If you’re out, about, and starving, there are 100′s of restaurants to choose from. I think I could eat out here, three meals a day, in San Diego and never repeat a restaurant for at least a whole year!
Making healthy choices are key when eating out, so we wanted to let you know which major fast food chain has the healthiest grilled chicken sandwich. I’m only looking at four major players as there are just too many fast food chains to list a chicken sandwich from each. So, would Mcdonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, and Chick-fil-A please enter the arena.
McDonald’s Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich
- Serving size: 200 grams
- Calories: 350
- Fat: 9g ( 2g sat. and 65mg cholesterol)
- Sodium: 820mg
- Carbs: 42g (8g sugar)
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 28g
McDonald’s serves their sandwich by default with Mayo which is included in the total calories. It lists zero grams of trans fat, but this isn’t exactly true as hydrogenated oils are listed in the liquid margarine used to prepare it. It is low in sodium and cholesterol.
Burger King’s TENDERGRILL Chicken Sandwich
- Serving size: Not listed
- Calories: 470
- Fat: 18g ( 7g sat. and 85mg cholesterol)
- Sodium: 1100mg
- Carbs: 40g (7g sugar)
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 55g
Burger King’s sandwich is a little bigger than the other ones, but also pretty high in fat, saturated fat, and sodium. It lists zero grams of trans fat, but is unclear which oils are used for cooking the chicken and I had no luck finding this out by calling their consumer line.
Wendy’s Ultimate Chicken Grill
- Serving size: 230 grams
- Calories: 360
- Fat: 7g ( 1.5g sat. and 80mg cholesterol)
- Sodium: 1110mg
- Carbs: 42g (9g sugar)
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 33g
Wendy’s chicken sandwich fairs pretty well, but is high in sodium, delivering around half of the daily maximum intake. It is unclear how the chicken is prepared or the oils used to cook it, but it lists zero grams of trans fat.
Chick-fil-A Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich
- Serving size: Not listed
- Calories: 290
- Fat: 4g ( 1g sat. and 80mg cholesterol)
- Sodium: 1030mg
- Carbs: 36g (9g sugar)
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 29g
The “inventor” of the chicken sandwich also fairs pretty well. Chick-fil-A uses no hydrogenated oils in their store, so it would totally be free of trans fat. They also serve the product dressing free which cuts down on some calories and fat, but only if you don’t put any on yourself. However, this sandwich is high in sodium, delivering nearly half of the maximum recommended daily intake.
And the Winner Is….
Comparing the four sandwiches in regards to how the stack up nutritionally, how they are prepared, and lastly, on how they taste, I would choose the Chick-fil-A Chargrilled Sandwich as the healthiest choice. It’s only downfall is it’s sodium content, but otherwise fairs better nutritionally. Chick-fil-A marinates their chicken in the store, so it’s not a pre-frozen item and taste wise, I think it’s a step above the others.
If you have to eat fast food, look for a Chick-fil-A, but make sure you pass on the Waffle Potato Fries.
Diet-blog was not compensated in anyway by Chick-fil-A to recommend their product. We’re paying customers like everyone else.
The best way to loss your fat . Do exercise everyday early in the morning.
I like this kind of post. It’s practical, educational. I also like the high-brow posts as well. The balance of this blog is good.
If you’re really looking for a freshly grilled marinated breast fillet sandwich or burger (Healthy in fact), you can try O’pollo Grilled Chicken and Burgers located at E.Rodriguez fronting St. Luke’s Medical Center Q.C.
A totally unique and healthy burgers that are freshly made every time. It marinated grilled breast chicken fillet. To boost its flavor, unique handcrafted sauces are available instead of the usual catsup! Try it out!!!
Brilliant argument. “We feed our troops crap, so it should be good enough for YOU!”
Yeah, good point. I don’t even buy the prefrozen chicken breasts at the store because they’re all injected with salt water and other chemicals. You’re better off buying whole chicken breasts and grilling them up yourself.
I live in the Midwest–we don’t have Chick-fil-A here. I’ve been told we’re missing out.
I like to eat mainly healthy fare, and also vegetarian. Most fast food restaurants have healthy choices of these such as salads, but I find I don’t get much for my money. I prefer to go to salad buffet restaurants where I can eat a lot of different vegetables, as well as vegetable sources of protein for a reasonable price. I will eat eggs or dairy.
It’s just people who need a cause and need to feel important about something.
Hell, my mom was served a burger and fries in the hospital right along side her medicine.
The important thing is just not to go overboard.
What do you think our troops and astronauts eat?
It would help if you had something constructive to say. As Ted says, we are tired of catering to the healthy elite, when most people out there need help with the basics.
Their New Grilled Chicken Fillet:
Chicken breast fillet with rib meat, water, seasoning (rice starch, salt, sugar, yeast extract, canola oil, onion powder, maltodextrin, chicken skin, paprika, flavor,
sunflower oil, chicken, garlic powder, chicken fat, spices), sodium phosphates.
Prepared with Liquid Margarine: Liquid soybean oil and hydrogenated cottonseed and soybean oils, water, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, salt, soy lecithin,
mono-and diglycerides, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservatives), artificial flavor, citric acid, vitamin A palmitate, beta carotene (color).
Have you ever read the ingredients of the “chicken breast”??
From McDonalds “Chicken Selects® Premium Breast Strip:
Chicken breast strips with rib meat, water, seasoning [potato starch, salt, autolyzed yeast extract, maltodextrin, chicken broth, natural flavors (plant and animal
source), spice, chicken fat, sunflower lecithin], sodium phosphates. Battered and breaded with: wheat flour, water, food starch-modified, leavening (baking soda,
sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, sodium acid pyrophosphate), spices, salt, modified cellulose gum, wheat gluten, garlic powder, onion powder,
soybean oil, xanthan gum, spice extractives, extractives of paprika (color).”
I would rather have the ingredients of my chicken breast be two words…CHICKEN BREAST!
At Chik Fil A, if you like your bread, ask for wheat bread no butter.
I never eat at fast food restaurants if I can actively help it. I will eat at Subway if I have to, but even then I usually order a turkey or roasted chicken sandwich as a salad so I can avoid the extra bread. You can probably lower the calories in some of that food by asking for it to be served on lettuce pieces instead of a bun. Or just not eating the bun. Buns are usually white bread with no nutritive value anyway.
Their chcken sandwich is super
MIke has a few in the works so don’t worry. As for the rest of your comment……In case you didn’t know, people do eat at fast food restaurants, a lot of people and a big part of our vision for diet-blog isn’t to help the people who already have their healthy eating lifestyle sorted, but we’re trying to help the majority of people that are just getting started on the journey to make small, healthier choices everyday. So choosing the healthiest chicken fast food sandwich is important. If you want a website that only caters to the healthy elite, then I suggest you start your own instead of criticizing our hard work .
I was a big fan of Wendy’s because they were the first to offer healthy alternative sides ( and hot one’s like chili when salad just won’t hit the spot) and offer them instead of fries on the value menu at no extra charge.
Unfortunatly the Wendy’s down the street from me closed in 2009
and I can’t bring myself to drive 4 miles just for a sandwich on a regular basis, but their chicken sandwich with a side of chili was a favorite meal for me.
So what happened to all the FANATIC diet posts? Mike give up and quietly go away or somethin’?
Now we have mamby-pamby “which is healthiest” of the crappy choices for fast food again?