Chick-fil-A Nutrition Information and Calories

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Chick-fil-A is a fast food chain with hundreds of locations nationwide. Their claim to fame, of course, is chicken (nuggets, strips and sandwiches), but the restaurant offers many other items such as sandwich ‘wraps,’ salads and desserts. The states with the most Chick-fil-A® locations include Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia. The restaurant offers traditional, high-sodium, high-fat fare as well as some lighter and healthier options.

Breakfast

Like many fast-food chains, Chick-fil-A® wants to draw in the morning breakfast crowd so they offer about nearly two dozen choices. Avoid the biscuit, fried chicken and omelet sandwiches as well as the cinnamon rolls, hash browns and breakfast platters. Instead choose the multigrain oatmeal with dried fruit and nut toppings for 290 calories, 11 g fat (mostly unsaturated from the nuts) and 6 g dietary fiber. The yogurt parfait with fruit or the parfait with fruit and granola are both healthy, protein-rich options. The yogurt and fruit parfait offers only 230 calories and 3 g fat, while the yogurt fruit and granola parfait provides 290 calories and 6 g fat. Both offer about 7 g protein and are excellent sources of calcium and vitamin C but the granola adds quite a bit of sugar.

Classic Sandwiches, Nuggets, Strips and Wraps

There are six classic sandwiches, four of which are composed of a fried chicken fillet and two of which are made with a grilled chicken fillet. The most ‘diet-friendly’ sandwich is the Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich™ which offers 290 calories and 4 g total fat. The Chargrilled Chicken Club™ is the second best bet sandwich at 400 calories and 12 g fat. The fried chicken sandwiches range in size and spiciness. Their chicken salad sandwich on wheat bread appears to be healthy and low in calories, but it is prepared with lots of mayonnaise, bringing the calories up to 510 with 19 g fat.

Chick-fil-A® offers deep-fried chicken nuggets and larger strips (8-piece and 4-piece respectively). Skip these as they are high in fat and not very filling. There are three chicken wrap sandwiches and they have similar nutrition profiles, offering 410 to 470 calories and 10 to 14 g fat per sandwich. The best choice is the Chargrilled Chicken Cool Wrap™. The whole sandwich offers 410 calories and 10 g fat as well as an impressive 7 g dietary fiber.

Chicken Salads and Sides

There are several chicken salads to choose from that range in calories and fat. The best choices are the Chargrilled Chicken Garden Salad™ and the Chargrilled & Fruit Salad™ which provide 180 and 230 calories, 4 and 6 g fat and 4 or more grams of dietary fiber per salad, without toppings. In addition to salad dressings, Chick-fil-A® offers packets of crunchy salad toppings, such as garlic and butter croutons and harvest nut granola. These additions turn a healthy lunch into a diet disaster.

The good news about ‘side’ dishes is that they are typically small. The bad news is that even those that appear to be healthy often are not. For example, the carrot and raisin salad sounds (and looks) healthy but most versions contain mayonnaise and/or oil. One serving of this side provides 260 calories but 12 g fat. It might not sound bad but remember, this is a small side dish. Think cole slaw is healthy because it is made with cabbage? Not commercially prepared cole slaw. A medium-sized serving of Chick-fil-A® cole slaw will set you back 360 calories and a whopping 31 g fat (5 g saturated fat). Instead, choose the side garden or fruit salad. Each provides only 70 calories. The fruit cup is fat-free but the salad has some fat, 4.5 g. The side of chicken noodle soup made with chicken breast is tasty and diet-friendly at 140 calories and 4 g fat; however, a medium portion supplies over 1,100 mg sodium!

Desserts and Drinks

The only dessert that is remotely diet-friendly on the Chick-fil-A® menu is the Icedream™ cone, a soft serve vanilla ice cream cone. One creamy cone provides 170 calories and 4 g fat. As long as you avoid the sugary beverages and milkshakes, there are quite a few low-calorie beverage options. In addition to calorie-free bottled water and Colombian coffee, Chick-fil-A® offers plain iced tea, diet soft drinks and diet lemonade (in addition to the sweetened versions).

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