I love a good salad. As someone who doesn’t eat a ton of carbs, protein mixed with delicious veggies and tasty toppings on a bed of lettuce is the perfectly balanced and delicious meal. Don’t be misled: Salads aren’t always the healthiest option. Protein, especially breaded chicken, can contain many calories, and salad dressing is notoriously fattening. But you can always make a few healthy modifications. If delicious is your primary concern, here are the 7 best salads at chain restaurants, according to real customers.
Texas Roadhouse Caesar Salad
Texas Roadhouse/Instagram
Texas Roadhouse Caesar Salad “is phenomenal!” according to diners. The fresh salad can be ordered as an entree or a side, but lots of people recommend the entree with chicken, which comes with tender strips of grilled chicken with crisp hearts of romaine, Parmesan cheese, croutons and zesty Caesar dressing. It is so good that there are multiple Reddit feeds with dupes.
Panera Green Goddess Cobb Salad With Chicken
Panera Bread
Panera Green Goddess Cobb is another favorite. “It’s the only salad I purchase from a chain,” one person says. The salad consists of mixed greens, crisp romaine and lettuce blend tossed in Green Goddess dressing, topped with grilled chicken, grape tomatoes, pickled red onions, fresh avocado, applewood smoked bacon and a hard-boiled egg. “That dressing is the best,” another writes.
Chick-fil-A Cobb Salad
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A nuggets put the southern chain on the map, but the salads are honestly too good not to order. “Chick fil a salads are surprisingly good!” one writes. Lots of Redditors swear by the Cobb Salad, also my personal favorite. The salad comes with Chick-fil-A’s trademark nuggets, freshly breaded and pressure-cooked, sliced and served on a fresh bed of mixed greens, topped with roasted corn kernels, a blend of shredded Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses, crumbled bacon, sliced hard-boiled egg and grape tomatoes. Prepared fresh daily. Served with Charred Tomato and Crispy Red Bell Peppers. While it pairs well with Avocado Lime Ranch dressing, you can also choose from lower-calorie options, like the balsamic vinaigrette.
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California Pizza Kitchen The Original BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad
California Pizza Kitchen
Barbecue chicken, sweet corn, black beans, and a tangy ranch make CPK’s BBQ Chicken Chopped salad a standout. “BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad from California Pizza Kitchen. Iconic!” writes one Redditor. “I used to work in a mall store directly across from a CPK. That salad was my motivation for getting out of bed to go to work,” another said.
Chili’s Santa Fe Chicken Salad
Chili’s
One Redditor recommends the Quesadilla Explosion salad from Chili’s, which includes grilled chicken breast, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, house-made corn and black bean salsa, crispy tortilla strips, and citrus-balsamic dressing, all topped with three-cheese quesadilla wedges. It also includes a creamy Ancho-Chile Ranch sauce. “This one is really good!! Their creamy citrus balsamic dressing is amazing,” one person agrees.https://www.chilis.com/menu/salads-soups/quesadilla-explosion-salad
Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad
Applebee’s
“Applebees Oriental (that’s what they call it) chicken salad with crispy chicken…the dressing is amazing,” one Redditor says. According to the menu, it is a “long-running favorite,” featuring crispy breaded chicken tenders on top a bed of fresh Asian greens, crunchy noodles, and almonds tossed in their Oriental vinaigrette. “Served with a golden brown signature breadstick brushed with buttery garlic and parsley,” they write. “My mom and i discovered that for the first time back in 2000 and i still love that salad!” another agrees.
Olive Garden Endless Salad
“I only ever order one thing at Olive Garden: the unlimited soup/salad/breadsticks. I have one bowl of soup, my husband eats the breadsticks, and I polish off two bowls of salad on my own. It’s crack,” one Redditor writes. “Oooh yes. I did this a few weeks ago. Was glorious. I order a meal with it to eat later and just fill up on salad. Dip the breadsticks in the dressing after eating the salad. So good,” another says.
