You walk into a restaurant determined to make the smart choice. You skip the burger, you ignore the fries, and you confidently point to the salad menu. Surely this is the way to stay on track, right? Except here's the thing: not all salads are created equal.
Some restaurant salads are hiding calorie bombs beneath all those leafy greens. We're talking crispy chicken, bacon bits, candied nuts, creamy dressings, and tortilla strips that turn what looks like a virtuous meal into something with more calories than the burger you avoided. Let's be real, that's a bit shocking when you consider a Big Mac contains 540 calories. Salads were supposed to be your safe haven, not a calorie trap disguised as health food.
Let's dive into six chain restaurant salads that pack more calories than the iconic Big Mac.
Applebee's Oriental Salad with Crispy Chicken
Applebee's Oriental Salad packs 1,570 calories, which honestly sounds more like an entire day's worth of meals rather than a single dish. When you think about the numbers, it's hard not to do a double take. This salad features fried breaded chicken tenders, crispy noodles, almonds, and a sweet dressing that together create a calorie nightmare.
The crunchy toppings and sugary dressing are what make this salad so calorie-dense. Those crispy noodles might add a satisfying crunch, yet they're basically deep fried carbs adding unnecessary bulk. The Oriental vinaigrette dressing contributes a significant amount of sugar to the mix as well. This salad has 15 grams of saturated fat, 1530 mg of sodium, and 42 grams of sugar.
If you're genuinely trying to eat healthy, this salad misses the mark by a mile. The fried chicken alone turns what could be a decent meal into something approaching fast food territory. You'd honestly be better off splitting an appetizer and ordering a side salad instead.
Cheesecake Factory's Barbeque Ranch Chicken Salad
The Cheesecake Factory is notorious for its generous portions, which isn't always a good thing. The Barbeque Ranch Chicken Salad is the worst offender in these categories, containing 1,980 calories and 124 grams of fat (including 23 grams of saturated fat), as well as 2,710 milligrams of sodium. I know, those numbers seem almost fictional.
This salad combines BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, fried tortilla strips, and Monterey Jack cheese into what can only be described as an indulgence fest on a bed of greens. The average adult's daily intake of sodium should be around 2,300 milligrams, and this salad contains about 62 grams of protein. That sodium level alone is staggering, considering it exceeds the daily recommendation in one sitting.
When you look at this dish, you have to wonder if calling it a salad is even appropriate anymore. It's essentially BBQ chicken with ranch dressing that happens to include some lettuce. The vegetables almost feel like an afterthought rather than the main attraction.
Chili's Quesadilla Explosion Salad
The name itself should be a red flag. Anything with "explosion" in the title probably isn't going to be diet friendly. Chili's Quesadilla Explosion Salad includes cheese, quesadilla slices, and a generous amount of dressing, which totals up to a whopping 1,420 calories and has 99 grams of fat. Honestly, this dish blurs the line between salad and Tex-Mex platter.
Chili's Quesadilla Explosion Salad has 1,430 calories, according to research from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. The crispy quesadilla slices sitting atop the greens contribute a huge chunk of those calories. We're talking deep-fried tortillas loaded with cheese, which basically negates any nutritional benefit from the vegetables underneath.
The salad also includes crispy chicken strips rather than grilled chicken, adding even more unnecessary fat. If you order grilled chicken instead of crispers, you'll save 300 calories, and you can also reduce calories and excess fat by skipping the quesadilla slices or asking for half the cheese and dressing. That 300-calorie difference is significant when you're trying to make better choices. Still, even with modifications, you're looking at a meal that's far from light.
IHOP's Crispy Chicken Cobb Salad With Avocado
IHOP is typically known for pancakes and breakfast food, but their salad offerings aren't exactly health champions either. IHOP's Crispy Chicken Cobb Salad With Avocado has 1,350 calories, which places it firmly in the danger zone when compared to a Big Mac. Cobb salads are traditionally loaded with bacon, eggs, cheese, and creamy dressing, so maybe we shouldn't be too surprised.
The word "crispy" is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. It's restaurant code for "breaded and fried," which immediately adds fat and calories. While avocado does provide healthy fats, the overall composition of this salad is problematic. Between the fried chicken, bacon bits, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, and ranch dressing, you're basically eating a breakfast plate disguised as greens. Descriptions like "crispy" and "crunchy" are red flags, as these words are code for breaded and deep-fried, which can turn that healthy-sounding salad into a calorie bomb.
If you really want a Cobb salad, consider making it at home where you can control the portions and skip the fried components. Restaurant versions tend to go overboard with toppings, turning a potentially balanced meal into something far too indulgent.
California Pizza Kitchen's Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Salad
California Pizza Kitchen sounds like a place that would offer fresh, California-inspired fare. Yet California Pizza Kitchen's Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Salad has 1,500 calories, making it one of the highest calorie salads you can order at a chain restaurant. The exotic name might make it sound healthy and interesting, but the reality is quite different.
This salad features spiced chicken, couscous, dates, and a hefty amount of dressing that together create a calorie overload. While the Moroccan spices add flavor, they don't magically reduce the fat or sugar content. The couscous alone adds a substantial amount of carbohydrates, and when combined with the sweetness of dates and a rich dressing, you're looking at a meal that rivals pasta dishes in terms of caloric density.
It's hard to say for sure, but I suspect the dressing is the main culprit here. Many of these restaurant salads come drenched in calorie-laden sauces that could easily be served on the side. Asking for dressing separately is always a smart move, even if it feels like extra effort.
Applebee's Grilled Shrimp 'N Spinach Salad
Shrimp and spinach both sound like healthy ingredients, so what could possibly go wrong? Well, Applebee's Grilled Shrimp 'N Spinach Salad has 1,000 calories, proving once again that restaurant preparations can transform nutritious foods into calorie bombs. The grilled shrimp is actually a decent protein choice, yet the problem lies in everything else piled onto the plate.
This salad typically includes bacon, cheese, and a creamy dressing that together contribute most of the calories. The spinach itself is nutrient-dense and low in calories, but it's overshadowed by the less healthy additions. When restaurants load up salads with bacon and full-fat dressings, the health benefits of the greens get completely lost.
The sodium content in these types of salads is also concerning. Between the shrimp seasoning, bacon, cheese, and dressing, you're likely consuming close to a full day's worth of sodium in one meal. A Big Mac is defined by levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and total calories at 550, containing 29 grams of fat, 75 milligrams of cholesterol and 970 milligrams of sodium, according to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. When your salad exceeds those numbers, something has gone seriously wrong.
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