Chick-fil-A Spicy Southwest Salad

Spicy southwest salad from Chick-fil-A with grilled chicken.

This is your best guide to the nutrition, ingredients, and allergens in a Chick-fil-A Southwest Salad with grilled chicken.

The fresh-made salad includes mixed greens, grape tomatoes, grated cheese, and a blend of roasted corn, black beans, poblano chiles, and red bell peppers. It’s topped with sliced spicy grilled chicken filet.

Although customers may choose from a variety of salad dressings, the fast food giant recommends topping the salad with the Creamy Salsa dressing.

One Spicy Southwest Salad with grilled chicken and dressing contains 550 calories, 49 grams of fat, 27 grams of carbohydrates, and 33 grams of protein.

Read this guide for a complete overview of the calories, nutrition facts, ingredients, and allergens in the popular salad on Chick-fil-A’s menu.

Southwest Salad Nutritional Information

Unless otherwise noted, nutritional information in this guide is based on a single serving measured as one Southwest Salad with spicy grilled chicken filet.

As shown in the table below, one order of the salad is high in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium.

Serving size: 1 Order

% DAILY VALUE

Use %DV to determine if the level of nutrients in a food is low (5% or less) or high (20% or more).

%DV

Level

Saturated Fat

50%

Cholesterol

33%

Sodium

68%

%DV based on 2,000 calories

Calories

When topped with grilled chicken, the salad contains a total of 680 calories, including all standard toppings and one serving of the creamy salsa dressing.

The dressing alone contains 290 calories.

Here is a summary of calories by macronutrient in one salad:

  • 440 calories from fat
  • 110 calories from total carbs
  • 130 calories from protein

Chick-fil-A Southwest Salad

% calories from fat, carbs and protein
Calories
CALORIES FROM fat
65%
CALORIES FROM CARBS
16%
CALORIES FROM Protein
19%

The summary of calories by nutrient is a rounded estimate based on the nutrition facts provided by Chick-fil-A fast food restaurant. Calories may vary as a result of how the salad is prepared.

ESTIMATED FITNESS TIME TO BURN 680 CALORIES

  • Run 1 hour
  • Swim 1 hour 35 minutes
  • Walk 3 hours 40 minutes

For a lower calorie salad at Chick-fil-A, order the Market Salad

Calories Vary Based on Selected Chicken

Nutritional value and calories will vary based on any substitutions, including type of protein or a different salad dressing.

  • For the lowest calorie option, order the Spicy Southwest Salad without dressing and without chicken.
  • The salad topped with one of the grilled chicken options has fewer total calories than with a Chick-fil-A Filet or Chick-n-Strips.

Here is a summary of total calories based on chicken options at Chick-fil-A:

Total Calories in Salad Vary by Topping Choice

Spicy Southwest Salad with:

Calories

No Dressing, No Protein

280

No Protein

570

Spicy Grilled Filet

680

Grilled Filet

680

Grilled Nuggets

700

Chick-fil-A Filet

830

Chick-fil-A Nuggets

830

Spicy Filet

850

Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Strips

880

Fat and Sodium

Chick-fil-A’s Spicy Southwest Salad has 49 grams of total fat, including 10 grams of saturated fat. That is high.

For context, Dietary Guidelines for Americans developed by USDA and the Dept. of Health & Human Services, recommend limiting calories from saturated fat to no more than 10% of total calories.

Saturated Fat

There are approximately 90 calories derived from saturated fat in one serving of this salad.

  • 13% of the total 680 calories per serving is from saturated fat
  • Amount of saturated fat in one serving has a 50% daily value

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, diets that are high in saturated fat are linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

SUMMARY OF FAT PER SERVING

  • 440 calories from dietary fats
  • 65% of total calories
  • 90 calories from saturated fat
  • Zero trans fat

Compare the amount of dietary fats in Wendy’s Taco Salad.

Sodium and Cholesterol

Chick-fil-A’s Southwest Salad contains 1,570 milligrams of sodium. That is high. For context, the FDA recommends limiting sodium intake to 2,300mg per day.

In addition, a single serving of the salad contains 100 milligrams of cholesterol. That is also high. It’s 33% of the recommended daily limit.

Here is the nutritional information in a Chick-fil-A Spicy Southwest salad topped with spicy grilled chicken fillet and tossed with Creamy Salsa dressing.

Nutrition Facts

Amount per 1 Salad with Grilled Chicken

Red indicates %DV is high.

Calories

680

%DV

Total Fat

49g

Saturated Fat

10g

Trans Fat

0g

Cholesterol

100mg

Sodium

1570mg

Carbohydrates

27g

10%

Dietary Fiber

7g

Total Sugars

7g

Protein

33g

%DV based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calorie needs vary and your %DV may be higher or lower. Provided for informational purposes only. Consult with your physician for dietary or healthcare advice.

Spicy southwest salad from Chick-fil-A with grilled chicken.
There are 680 calories in the Southwest Salad with grilled chicken

To learn more about fast food options, compare nutrition facts and ingredients in Hook & Ladder Salad offered at Firehouse Subs and the Apple Cranberry Salad from Whataburger.

Southwest Salad Ingredients and Allergens

  • Southwest Salad is not dairy-free. It is served with two types of cheese. In addition, the tortilla strips contain lactose.
  • Added sugars include .
  • Creamy Salsa Dressing contains preservatives potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate.

Here are the main ingredients in a Chick-fil-A Southwest Salad with spicy grilled chicken. Ingredients may vary by location.

Ingredients

Salad Blend

Romaine Lettuce, Green Cabbage, Green and Red Leaf Lettuce, Grape Tomatoes, Corn, Black Beans, Red Pepper, Poblano Pepper, Cheese, Chili Lime Pepitas, and Tortilla Strips.

Grilled Chicken

Boneless skinless chicken breast that contains a unique solution: Water, Seasoning, Modified Food Starch, Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Sugar, Spices (including celery), Paprika, Apple Cider Vinegar, Soybean Oil, Sugar, Molasses, Modified Corn Starch, Mustard Bran, Yeast Extract, Extractives of Paprika, Xanthan Gum, Natural Flavor, and High Oleic Canola Oil (with Dimethylpolysiloxane added to reduce foaming)

  • Seasoning includes Corn Maltodextrin, Spice, Rice Starch, Tapioca Maltodextrin, Salt, Cottonseed Oil, Spice and Color (contains paprika), Garlic Powder, and Natural Flavoring (milk, soy).

Creamy Salsa Dressing

Soybean Oil, Roasted Tomato Puree, Distilled Vinegar, Water, Egg Yolk, Salt, Jalapeno Pepper, Acetic Acid, Sugar, Dehydrated Onion, Spice, Dehydrated Garlic, Cilantro, Dehydrated Onion, Dehydrated Green Bell Pepper, Lime Juice Concentrate, Dehydrated Red Bell Pepper, Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Benzoate (preservatives), Disodium Guanylate, Disodium Inosinate, Propylene Glycol Alginate, Xanthan Gum, Natural Flavor, Calcium Disodium EDTA (added to protect flavor), and Paprika.

Shredded Cheddar and Jack Cheeses

Cultured Pasteurized Milk, Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes, Potato Starch, Powdered Cellulose (to prevent caking), and Natamycin (a natural mold inhibitor). Cheddar cheese also contains annatto.

Chili Lime Pepitas

Pumpkin Seeds, Vegetable Oil, and Chipotle Lime Seasoning.

  • Vegetable Oils include one or more of the following: peanut oil, canola oil, and sunflower oil.
  • Chipotle Lime Seasoning contains salt, chipotle pepper, tomato powder, jalapeño powder, onion powder, garlic powder, citric acid, spice extractives (including paprika), lime oil, cilantro, and natural smoke flavor.

Tortilla Strips

Corn Masa Flour, Sunflower, Safflower and/or Canola Oil, Seasoning, Red 40, and Blue 1.

  • Seasoning includes lactose, salt, maltodextrin, corn syrup solids, sugar, citric acid, malic acid, lime juice solids, natural flavors, dehydrated parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, disodium inosinate, and disodium guanylate.

Monosodium Glutamate, often referred to as simply MSG, is the sodium salt of glutamic acid.

Glutamic acid is an amino acid found naturally in animal (including humans) and plant proteins. It’s a key component in seaweed extract, the origin of producing MSG, which is used to enhance flavors in foods.

MSG is produced through the fermentation and neutralization of glutamic acid found in plant-based products such as corn, sugar cane, or sugar beets.

Chick-fil-A’s grilled chicken contains monosodium glutamate.

Allergens

The salad with spicy grilled chicken filet is made with ingredients that include milk and soy. In addition, the Creamy Salsa Dressing contains egg.

If you have a food allergy, check the list of declared allergens for Chick-fil-A’s menu and consult with your physician before deciding which food is right for you.

Fast Food Salads

Nutritional Values of Fast Food Salads

Here is a great table of nutritional information to easily compare the salad options at popular fast food restaurants.

RestaurantMenu ItemCaloriesFatCarbsProteinSodium
Panera BreadSouthwest Chicken Ranch 68046g35g33g1070mg
Wendy’sSouthwest Avocado Salad56039g16g40g1250mg
Chick-fil-AMarket Salad with Grilled Chicken55031g42g28g1010mg
Wendy’sApple Pecan Salad53027g44g31g1350mg
Wendy’sParmesan Caesar Salad53037g15g33g1340mg
Panera BreadAsian Sesame Salad with Chicken45024g26g35g1030mg
Panera BreadGreek Salad42036g17g8g1130mg
Panera BreadCaesar Salad41030g24g12g870mg
TacoTimeChicken Taco Salad31014g26g21g450mg
WhataburgerApple & Cranberry Salad with Grilled Chicken38512g39g32g770mg
Firehouse SubsHook & Ladder Salad2508g21g30g880mg

Nutrition facts, prices, and ingredients are based on available information as of the date of publication. Restaurants and food manufacturers may change recipes or formulations without notice. Check package labels and ask the product manufacturer or restaurant for the most up-to-date information. Unless otherwise stated, %DV is based on a 2,000 calorie diet. All reports and reviews published on this site are for informational purposes only. NutritionandIngredients.com does not provide healthcare advice or dietary recommendations. Always consult your licensed physician for any healthcare or dietary advice.

Nutrition facts and ingredients source: Chick-fil-A. Salad images courtesy of Chick-Fil-A. Original designs by Nutrition & Ingredients solely for purposes of research and commentary related to fast food nutrition.

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