Chick-fil-A protein per calorie, ranked
Nuggets, sandwiches, wraps and breakfast ranked by protein per calorie, from Grilled Nuggets to the Chicken Biscuit.
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Chick-fil-A is one of the easier fast-food chains to eat high-protein at, but the menu still runs from excellent to not great. We ranked all 16 Chick-fil-A items we track by grams of protein per 100 calories, the same metric as our leaderboard, using Chick-fil-A's own published U.S. nutrition info.
Every Chick-fil-A item we track, ranked
| # | Item | Protein | Calories | Protein / 100 cal | Leaderboard rank | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chick-fil-A Grilled Nuggets (8 ct) 1 item (as listed) | 25 g | 130 | 19.2 | #11 | label |
| 2 | Chick-fil-A Chick-fil-A Nuggets (8 ct) 1 item (as listed) | 27 g | 250 | 10.8 | #85 | label |
| 3 | Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Strips 1 item (as listed) | 29 g | 310 | 9.4 | #103 | label |
| 4 | Chick-fil-A Egg White Grill 1 item (as listed) | 27 g | 300 | 9.0 | #109 | label |
| 5 | Chick-fil-A Grilled Chicken Sandwich 1 item (as listed) | 28 g | 390 | 7.2 | #114 | label |
| 6 | Chick-fil-A Chicken Tortilla Soup 1 item (as listed) | 25 g | 350 | 7.1 | #115 | label |
| 7 | Chick-fil-A Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich 1 item (as listed) | 29 g | 420 | 6.9 | #117 | label |
| 8 | Chick-fil-A Chicken, Egg & Cheese Muffin 1 item (as listed) | 27 g | 410 | 6.6 | #119 | label |
| 9 | Chick-fil-A Deluxe Sandwich 1 item (as listed) | 32 g | 490 | 6.5 | #121 | label |
| 10 | Chick-fil-A Cool Wrap 1 item (as listed) | 43 g | 660 | 6.5 | #122 | label |
| 11 | Chick-fil-A Spicy Deluxe Sandwich 1 item (as listed) | 34 g | 540 | 6.3 | #126 | label |
| 12 | Chick-fil-A Spicy Chicken Sandwich 1 item (as listed) | 28 g | 450 | 6.2 | #127 | label |
| 13 | Chick-fil-A Hash Brown Scramble Burrito 1 item (as listed) | 34 g | 700 | 4.9 | #135 | label |
| 14 | Chick-fil-A Sausage, Egg & Cheese Muffin 1 item (as listed) | 23 g | 490 | 4.7 | #136 | label |
| 15 | Chick-fil-A Spicy Chicken Biscuit 1 item (as listed) | 19 g | 450 | 4.2 | #141 | label |
| 16 | Chick-fil-A Chicken Biscuit 1 item (as listed) | 19 g | 460 | 4.1 | #143 | label |
Leaderboard rank is out of all 143 products on the site. Items are as listed by Chick-fil-A, without sauces, dressings or sides.
What stands out
Grilled Nuggets are the clear winner. The Grilled Nuggets (8 ct) have 25 g of protein for 130 calories, or 19.2 per 100 calories. That ranks #11 of 143 on our whole leaderboard, up with protein shakes and high-protein yogurt, and it's the best restaurant item we track anywhere.
Grilled vs breaded is a big gap. The regular breaded Chick-fil-A Nuggets (8 ct) have slightly more protein (27 g) but 250 calories, so they score 10.8. Grilled gets you nearly the same protein for about half the calories, which is 1.8 times the score.
Bread costs you. The Grilled Chicken Sandwich uses grilled chicken too, but with the bun it's 28 g for 390 calories (7.2). The classic Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich is 6.9. If you want a lunch sandwich, those two are the best ones we track here; if protein per calorie is the goal, skip the bun.
Spicy costs a little more. The Spicy Chicken Sandwich (6.2) and Spicy Deluxe Sandwich (6.3) score below their non-spicy versions (6.9 and 6.5).
The most total protein is the Cool Wrap. The Cool Wrap has 43 g, more than anything else on the menu we track, but it's 660 calories (6.5). Good if you want one big meal, not if you're counting.
Breakfast: go Egg White Grill. The Egg White Grill is 27 g for 300 calories (9.0), the best breakfast item we track at Chick-fil-A. The biscuits are at the bottom: the Chicken Biscuit is 19 g for 460 calories (4.1), the lowest score of any Chick-fil-A item we track. The Grilled Nuggets get 4.7 times as much protein per calorie.
How Chick-fil-A compares
Chick-fil-A's best item beats the best item at both other chains we track: McDonald's McCrispy Strips (7.8) and Starbucks' Iced Sugar-Free Vanilla Protein Latte (Grande) (14.5). See fast-food protein picks, ranked, McDonald's and Starbucks.
How to use this list
- Best order for protein per calorie: Grilled Nuggets.
- Breakfast: Egg White Grill.
- Watch the extras. Dipping sauces, dressings and sides add calories and almost no protein. We don't include them, so check Chick-fil-A's nutrition calculator for your exact order.
Caveats
All numbers are from Chick-fil-A's published U.S. nutrition pages for each item as listed. We track 16 items, not the full menu, and we don't have prices for restaurant items. Recipes and menus change by location and season. We don't track sodium, fat or carbs. This is general information, not dietary advice.
See Chick-fil-A next to everything else on the full leaderboard.
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Disclaimer: All numbers come from manufacturer labels, brand websites and restaurant nutrition pages on the dates shown on the leaderboard. They can change without notice, vary by location, flavor or customization, or differ from the product in your hand. Always check the current label. This article is general information only and is not medical, dietary or health advice.