If you love Chick-fil-A but are trying to keep your calories in check, it’s good to know which options are low in calories.
I’ve been eating at Chick-fil-A for years, and I’ve compiled a list of my favorite menu items you can enjoy while still sticking to your calorie goals.
In this article, you will find:
- Lowest calorie breakfast options
- Lowest calorie entrees
- Lowest calorie salads
- Lowest calorie treats
- Lowest calorie drinks
- Lowest calorie dipping sauces
I’ll also share my top tips for customizing your order to reduce your calories even further.
Tips for Ordering Low-Calorie Options at Chick-Fil-A
Here are a few tips to cut down on the calories at Chick-Fil-A:
- Order individual items to build your own meal
- Get sauces & dressings on the side
- Avoid breaded chicken
- Substitute waffle fries for waffle potato chips and/or apple sauce
- Order an unbuttered white bun
Order Individual Items To Build Your Own Meal
At Chick-Fil-A, all menu items can be ordered individually. Therefore, you can create your own meals to save on calories.
For example, if you are looking for a chicken sandwich but want to reduce the number of calories, order items separately.
Instead of ordering a pre-made sandwich, you would order a grilled fillet (110 calories), unbuttered white bun (120 calories), BBQ dipping sauce on the side (45 calories), lettuce, tomato, and pickles (10 calories combined) for a total of 285 calories instead of a grilled chicken sandwich from the menu for 380 calories.
Get Sauces & Dressings On The Side
Ordering your sauces and dressings on the side will help to save on calories as you will know exactly how much sauce you are adding to your meal. You can also easily cut the amount of sauce or dressing used for your entree to reduce calories further.
For example, one serving of garden herb ranch dressing is 280 calories. By getting the dressing on the side and only eating half, you save at least 140 calories for your meal.
Avoid Breaded Chicken
Ordering a grilled filet instead of Chick-fil-A Filet or Spicy Filet (both of which are breaded chicken) will save you anywhere from 140-170 calories.
You also have the option to order grilled chicken nuggets instead of breaded nuggets to save yourself on half of the calories (80 calories for one serving of grilled nuggets compared to 160 for one serving of Chick-fil-A nuggets).
Substitute Waffle Fries For Waffle Chips and/or Apple Sauce
Substituting your order of waffle fries for one bag of waffle chips will only add an additional 220 calories in comparison to 320 calories for a small serving of waffle fries, 420 for a medium serving of waffle fries, or 550 calories for a large serving of waffle fries.
You could also consider adding a Buddy Fruits Apple Sauce for an extra 45 calories to increase variety and satiety without adding many more calories.
A bag of waffle potato chips and apple sauce combined is only 265 calories, so you’d save anywhere from 55-285 calories by not ordering waffle fries.
Order an Unbuttered White Bun
Ordering an unbuttered white bun and ditching the butter is an easy way to save yourself approximately 30 calories.
It’s also fewer calories than the multigrain brioche bun option for 210 calories. One unbuttered white bun is only 150 calories.
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The 3 Lowest Calorie Breakfast Options At Chick-fil-A
Keeping an eye on your calories at breakfast has never been so easy at Chick-fil-A with these 3 menu items:
- English Muffin (140 calories)
- Greek Yogurt Parfait With Cookie Crumbs (240 calories)
- Egg White Grill (290 calories)
1. English Muffin (140 calories)
An English Muffin is a great high-fiber, low-fat option at Chick-fil-A if you are looking to watch calories.
To make a more rounded meal keep you full and satisfied throughout your morning, you can easily add a chicken breakfast filet (which has 60 calories and is approximately half the size of a regular grilled chicken fillet with 110 calories) and zesty buffalo sauce (25 calories) for an additional 85 calories.
This brings your entire meal to 225 calories and giving you a total of 18g of protein for the meal.
2. Greek Yogurt Parfait With Cookie Crumbs (240 calories)
The Greek yogurt parfait with cookie crumbs will give you a sweet treat for your breakfast item as well as 12g of protein.
If you don’t mind an additional 30 calories, you can substitute the cookie crumb topping for granola for a total of 270 calories.
3. Egg White Grill (290 calories)
This breakfast sandwich includes a breakfast portion of grilled chicken (60 calories) served on a toasted multigrain English muffin with egg whites and American cheese.
This meal is simple yet packed with protein to help keep you feeling full and satiated with loads of flavor.
The 3 Lowest Calorie Entree Options At Chick-fil-A
Here are the top 3 lowest calorie entree options at Chick-fil-A:
- Grilled Nuggets (130 calories)
- Chick-fil-A Nuggets (250 calories)
- Grilled Chicken Sandwich (380 calories)
1. Grilled Nuggets (130 calories)
As the lowest calorie option for entrees, the 8-count grilled nuggets are a great way to get a ton of protein (25g per serving) to help keep you full and keep your calories down.
Add some zesty buffalo sauce for an additional 25 calories to spice things up a bit.
2. Chick-fil-A Nuggets (250 calories)
At only 250 calories for 8 nuggets, you can easily add in a bbq sauce for an additional 45 calories and keep your entree under 300 calories.
Pro Tip: Want to make your own spicy breaded chicken sandwich without the guilt? Order a 5-piece Chick-fil-A Nugget (160 calories), one unbuttered white bun on the side (150 calories), a zesty buffalo sauce on the side (25 calories), and a side of pickles (0 calories).
You can then build your own sandwich for 335 calories compared to the Spicy Chicken Sandwich, which has 460 calories.
3. Grilled Chicken Sandwich (380 calories)
A lemon herbed marinated boneless chicken breast served on a toasted multigrain bun with lettuce, tomato, and honey roasted bbq sauce is a great choice if you’re looking to watch calories when ordering entrees at Chick-fil-A.
Pro Tip: Substitute the multigrain brioche bun for an unbuttered white bun and the honey roasted bbq sauce for zesty buffalo sauce to save yourself 150 calories.
The 3 Lowest Calorie Salad Options At Chick-fil-A
Not in the mood for a sandwich but still want to be mindful of calories? Try one of the Chick-fil-A salads below with a few key customizations:
- Cobb Salad (505 calories)
- Spicy Southwest Salad (690 calories)
- Market Salad (540 calories)
1. Cobb Salad (505 calories)
Although the default Cobb salad on the menu is 850 calories, you can easily cut back calories by making a few substitutions, including swapping chicken nuggets for grilled fillet (warm or cold), using half of the package of avocado lime ranch dressing, and half of the package of crispy bell peppers that come with your salad on the side.
These adjustments can help you save 345 calories and bring the meal to 505 total calories.
To reduce calories even more, you could use a full packet of light Italian dressing for 25 calories instead of half of the included dressing (155 calories). This would bring your salad down to 375 calories total.
2. Spicy Southwest Salad (690 calories)
The Spicy Southwest salad is a great option if you are looking for a fully loaded salad with a little kick of spice. It includes spicy grilled chicken breast, roasted corn, black beans, poblano chiles, and red bell peppers.
Pro Tip: Use half the dressing that comes with your salad (which has 290 calories in a full package), half of the package of tortilla strips (which has 70 calories in a full package), and half of the package of chili lime pepitas (which has 80 calories in a full package) that come on the side with your salad to save yourself 220 calories and bring your salad down to 470 calories.
3. Market Salad (540 calories)
This is a great salad for getting in loads of vegetables and fruits with some grilled chicken breast to help keep you full and satiated throughout the day. This salad is topped with harvest nut granola, roasted almonds, and zesty apple cider vinaigrette dressing.
Pro Tip: To reduce calories, substitute the apple cider vinaigrette dressing (230 calories per package) for a light balsamic vinaigrette dressing (80 calories per package) and use half of the package of granola (which has 70 calories in a full package) and half of the package of roasted almonds (which has 60 calories in a full package) that come on the side of your salad. This would make your entire salad only 325 calories instead of 540 calories.
The 3 Lowest Calorie Treats Options At Chick-fil-A
So many sweet treats to enjoy at Chick-fil-A makes it hard to choose just one. Here are the top 3 lowest calorie treats:
- Icedream Cup (140 calories)
- Frosted Coffee (250 calories)
- Frosted Lemonade With Diet Lemonade (250 calories)
1. Icedream Cup (140 calories)
This is a great treat for an ice cream lover – a cold frozen treat with a classic vanilla flavor with just 140 calories.
If you want to add a cone with the ice cream, you can do so for an additional 40 calories.
2. Frosted Coffee (250 calories)
This treat is a delicious mix of coffee and ice cream handspun together for only 250 calories.
Skip on adding any whipped cream (60 calories) or cherries (5 calories each) to keep overall calories down as well.
3. Frosted Lemonade With Diet Lemonade (250 calories)
Made with Chick-fil-A’s signature Icedream dessert and signature lemonade, this is a refreshing treat. To get this at only 250 calories, ask for Diet Lemonade instead of regular lemonade, which will run you up to 330 calories.
The 3 Lowest Calorie Drinks Options At Chick-fil-A
The 3 lowest calorie drinks at Chick-fil-A are:
- Freshly-Brewed Iced Tea Unsweetened (0 calories)
- Sunjoy (½ unsweet Tea, ½ Diet Lemonade) (20 calories)
- Chick-fil-A Diet Lemonade (50 calories)
1. Freshly-Brewed Iced Tea Unsweetened (0 calories)
This is a light and refreshing way to quench your thirst without worrying about your calories.
You can add sweeteners like stevia to sweeten it without adding any more than 5 calories.
2. Sunjoy (½ unsweet tea, ½ diet lemonade) (20 calories)
Enjoy Chick-fil-A’s version of an Arnold Palmer without any of the guilt. The option to use unsweet tea and diet lemonade instead of regular lemonade and sweet tea saves you 140 calories.
3. Chick-fil-A Diet Lemonade (50 calories)
Sweetened with Splenda, this fresh lemon juice beverage is very simple but packed with flavor and only 50 calories for a medium serving.
The 3 Lowest Calorie Dipping Sauces At Chick-fil-A
The 3 lowest calorie dipping sauces at Chick-fil-A are:
- Zesty Buffalo Sauce (25 calories)
- Sweet and Spicy Sriracha Sauce (45 calories)
- Barbeque Sauce (45 calories)
1. Zesty Buffalo Sauce (25 calories)
The lowest calorie dipping sauce at Chick-fil-A is the zesty buffalo sauce, which has just 25 calories per serving.
Don’t forget to use this dipping sauce as an option to increase the flavor of your meals without increasing the calories.
2. Sweet and Spicy Sriracha (45 calories)
A little sweet and a little heat is what you’ll be getting with this dipping sauce option at 45 calories per serving.
3. Barbeque Sauce (45 calories)
A classic flavor with few calories for you to enjoy. This is a great compliment to the grilled nuggets for a low-calorie meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The Lowest Calorie Sauce At Chick Fil A?
Zesty Buffalo Sauce is the lowest calorie sauce at Chick-fil-A with 25 calories per container.
What Is The Lowest Calorie Sandwich At Chick Fil A?
The Grilled Chicken Sandwich is the lowest calorie sandwich at Chick-fil-A with 380 calories.
What Is The Lowest Calorie Salad At Chick Fil A?
The Market Salad is the lowest calorie Salad At Chick-fil-A with 540 calories.
What Is The Lowest Calorie Breakfast At Chick Fil A?
The Egg White Grill is the lowest calorie breakfast at Chick-fil-A with 290 calories.
Additional Fast Food Resources
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About The Author
Caryn Watt is a certified personal trainer & nutrition coach. Working primarily with women all over the world, she focuses her time on helping clients learn more about nutrition and the importance of improving their relationship with food through tracking macros, movement, and mindfulness.