Healthy Chick-Fil-A options: What to eat and what to avoid

We know fast food isn’t the greatest but whether it’s convenience, price, or you’re just cravin’ some nuggets, sometimes we can’t avoid the golden arches (or insert-your-favorite-restaurant-here). Well, don’t fret because we’ve got you covered.

At Noom we’re here to help you learn to eat out in a variety of social situations: at restaurants, at dinner parties, on vacation, at special events, and more!

This week we’ll spotlight a fast food joint and tell you what to eat — and what to avoid when you’re on-the-go.

This week’s choice: Chick-Fil-A.

Is Chick-Fil-A Healthy?

Chick-Fil-A is known for their pretty delicious chicken tenders and not-too-shabby waffle fries. But you can skip these two menu favorites and still have a delicious meal. Or you can find a healthy way to fit them into your budget.

What’s the easiest way to do this? Be aware of the caloric density of your food.

If this sounds a bit scary, Noom’s food tracker has made it easy for you.

Green foods are the least calorie dense — they have the smallest amount of calories per gram of food. Yellow foods are “normal” foods like lean meats. They should make up a majority of your plate.

Finally, orange foods are the most calorie dense — they pack a major calorie bang for your buck (and not in a good way). Try to keep orange foods to single servings and fill your plate with green foods to fill yourself up with fewer calories.

Need some inspiration? Below we list our top 5 healthy Chick-Fil-A options—and three you should definitely avoid.

Chick-Fil-A Healthy Options

1. Grilled Chicken Sandwich

When eating out at fast food restaurants, always opt for a grilled option over a fried one.

Fried foods are full of hidden fats, have high-calorie counts, and usually contain trans-fat (the worst kind).

Chick-Fil-A’s grilled chicken sandwich made with a boneless breast of chicken on a multigrain bun has only:

Calories: 320 calories
Fat: 5 grams of fat
Protein: 30 grams of protein

If the chicken sandwich isn’t filling enough on its own, add a fruit cup on the side and sip on unsweetened tea.

2. Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap

If you’re not in the mood for a sandwich, try this grilled chicken wrap. Wraps have fewer net carbs than sandwiches and usually (but not always) fewer calories.

In this recipe, grilled chicken breast is wrapped in a flaxseed flatbread with cabbage, carrots, lettuce, and Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses, with a custom ranch dressing with avocado and lime.

This wrap has:

Calories: 340
Fat: 13 grams
Protein: 36 grams
Fiber:15 grams

Fiber and protein both keep you full but if you need a little extra, try their side salad which has just 80 calories.

3. Grilled Market Salad

You don’t have to eat a salad to be healthy but if you’re craving greens, try the Grilled Market Salad.

Grilled chicken is mixed with romaine lettuce, green leaf lettuce, cabbage and other greens plus apples, strawberries and blueberries, almonds and blue cheese. The combo of fruits, veggies, and a bit of cheese creates a healthy mix of carbs, protein, and fats.

Choosing a salad at a restaurant can be difficult, as many are packed with hidden calories and fats. Beware of excessive fatty ingredients like:

• Bacon
• Fried onions
• Fried meats
• Toppings that could serve as an extra meal (for example, quesadillas as a ‘topping’).

This salad features only one fat topping—the cheese.

This salad has:

Calories: 200
Fat: 5 grams
Protein: 32 grams

If you want to add a dressing, opt for the low-calorie Light Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing (+ 80 calories) or Light Italian Dressing (+25 calories).

Best to steer clear of the Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing as it more than doubles this salad’s calorie count, adding 310 calories.

4. Grilled Chicken Nuggets

If you just can’t fight your cravings, you can still indulge and stay within your calorie budget. Go for the 5-count grilled Chick-Fil-A nuggets with a side of small waffle fries.

The grilled nuggets are only:

Calories: 140
Fat: 3 grams
Protein: 23 grams

If you really want to treat yourself, go for the 8-count of normal chicken nuggets. But they do come with an extra 130 calories and 10 grams of fat.

A small portion of waffle fries contains 310 calories and 16 grams of fat.

But beware — this meal won’t keep you as full, has less nutrients, and has more unhealthy fats (saturated fat from peanut oil) than some of its counterparts.

What to Avoid at Chick-Fil-A (if you’re trying to lose weight)

1. Chick-fil-A Spicy Chicken Deluxe Sandwich

This spicy chicken sandwich features fried chicken, Pepper Jack cheese and a buttered white bun. It has:

Calories: 570
Fat: 27 grams
Protein: 33 grams

It also has 1640 mg of sodium.

This choice is one of the worst on the menu (chicken sandwiches can really vary when it comes to their impact on your health!)

Get a grilled chicken sandwich instead which can have just as much flavor as fried without the guilty conscience afterwards.

2. Large Waffle Fries

We won’t try to argue that fries aren’t delicious. Fries are extremely tasty, but they pack a TON of calories into a tiny amount of food and have basically non nutritional quality. They have:

Calories: 600
Fat: 35 grams
Protein: 7 grams

Instead of grabbing large waffles fries, try to wait until you’re home and can create your own healthy alternative.

Try this crispy baked potato fries, sweet potato fries, or baked zucchini fries as a healthy alternative.

3. Large chocolate milkshake

Who doesn’t love dessert? Unfortunately, dessert can come with a hefty calorie count. Chick-fil-A’s large chocolate milkshake has:

Calories: 710
Fat: 26 grams
Protein: 7 grams
Sugar: 103 grams (!!!)

That’s almost 4x the amount of daily recommended sugar!

If you need a quick fix, try the Icedream small cone which has 170 calories (but still 25 grams of sugar).

Your best bet would be to wait until you get home and make something tasty yourself, like this healthy chocolate milkshake or these healthy peanut butter oatmeal cookies.

When eating out at fast food restaurants, do your best to avoid fried foods, and stick to healthy options that will still leave you satisfied.

If you’re having trouble, try tracking your meal before you order it to see how much of your calorie budget it will take up. And remember, one splurge is not the end of the world. Be kind to yourself and do your best—you’ve got this!