McDonald’s Southwest Crispy Chicken Salad is a popular menu item that provides a lighter alternative to burgers and fries. However, even salads can be high in calories, especially when adding on dressing and other toppings. So how many calories are actually in a Southwest Crispy Chicken Salad with dressing from McDonald’s?
Calories in McDonald’s Southwest Crispy Chicken Salad
The Southwest Crispy Chicken Salad alone contains the following calories and macronutrients according to the McDonald’s nutrition information:
- 290 calories
- 16 grams fat
- 6 grams saturated fat
- 880 milligrams sodium
- 16 grams protein
- 12 grams carbohydrates
- 2 grams fiber
- 4 grams sugar
The salad contains romaine lettuce, black beans, tomatoes, white corn, red bell peppers, crispy chicken, and tortilla strips. The crispy chicken adds a significant amount of protein.
Calories in McDonald’s Southwest Dressing
The Southwest dressing contains:
- 180 calories
- 18 grams fat
- 2.5 grams saturated fat
- 225 milligrams sodium
- 0 grams protein
- 6 grams carbohydrates
- 0 grams fiber
- 4 grams sugar
The dressing features a blend of tomatillos, jalapeños, cilantro, and garlic. The high fat content comes from ingredients like vegetable oil and soybean oil.
Total Calories in McDonald’s Southwest Salad with Dressing
When combined together, a McDonald’s Southwest Crispy Chicken Salad contains:
- 470 calories
- 34 grams fat
- 8.5 grams saturated fat
- 1105 milligrams sodium
- 16 grams protein
- 18 grams carbohydrates
- 2 grams fiber
- 8 grams sugar
So the total calories adds up to 470 calories when the salad is paired with a packet of Southwest dressing.
Nutritional Breakdown
Here is a nutritional breakdown of the calories and macronutrients in percentages:
| Nutrient | Amount | Daily Value |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fat | 34g | 52% |
| Saturated Fat | 8.5g | 42% |
| Sodium | 1105mg | 47% |
| Total Carbohydrates | 18g | 6% |
| Protein | 16g | 32% |
As you can see, the salad with dressing provides over half the daily recommended value for total fat, over 40% for saturated fat, and nearly half for sodium. The protein is also fairly high.
How the Southwest Salad Compares
The Southwest Crispy Chicken Salad with dressing has 470 calories. Here is how that compares to some other McDonald’s menu items:
- Big Mac: 540 calories
- Quarter Pounder with Cheese: 520 calories
- Filet-O-Fish: 390 calories
- 10 piece McNuggets: 470 calories
- Premium Bacon Ranch Salad with dressing: 400 calories
So the Southwest Salad is lower in calories than McDonald’s burgers, about the same as McNuggets, and higher than the Filet-O-Fish and Premium Bacon Ranch Salad.
It’s also interesting to compare it to other crispy chicken salads from fast food restaurants:
- Wendy’s Southwest Avocado Chicken Salad: 700 calories
- Chick-fil-A Cobb Salad with crispy chicken: 490 calories
- KFC Crispy Colonel Salad: 460 calories
The McDonald’s version is lower in calories than Wendy’s Southwest Salad, but fairly comparable to Chick-fil-A’s and KFC’s crispy chicken salads when dressed.
Tips for Lightening Up the Southwest Salad
If you want to lighten up the Southwest Salad, here are some tips:
- Request just half the dressing packet. This would save about 90 calories.
- Opt for grilled chicken instead of crispy chicken. The grilled chicken option saves 80 calories.
- Skip the tortilla strips, which adds 120 calories.
- Choose fat-free dressing like Newman’s Own Lighten Up Southwest Dressing.
- Add lower-calorie toppings like salsa instead of dressing.
Making some simple swaps and adjustments can really help drop the calories while still providing lots of flavor.
Healthier Salad Dressing Options
To significantly cut down the calories, opt for a lower calorie salad dressing when dressing your Southwest Salad. Here are some store-bought options that are under 40 calories per serving:
| Dressing | Calories per 2 Tbsp |
|---|---|
| Bolthouse Farms Cilantro Avocado Yogurt Dressing | 35 |
| Girard’s Light Southwest Dressing | 35 |
| Ken’s Lite Southwest Ranch | 35 |
| Newman’s Own Lighten Up Southwest Dressing | 15 |
| Walden Farms Calorie Free Creamy Southwest Dressing | 0 |
Making your own dressing at home opens up even more low-calorie options. For example, combining 2 tablespoons plain nonfat Greek yogurt with spices like cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and cayenne can create a 30 calorie Southwest dressing.
Nutrition Tips
If you’re looking for the healthiest option, nutrition experts recommend avoiding crispy fried chicken and high-fat dressings as much as possible and building your salad with more nutritious ingredients.
Here are some general tips for building a healthier salad while dining at McDonald’s:
- Opt for grilled chicken or salad shrimp as the protein source.
- Load up on veggies like tomatoes, peppers, corn, black beans, onions.
- Add avocado for healthy fats.
- Stick to low-calorie dressing on the side.
- Avoid croutons, tortilla strips, crispy toppings.
- Try to limit cheese, bacon, creamy dressings.
- Build your own salad if you want to control the ingredients.
Making customized salads and dressing them lightly is key to keeping the calorie count down.
Should You Eat the Southwest Salad?
The Southwest Crispy Chicken Salad clocks in at 470 calories with dressing, which is lower than many McDonald’s sandwiches. However, it’s still nearly a quarter of the daily 2000 calorie recommendation for the average adult.
The salad offers more volume than a burger, providing lettuce, beans, corn, peppers and other veggies. But the crispy chicken, tortilla strips, dressing, and cheese do pile on more calories, sodium, saturated fat, and carbohydrates than a simple green salad.
Ultimately, it can be a better option than a Big Mac or Quarter Pounder when dining at McDonald’s. But nutritionists typically recommend building salads with grilled chicken or salmon, lots of veggies, and easy on the dressing for the healthiest choice.
It also depends on the rest of your daily diet. If your other meals are light on carbs, sugars, and sodium, then the Southwest Salad can be a reasonable meal. However, it would be too high in calories for someone on a strict 1200 calorie diet.
As an occasional meal, the Southwest Salad is a tasty choice that fits into most balanced diets. But it shouldn’t replace eating fresh vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and whole grains as your regular daily diet.
Conclusion
A McDonald’s Southwest Crispy Chicken Salad contains 470 calories when paired with a packet of Southwest dressing. This gives it 34 grams fat, 8.5 saturated fat, 47% sodium, and 32% protein of the daily recommended value.
Compared to a Big Mac or Quarter Pounder, the salad has fewer calories. However, the crispy chicken, dressing, cheese and sodium still pack a caloric punch. Choosing grilled chicken, extra veggies, and light dressing can reduce the calorie count substantially.
As an occasional meal, the Southwest Salad can fit into a balanced diet. But making it a daily habit can lead to excess calories, fat, and sodium due to the fried chicken and dressing.
Overall, it’s one of the better options at McDonald’s, but shouldn’t replace a diet focused on lean proteins, fresh produce, whole grains, and healthy fats for optimal nutrition. Enjoy the Southwest Salad in moderation along with plenty of nourishing foods and light activity.
