When summer hits, you crave salads but you’re just as busy as you were in the fall and winter. You may need the speed and convenience — but not the calories — of fueling up at fast food chains. Luckily, some of those chains have some surprisingly healthy salads. Here are 10 of the healthiest fast food salads.
Chick-fil-A Chargrilled Chicken & Fruit Salad (220 calories)
This is a really colorful salad — the type you might throw together at a health food store salad bar — with carrots, fresh fruit, lettuce, jack and cheddar cheese, granola and grilled chicken.
McDonald’s Premium Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken (290 calories)
This zesty salad has grilled chicken and black beans so it’s packed with protein. It has poblano peppers for spice, and tortilla strips for a nice little crunch, cheddar and jack cheeses, fire-roasted corn, oven-roasted tomatoes and mixed greens.
Wendy’s Apple Pecan Chicken Salad, Full Size (590 calories)
This sweet and savory salad similar to a Waldorf salad has mixed greens, blue cheese crumbles, dried cranberries, apple chunks, grilled chicken and toasted pecans. It’s a little high in fat because of the nuts, but it’s healthy fats.
Carl’s Jr. Original Grilled Chicken Salad (290 calories)
For those who like a pretty straightforward salad, this one has just mixed greens, grilled chicken, red onions, shredded cheese, tomatoes and cucumber slices.
Jack in the Box Grilled Chicken Salad (250 calories)
This is another one you might want to double up on to feel full. It contains mixed greens, grilled chicken, cheddar cheese, grape tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers and carrots. It’s a bit high in sodium though, so watch your salt intake the rest of the day after eating this.
You can still enjoy all the good parts of a BLT, and call it a salad. This salad has lettuce, oven-roasted chicken, diced tomatoes and bacon bits. It’s another one high in sodium though.
This is a nice light, summery salad with tons of vegetables. It has lettuce, carrots, grape tomatoes, broccoli florets, Jack and cheddar cheeses, grilled chicken, garlic-and-butter croutons and honey-roasted sunflower kernels
Chipotle Barbacoa and Guacamole Salad (585 calories)
Barbacoa is a super tender, flavorful shredded beef at Chipotle and it tastes delicious with creamy guacamole. To make this salad, ask for romaine lettuce, guacamole, a little sour cream, and the tomatillo green-chili salsa.