The Beloved Chicken Chain That's Actually One Of The Healthiest Fast Food Options

Discerning diners on the hunt for healthy fare traditionally gave fast food chicken spots a pass. The menus of fried, breaded poultry and rich sides are famed for high saturated fat and sodium content, but there's another chicken chain out there with a menu that has a lot more to offer the health-conscious than those of old-school fast food spots: Chick-fil-A. In fact, it's one of the healthiest fast food chains out there, according to nutritionist Carolina DiNicola.

DiNicola, an expert in using diet as a method of disease reversal and prevention, explained that the chain's standard breaded-and-fried options like the original Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich aren't nutritional powerhouses, but several of its menu items are — or they at least come close to it. The Market Salad is a great place to start. "Just look at all of those colors," DiNicola said. "Berries are loaded with antioxidants, and the natural fruit sugars come perfectly paired with fiber, so it won't spike your glucose levels like refined sugars do."

The salad is customizable to your dietary needs. If you're balancing sugar or moderating your energy levels, leave off the Harvest Nut Granola topping and cut out 4 grams of sugar and 70 calories from the meal. If you're picky about protein, just order it without chicken and add heart-healthy salmon or low-in-fat, vitamin-rich cod at home. But for the health-conscious, Chick-fil-A's menu doesn't stop there.

Chick-fil-A has two other full-size salads on its menu: the Cobb and the Spicy Southwest. These menu items lack the apples and berries that lend color and vitamins to the Market Salad, but both are rich in protein and fiber, and with a few tweaks, they can be nutritional wins in their own right. 

In the Cobb salad, swapping in grilled chicken for the original fried nuggets saves 140 calories and 10 grams of fat. Holding the Avocado Lime Ranch dressing further lightens it by 310 calories and 32 grams of fat. And if you remove the Creamy Salsa Dressing on the Spicy Southwest, the full salad loses 290 calories and 31 fat grams. Doctor it up at home with a couple tablespoons of salsa for 10 calories, or just enjoy it plain.

A Chick-fil-A Kale Crunch Salad plus an 8-count grilled chicken nuggets is another smart order at the chicken chain. Combined, the dishes have 300 calories, 29 grams of protein, and four grams of fiber, not to mention a plethora of antioxidants, vitamins, and nutrients from kale. Then there's the healthiest sandwich at Chick-fil-A, the grilled chicken, which clocks in at 390 calories, 11 grams of fat, and 28 grams of protein. To make this simple sandwich even healthier, add extra lettuce and tomato for more fiber and antioxidants like lycopene. You could even add a fruit cup to tack on an extra two grams of fiber. Chick-fil-A truly does make it easy to meet your health goals.