Chick-fil-A is an extremely popular fast-food restaurant, and it’s clear to see why. Chick-fil-A focuses on quality food with simple ingredients, and it’s one of the best choices for healthy eating on the go for fast food.
Highlights
- Chick-fil-A is one of the few fast food restaurants offering both grilled chicken and salad options, making it a top choice for finding diet-friendly options.
- For those seeking macro-friendly options under 400 calories, the Cool Wrap without dressing is a great choice, providing 42g of protein at 350 calories.
- The 5 Piece Grilled Nuggets are a great low-fat option, containing only 2g of fat and 16g of protein at 80 calories.
As the name implies, the entire Chick-fil-A menu is based around chicken, which is generally a low-calorie and high-protein food.
Sure, the nutrition facts change a bit for fried options, but the chicken options from Chick-fil-A tend to be more appealing than other menu options from other fast-food chains, such as burgers & fries.
Of course, not all chicken is created equally. The grilled nuggets are going to have different macros (also known as nutritional information) than the regular nuggets. But, that’s why this guide exists!
Whether your daily diet has you searching for the lowest calorie option for a low calorie diet, the most grams of protein for a high-protein diet, or the lowest carbs for a keto diet, we’ll help you find the best options.
Which Chick-fil-A Items Are The Healthiest?
Let me preface this by saying that there’s no right or wrong answer to what “healthy” means.
To you, healthy might be lower calorie, and to someone else, it might mean lower-fat or low in carbs. It’s very subjective!
That being said, we can look at the menu and make selections based on our specific goals, so let’s break down the Chick fil A menu to find some of the best options.
Chick-fil-A Menu Items with the Most Protein
If your goal is to eat a high-protein diet, here are some amazing options for you.
Sandwich with the Most Protein: Grilled Chicken Club (520 Calories, 22g Fat, 45g Carbs, 38g Protein)
Chicken Entree with the Most Protein: 30 Chick-fil-A Grilled Nuggets (510 Calories, 11g Fat, 4g Carbs, 98g Protein)
Breakfast Item With the Most Protein: Hash Brown Burrito (700 Calories, 40g Fat, 51g Carbs, 34g Protein)
Macro-Friendly Chick-fil-A Menu Items Under 400 Calories
If you want a balanced (AKA macro-friendly) option while keeping it low calorie, here are some options worth considering.
Macro-Friendly Sandwich: Cool Wrap Without Dressing (350 Calories, 13g Fat, 29g Carbs, 42g Protein)
Macro-Friendly Chicken: 12 Grilled Nuggets (200 Calories, 4.5g Fat, 2g Carbs, 38g Protein)
Macro-Friendly Breakfast: Egg White Grill (290 Calories, 7g Fat, 31g Carbs, 27g Protein)
Macro-Friendly Salad: Market Salad with Grilled Chicken (320 Calories, 12g Fat, 26g Carbs, 28g Protein)
Chick-fil-A Menu Items with the Lowest Fat
When you need to eat low-fat for any reason, you may struggle to enjoy most fast food. But with Chick-fil-A, there are a lot of really great options for your low-fat diet.
For this list, we’ll look at all Chick-fil-A items with less than 10 grams of fat.
5 Piece Grilled Nuggets: 80 Calories, 2g Fat, 1g Carbs, 16g Protein
8 Piece Grilled Nuggets: 130 Calories, 3g Fat, 1g Carbs, 25g Protein
12 Piece Grilled Nuggets: 200 Calories, 4.5g Fat, 2g Carbs, 38g Protein
1 Chick-n-Strip: 100 Calories, 4.5g Fat, 5g Carbs, 10g Protein
Chicken Noodle Soup (Cup): 120 Calories, 3g Fat, 16g Carbs, 9g Protein
Chicken Noodle Soup (Bowl): 230 Calories, 5g Fat, 29g Carbs, 16g Protein
Egg White Grill: 290 Calories, 7g Fat, 31g Carbs, 27g Protein
5 Piece Chicken Nuggets: 160 Calories, 7g Fat, 7g Carbs, 17g Protein
Low-Carb Chick-fil-A Options for Keto Diets
If you’re keto or low-carb, chicken is likely a staple of your diet. If you want to keep the carbs to a minimum at Chick-fil-A, here are your best options.
5 Piece Grilled Nuggets: 80 Calories, 2g Fat, 1g Carbs, 16g Protein
8 Piece Grilled Nuggets: 130 Calories, 3g Fat, 1g Carbs, 25g Protein
12 Piece Grilled Nuggets: 200 Calories, 4.5g Fat, 2g Carbs, 38g Protein
5 Piece Chicken Nuggets: 160 Calories, 7g Fat, 7g Carbs, 17g Protein
Kale Crunch: 120 Calories, 9g Fat, 8g Carbs, 3g Protein
Hash Brown Scramble Bowl With Nuggets and No Hash Browns: 320 Calories, 20g Fat, 7g Carbs, 28g Protein
It’s also possible to order any chicken sandwich or breakfast sandwich without a bun, so you can easily turn any sandwich into a keto-friendly option!
Chick-fil-A Chicken, Fries, & Dipping Sauces
When it comes to ordering chicken, you have three different options:
Chick fil A® nuggets (fried), grilled nuggets, or Chick-n-Strips.
If you’re looking to maximize your protein at Chick-fil-A, then the grilled chicken nugget options are the better choices.
If you’re keto, or simply looking to limit your carbs, the Grilled Chicken Nuggets are going to be the healthier choice (you can find more keto-friendly options over at The Diet Chef ).
Grilled Chicken vs. Fried Chicken
8 Piece Grilled Chicken Nuggets: 130 Calories, 3g Fat, 1g Carbs, 25g Protein
8 Piece Fried Chicken Nuggets: 250 Calories, 11g Fat, 11g Carbs, 27g Protein
The grilled chicken nuggets are made from lean white meat chicken breast, making them a low-calorie, high-protein option.
While the Chick-fil-A nuggets are made from the same lean chicken, the breading and method of frying add many extra calories in the form of fat and carbohydrates.
This is not necessarily a bad thing, but if your goal is to keep your calories low, opting for grilled chicken will cut those calories in half.
And don’t worry about saturated fat, if that is a concern for your diet. Even the fried chicken nuggets only have 2.5g total saturated fat (for an 8-piece) so they are both quality options for you.
When it comes to either of these options, you’re likely not eating them plain. I mean, Chick-fil-A is partly known for its delicious dipping sauces…
Lowest Calorie Chick-fil-A Dipping Sauce: Zesty Buffalo Sauce
25 Calories, 2.5g Fat, 1g Carbs, 0g Protein
Highest Calorie Chick-fil-A Dipping Sauce: Chick-fil-A sauce
140 Calories, 13g Fat, 7g Carbs, 0g Protein
Since the packets of dipping sauces are pretty small, it’s likely that you’re going to want more than one. While that may not be an issue, it’s clear to see that those extra calories can really add up.
If you have 2 sides of Zesty Buffalo Sauce or Honey Mustard, you’ll only be consuming an extra 100 calories or less.
But if you go for the Chick-fil-A sauce or Ranch, you’ll be adding nearly 300 extra calories to your meal, so it’s wise to be mindful of how much sauce you’re using.
Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwiches
While the chicken sandwich menu at Chick-fil-A isn’t huge, the customizations are nearly endless.
All of the sandwiches listed in this graphic are exactly as pictured, but don’t include any sauces. For example, The Deluxe Sandwich includes American cheese and butter on the bun. If you wanted to leave both of those out, you can see from this nutrition guide that you’d be saving 80 calories!
Your choice of cheese can make a difference as well, with American cheese being 50 calories and Colby jack being 80 calories per slice.
If you want to go the keto/low-carb route, Chick-fil-A also offers the option to wrap any sandwich in lettuce instead of a bun. While you will most certainly be sacrificing flavor, it’s a great way to cut carbs when needed.
Lowest Calorie Sandwich: The Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap
350 Calories, 13g Fat, 29g Carbs, 42g Protein
The Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap is a great option if you want to keep your calories low while still enjoying something other than nuggets. Be mindful, however, that this wrap is served with Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing, which adds over 300 calories, so use it sparingly.
If a wrap doesn’t cut it and you want an actual sandwich, the grilled chicken sandwich has only 380 calories with 28g of protein, making it a great option.
Highest Calorie Option: Spicy Deluxe Sandwich
520 Calories, 25g Fat, 46g Carbs, 31g Protein
It’s shocking to me that the highest-calorie menu item at Chick-fil-A is only 520 calories. That’s quite different from some of the higher-calorie options you’ll find at Burger King, Wendy’s, McDonald’s, and others.
Sure, this Spicy Deluxe Sandwich is technically the highest calorie option, but quite honestly, it’s still a great option regardless of your goals.
Chick fil-A Salads, Dressing, and Select Sides
Chick-fil-A gets major points for not only offering salad, but offering salad with numerous customization options. When you order a salad, you can opt for no chicken, grilled chicken (hot or cold), nuggets, grilled nuggets, Chick-n-Strips, or a Chick-fil-A filet.
Each option is a great source of protein, but the calories will vary quite a bit depending on the option you choose.
A grilled chicken filet will only add 100 calories, whereas something like chicken strips will add 300 calories! Keep that in mind if you’re trying to keep your salad low-calorie.
It’s important to note that the salads listed here do not include the dressing. They do include all the other mix-ins, like a hard-boiled egg in the cobb salad, or the tortilla strips in the spicy southwest salad.
Looking at the salad dressing, Chick-fil-A conveniently offers “light” dressing options; at less than 100 calories per packet (and as low as 25 calories for the Light Italian Dressing), the light options will add a ton of flavor to your salads without adding a ton of calories.
Most of the other options are thicker & creamier, leading to a lot more calories.
Luckily, Chick-fil-A salads will be served with the dressing on the side, so you have the luxury of using as much or as little as you’d like.
Aside from the main salad, “kale crunch” is also an option at Chick-fil-A. The Kale Crunch Side Salad includes red and green apple pieces, mandarin orange segments, fresh strawberry slices, and blueberries. Additionally, it features crunchy curly kale, green cabbage, and toasted almonds. The salad is tossed with a vinaigrette made with Apple Cider and Dijon Mustard (so the dressing is included in the macros you see above), which offers a perfect combination of sweet and tangy flavors.
Chick-fil-A Breakfast Options
Ah, breakfast: the best meal of the day.
Like the Chick-fil-A chicken sandwiches, Chick fil A breakfast has a ton of room for customization.
Let’s say that you are in the mood for a bacon egg & cheese sandwich. You can see in the nutrition guide above that you have two options: a biscuit and an English muffin.
But the options certainly do not end there. You can order a breakfast sandwich with chicken, swap out the eggs for egg whites, get extra bacon, or swap out the American cheese for a different type of cheese.
The hash brown scramble burritos or bowls also offer a ton of customization options. What you see listed here is for a “standard” order, but you can choose any number of breakfast meat options (bacon, sausage, or chicken), and you can opt to leave the hash browns out if you want a lower-calorie breakfast.
If you’re ordering everything as-is, you can see that the most bang for your buck (bucks meaning calories, in this case) is the Egg White Grill.
Lowest Calorie Breakfast Sandwich: Egg White Grill
290 Calories, 7g Fat, 31g Carbs, 27g Protein
If you want to keep the calories low and the protein high, the Egg White Grill is a great option for breakfast. It has grilled chicken, egg whites, and American cheese on an English muffin.
If you want to pair it with a low-calorie side, you can add a fruit cup for an additional 60 calories.
Highest Calorie Breakfast Sandwich: Hash Brown Scramble Burrito
700 Calories, 40g Fat, 51g Carbs, 34g Protein
The breakfast burrito will provide the most calories at 700 in total. This burrito not only contains eggs and Monterey jack cheese, but also contains nuggets and crispy hash browns.
You have the option of ordering this same burrito without hash browns and swapping the nuggets for a grilled filet, which will bring the total calories all the way down to 500.
Chick-fil-A Dessert Menu
No meal is complete without some dessert, right?
Since these menu items are all treats, we won’t spend too much time talking about the nutrition here, but the “Icedream” is worth drawing attention to.
When it comes to satisfying your sweet tooth without feeling overly full, Chick-fil-A’s Icedream Cup is a great choice. Chick-fil-A offers one of the lowest-calorie options available as far as fast food ice cream is concerned.
In fact, compared to McDonald’s or Burger King, you’ll be consuming slightly fewer calories at Chick-fil-A, all while enjoying more of that delicious ice cream goodness.
What sets Chick-fil-A apart is their offering of soft serve ice cream in a cup, providing a versatile option for those looking to indulge without the extra calories from the cone.
So, whether you prefer the classic cone or opt for the cup, treating yourself to Chick-fil-A’s Icedream Cup is the perfect way to satisfy your sweet cravings without feeling too full. And hey, if you’re planning to share a pup cup with your furry friend, you’ve got that option too!
How to Save Calories at Chick-fil-A
When it comes to eating out at restaurants, not just Chick-fil-A, substitutions are your friend. Depending on the substitutions you make, you can easily save yourself hundreds of calories without sacrificing any flavor at all.
Calorie-saver #1: Remove the cheese
One slice of American cheese adds 50 calories, 5g fat, 1g carb, and 2g protein. Colby Jack and Pepper Jack cheese are slightly higher, adding an extra 20-30 calories on top of that.
If you’re looking to save some calories, going cheeseless can be a great place to start. If you order the Grilled Chicken Bacon Club without cheese, that brings the entire sandwich down to 430 calories! Not bad at all.
Calorie-saver #2: Choose the right sauces
The Chick-fil-A nutrition here does not include sauces on the sandwiches. We all know Chick-fil-A dipping sauce is a must, but be mindful of which you are choosing. While the Zesty Buffalo Sauce is only 25 calories, the famous Chick-fil-A sauce is 140 calories!
If you definitely want to use sauce, just try to limit yourself to one. Sure, you can use more than that, but those calories will add up quickly.
Calorie-saver #3: Ask for no butter
The nutrition for some of these sandwiches does include butter on the bun. While that makes the sandwiches even more delicious, it also adds an extra 30 calories.
Is 30 calories a lot? Nope, certainly not! I would not stress it. But if you do want to save a few calories, ask them to leave that butter off.
Calorie-saver #4: Don’t be afraid of substitutions
I mentioned it many times above, but don’t be afraid to ask for substitutions and make changes to an order.
Chick-fil-A salads include lots of mix-ins, so that is where the calories are coming from. For example, the market salad has a bunch of fruit, blue cheese, and granola included, so it can add up.
Get creative with the salad and leave the granola out, or swap out a different kind of dressing. If you want to up the protein, add some Grilled Chicken Nuggets on top!
When it comes to sandwiches, you can swap out the type of cheese or the type of chicken, or you can change up the bun. There are tons of options, so find what works best for not only your goal but your tastebuds as well.
Calorie-saver #5: Skip the bread
I’m not necessarily advocating for this because I love carbs. If I’m going to order a sandwich, I absolutely want to enjoy a delicious bun, English muffin, or biscuit.
That being said, if you are truly in a tight spot (calorically speaking) or need to eat very low carb, you can ask for any sandwich without a bun.
For example, you can order an Egg White Grill for breakfast without an English Muffin, which would bring the total calories down to 150 and the carbs to just 2 grams.
Conclusion: Is Chick-fil-A Healthy?
If you’re asking me personally, I’d 100% say yes!
When it comes to fast food, you could do much worse than Chick-fil-a. Sure, all items aren’t going to be ideal for you depending on your goals, but the fact that the highest calorie menu item clocks in at only 550 calories, there are plenty of solid options here to fit your goals.
If you ever want to see how Chick-fil-A stacks up against other fast food options, check out how their fried chicken sandwich compares to others on the market (in the infamous Chicken Sandwich Wars) or how their waffle fries stack up against the competition.
And if you’re ever craving a delicious fried chicken sandwich and don’t feel like going out of your way to visit a Chick-fil-A, I highly recommend you check out my Crispy Chicken Sandwich Recipe.
Trust me: it’s incredible.
