Chicken shawarma wrap with lettuce and cucumber

High Protein Fast Food: Best Low-Fat, Low-Calorie Orders at 8 Chains

By Alexandria “Alix” Best, founder and head coach of The Swole Kitchen · Certified Nutritionist · B.S. Public Health · Precision Nutrition certified

You are between meetings, at an airport, or driving home late, and the only food in reach comes through a drive-thru window. Most people assume that means giving up on their protein target or blowing their calories. It does not have to. Almost every major chain has at least one order that is high in protein and reasonable in calories and fat. The trick is knowing what to order and what to leave off.

Below are specific orders at eight national chains, with calories, protein and fat taken from each chain's own nutrition information, plus simple ordering rules you can use to build a good order anywhere.

Key takeaways

  • Order the protein first, then build around it. Grilled chicken, double meat and bowls without the tortilla or bun give you the most protein per calorie.
  • Sauces, dressings, cheese and sides are where calories and fat pile up. At Chipotle, guacamole adds 230 calories and 22 g of fat; at Panda Express, a full side of white rice is 570 calories.
  • Use protein per 100 calories as a quick filter. About 10 g or more per 100 calories is a strong fast-food order; under about 7 g means most of the calories are coming from something other than protein.
  • Drink zero-calorie drinks. Water, unsweetened tea, black coffee or diet soda keep a good order from becoming a 1,000-calorie meal.
  • Menus change often. The numbers below were checked on each chain's official nutrition page or guide as of November 2026. Confirm in the app before you order.

The best high-protein, low-fat fast food orders

Here is a quick comparison. Each row is a specific order, built from the chain's published nutrition values. Where I combined items (for example, a Chipotle bowl), I added up the chain's numbers for each ingredient.

Chain Order Calories Protein Fat Protein per 100 cal
Chick-fil-A 12-count Grilled Nuggets 200 38 g 4.5 g 19 g
Chipotle Salad bowl: supergreens, double chicken, fajita veggies, fresh tomato salsa, tomatillo-green chili salsa 435 66 g 14 g 15 g
Arby's Steak Nuggets (9) 240 36 g 10 g 15 g
El Pollo Loco Double Chicken Avocado Salad, no dressing 350 51 g 12 g 15 g
El Pollo Loco Fire-grilled chicken breast + side of pinto beans 340 43 g 8.5 g 13 g
Chipotle Bowl, no rice: chicken, black beans, fajita veggies, fresh tomato salsa, romaine 360 41 g 8.5 g 11 g
Panda Express Bowl: Super Greens base + Grilled Teriyaki Chicken 460 46 g 18 g 10 g
Chick-fil-A Egg White Grill (breakfast) 300 27 g 8 g 9 g
Sweetgreen Chicken Pesto Parm bowl 510 38 g 24 g 7.5 g
Chick-fil-A Grilled Chicken Sandwich 390 28 g 11 g 7 g
Panera Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken (whole) 580 40 g 34 g 7 g
In-N-Out Double-Double with mustard and ketchup instead of spread 550 34 g 27 g 6 g

Values are as published by each chain (as of November 2026) and can vary by location, portion and customization.

Chain-by-chain: what to order

Chick-fil-A

The 12-count Grilled Nuggets are one of the best protein-per-calorie items in all of fast food: 200 calories, 38 g protein and 4.5 g fat. Pair them with a side salad or fruit cup instead of fries, and choose a lighter dipping sauce or skip it. For breakfast, the Egg White Grill (300 calories, 27 g protein, 8 g fat) is a solid start. The Grilled Chicken Sandwich (390 calories, 28 g protein, 11 g fat) works when you want a sandwich, though the bun adds most of its 45 g of carbs.

Chipotle

Chipotle is one of the easiest places to hit a big protein number because you choose every ingredient. A salad bowl with supergreens, double chicken, fajita veggies and both the fresh tomato and tomatillo-green chili salsas comes to about 435 calories, 66 g protein and 14 g fat. If you want more carbs, a bowl with single chicken and black beans and no rice is about 360 calories and 41 g protein. Adding a 4 oz scoop of white rice brings it to about 570 calories.

The add-ons are what change the math. Per Chipotle's nutrition guide, sour cream adds 110 calories and 9 g fat, cheese adds 110 calories and 8 g fat, guacamole adds 230 calories and 22 g fat, and a flour tortilla adds 320 calories. Pick one, not all four.

Arby's

Arby's Steak Nuggets (9) list 240 calories, 36 g protein and 10 g fat, which is a strong ratio. If you want a sandwich, the Classic Roast Beef is 360 calories with 23 g protein and 14 g fat. The Double Roast Beef raises protein to 38 g at 510 calories and 24 g fat.

El Pollo Loco

Fire-grilled chicken is the core of the menu. A single chicken breast is 200 calories, 34 g protein and 8 g fat. Add a side of pinto beans (140 calories, 9 g protein, 0.5 g fat) for a 340-calorie meal with about 43 g protein. The Double Chicken Avocado Salad lists 350 calories and 51 g protein without dressing. Watch the dressing: the guide lists creamy cilantro at 310 calories and 33 g fat for a 3 oz portion, and a ranch packet at 190 calories and 20 g fat. Use salsa or a small amount of dressing instead.

Panda Express

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken is the highest-protein entrée here: 280 calories, 38 g protein and 9 g fat per serving. In a bowl with the Super Greens base, the whole meal is about 460 calories and 46 g protein. Compare that with the steamed white rice side, which Panda lists at 570 calories for a full portion. The base you pick can easily outweigh the entrée.

Sweetgreen

Most Sweetgreen bowls land between about 500 and 900 calories, and many are higher in fat than people expect because of dressings, cheese, nuts and avocado. The Chicken Pesto Parm bowl (510 calories, 38 g protein, 24 g fat) is one of the leaner chicken options. Ask for the dressing on the side and use about half to trim fat further.

Panera

Panera is harder. Its salads and sandwiches tend to be high in fat, and very few items in its current guide reach 30 g of protein under 500 calories. The Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken (580 calories, 40 g protein, 34 g fat) is a reasonable choice if you ask for dressing on the side. A bowl of Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup is only 180 calories but has just 14 g protein, so treat it as a side, not a meal.

In-N-Out

In-N-Out has no grilled chicken, so the goal is to make the burger work. Swapping the spread for mustard and ketchup cuts a Double-Double from 610 to 550 calories and from 34 to 27 g fat while keeping 34 g protein. Ordering it Protein Style (wrapped in lettuce) drops it to 460 calories and 12 g carbs, though fat stays around 32 g. It is a fine occasional meal, not a lean one.

How to order high-protein fast food anywhere

You will not always be near one of these chains. These rules work at almost any restaurant with a menu.

  1. Pick the protein first. Grilled chicken, steak, roast beef, egg whites and lean ground meats beat fried or breaded options. Breading adds calories and fat without adding much protein.
  2. Go double on the protein, not the sides. Double meat is usually the simplest way to add 20–30 g protein, and it gives you far more protein per calorie than extra cheese, sauce or a bigger side.
  3. Choose a lighter base. Greens, a bowl or a lettuce wrap instead of a large tortilla, big bun or double rice. If you want carbs, choose one source, not three.
  4. Get sauces and dressings on the side. Creamy dressings, aiolis and ranch are mostly fat. A 3 oz portion of creamy dressing can add more calories than a grilled chicken breast. Dip your fork instead of pouring.
  5. Limit the fat stack. Cheese, sour cream, avocado, bacon and creamy sauces are all fine on their own. Together they can add 400–500 calories. Pick one.
  6. Drink zero calories. Water, sparkling water, unsweetened iced tea, black coffee or diet soda. A sweetened drink adds calories with no protein.
  7. Check the app before you order. Under FDA menu labeling rules, covered chain restaurants must post calories and provide full nutrition information, including protein and fat, on request. Most chains also show it in their app or website.

A quick rule: protein per 100 calories

When you are staring at a menu board, divide protein by calories and multiply by 100. The 12-count Grilled Nuggets at Chick-fil-A give 38 g protein in 200 calories, or 19 g per 100 calories. A typical fast-food burger or salad with creamy dressing lands closer to 5–7 g. A good target when you eat out is about 10 g or more per 100 calories, because that keeps most of the meal's calories working toward your protein target. Protein is also the most filling macronutrient, so a high-protein order tends to hold you longer than a burger and fries of the same calories.

If you do not know your daily protein target yet, get it from our free Macro Calculator, then use our guide to how to eat more protein in a day to fill the rest of the day around a fast-food meal.

Fast food on travel days and busy weeks

Many of the people I coach are founders, executives and busy professionals who eat on the road several times a month. Fast food is not the problem. Not having a plan is.

  • Decide your default orders in advance. Pick one go-to at three or four chains you pass most often. When you are tired and hungry, you will not have to think.
  • Front-load protein at breakfast. An egg-white breakfast sandwich or a protein-forward hotel breakfast makes the rest of the day easier.
  • Pack a backup. Jerky, a protein bar, a shelf-stable protein shake or a tuna packet in your bag keeps you from ordering the biggest combo when a flight is delayed. Our high-protein snack guide has more ideas.
  • Log it honestly. Most chain items are in every tracking app. In my coaching, clients log what they actually eat each day, and a logged fast-food meal tells me far more than a skipped log entry.
  • Let one meal be one meal. A higher-calorie order is not a reason to write off the day. Get back to your normal plan at the next meal.

For more on handling restaurants and trips, read how to eat healthy when eating out and how to diet when traveling for work.

Frequently asked questions

What is the highest protein, lowest calorie fast food?

Grilled chicken items usually win. Among the chains in this guide, Chick-fil-A's 12-count Grilled Nuggets list 200 calories and 38 g protein, about 19 g of protein per 100 calories. Arby's Steak Nuggets (9) and El Pollo Loco's Double Chicken Avocado Salad without dressing also deliver about 15 g protein per 100 calories. Values were checked on each chain's official nutrition information as of November 2026 and can change.

Can you lose weight eating fast food?

Yes, if your total daily calories stay below what you burn. Fast food is not automatically fattening. The problem is that common combos are very high in calories and low in protein. Choosing grilled protein, a lighter base, sauces on the side and a zero-calorie drink lets you fit a fast-food meal into a fat-loss plan. Track it like any other meal so you know where it lands.

Is Chipotle good for a high-protein diet?

Chipotle is one of the easiest chains for high protein because you choose each ingredient. Per its nutrition guide, a 4 oz serving of chicken has 180 calories and 32 g protein. A salad bowl with double chicken, fajita veggies and salsa comes to about 435 calories and 66 g protein. Guacamole, cheese, sour cream, queso and the tortilla add the most calories.

What should I drink with fast food when I am trying to lose fat?

Choose a drink with no calories: water, sparkling water, unsweetened iced tea, black coffee or diet soda. Sweetened sodas, lemonades and blended coffee drinks add calories without protein and can push a reasonable meal well past your target. If you want a treat drink, plan it and count it rather than letting it ride along with every order.

How accurate are fast food nutrition numbers?

They are good estimates, not exact measurements. Chains calculate values from standard recipes, and portions vary by location and by the person making your order. Menus and recipes also change several times a year. Use the chain's current app or website for the latest numbers, log the closest match, and judge your progress by trends over a few weeks rather than one meal.

Sources

This article is for education and is not medical advice. Restaurant nutrition values change often and vary by location; confirm current numbers with the restaurant. If you have a medical condition or specific dietary needs, check with your doctor or a registered dietitian.

Alexandria Alix Best

About the coach

Alexandria “Alix” Best founded The Swole Kitchen and coaches every client personally. She is a certified nutritionist with a B.S. in Public Health and Precision Nutrition certification, and has coached 1:1 nutrition and training for more than ten years. More about Alix

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