’t have to leave the house to enjoy this one.
Courtesy of Dante Parker
Tips for Making a Chick-fil-A Dwarf House Lemon Pie
1. Leave the pie in the freezer a little longer than recommended. The recipe states that the pie should be ready to serve after sitting in the freezer for a minimum of two hours, but I would wait about three. I tried it after just two, and the pie filling had a very runny and pudding-like consistency. But after three hours in the freezer, the texture was soft enough to slide a fork through, but firm enough to hold its shape.
2. Pour the filling into the pie immediately after mixing. As mentioned above, the filling must be poured into the pie right after mixing or it may become too firm to pour.
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