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On The Go: Keto at Zaxby’s

“On The Go” is a series dedicated to helping you stay low-carb/keto while out and about and on the go! This article focuses on keeping you keto at Zaxby’s.

On The Go: Keto at Zaxby's

Zaxby’s is a chain of fast food restaurants offering chicken wings, chicken fingers, sandwiches, and salads. The chain operates primarily in the Southern United States and has more than 800 locations.

Chances are if you live in the South, there is a Zaxby’s somewhere nearby.

Here’s a little bit of the restaurant chains history, as taken from their website.

Step right into a time machine and set the dials to 1990. You’ll find yourself in a world where cell phones are as big as a shoe (if you even have one), students learn to type on actual typewriters, and you’ll pay less than $1.50 for a gallon of gas.  But something is missing. There is no Zaxby’s.

That’s because childhood pals Zach McLeroy and Tony Townley hadn’t invented it yet. They were still hanging out, playing basketball at Zach’s, talkin’ trash and imagining it into being. They didn’t know much about the restaurant business. But they knew this much: the chicken they could find in Statesboro, Georgia, was okay, but not really fresh or savory.

And the local wing joints were good, but couldn’t touch the wing joints where they went to school. Plus, none of the local chicken places were fun or had any personality. So they dreamed up Zaxby’s. Right there. On the basketball court. Between Zach’s missed foul shots and Tony’s bricks from 3-point land. The rest, as they say, is chicken history.

https://www.zaxbys.com/about/history/

The restaurant chain is mainly known for serving lots of breaded items including breaded chicken tenders, boneless wings, and chicken patties on sandwiches.

Let’s take a look at the top four items you can order (and most importantly, how to order them) from Zaxby’s that will keep you on the straight and narrow with your low-carb or keto lifestyle.

Top 4 Menu Items

  1. Cup of Chicken Salad
  2. Chicken Salad Sandwich
  3. Grilled House Zalad
  4. Grilled Cobb Zalad

#1 – Cup of Chicken Salad

On the Go: Keto at Zaxby's

The Zaxby’s cup of chicken salad is the absolute best item on the Zaxby’s menu to keep you keto on the go. The menu item is exactly as advertised, which means there is no extra ordering or order tweaking needed.

The chicken salad is made with all white meat chicken, mayo, and a few other spices and ingredients.

Here’s What to Order

If chicken salad works for you, simply ordering a cup (or two, depending upon your caloric intake preferences) of the chicken salad all you need to do.

If you’d like, order an extra packet of mayo to stir into the chicken salad for even more fat content and flavor.

Nutritional Info

If you order the cup of chicken salad, the nutritional info will be as follows:

Total Calories = 230

  • Fat = 17g
  • Carbohydrates = 3g
  • Protein = 17g

* taken from the official Zaxby’s nutrition information guide

Verdict

The chicken salad cup is simple, easy, low-carb, and best of all, cheap. Add a packet of mayo and you can easily up the fat while keeping the carbs low.

In our opinion, this is the best menu option for a fast and easy way to stay keto at Zaxby’s.

#2 – The Chicken Salad Sandwich

On The Go: Keto at Zaxby's

The Chicken Salad Sandwich is the second best menu item Zaxby’s has to offer for the low-carb fanatic. Remove the bread and the chicken salad is full of fats and little to no sugars.

The chicken salad is made with all white meat chicken and comes with lettuce and tomato. Normally, this is all served between two slices of honey wheat bread (except for us).

The meal even comes with fries, but of course, we aren’t messing with those either.

Here’s What to Order

If the Chicken Salad Sandwich strikes your fancy to stay keto at Zaxby’s, then here’s how you need to order it.

Chicken Salad Sandwich, no bread, mayo on the side (normally comes on the sandwich)

Nutritional Info

If you order your chicken salad sandwich as mentioned above, the nutritional info will be as follows:

  • Total Calories = 440
    • Fat = 40g
    • Carbohydrates = 5g
    • Protein = 15g

* taken from the official Zaxby’s nutrition information guide

Verdict

The Chicken Salad Sandwich, ordered as mentioned, is one of the best keto-friendly meal on the menu. Stir in the mayo to the chicken salad and you have a delicious meal that is low in carbs but high in fats.

#3 – The Grilled House Zalad

On The Go: Keto at Zaxby's

The Grilled House Zalad is about the simplest thing you can order from the Zaxby’s menu. It is a bed of leafy greens (or salad base as they refer to it), along with cucumbers, Roma tomatoes, cheddar cheese, fried onions, Texas toast, grilled or fried chicken, and your choice of dressing.

Of course, some of those items you’d want to leave off including the toast and fried onions, and the chicken would be grilled.

Here’s What to Order

If the Grilled House Zalad strikes your fancy to stay keto at Zaxby’s, then here’s how you need to order it.

Grilled House Zalad, no fried onions or Texas toast, grilled chicken, and either ranch, Caesar, or blue cheese dressing (each has 2 net carbs)

Nutritional Info

If you order your Grilled House Zalad as mentioned above, the nutritional info will be as follows:

  • Total Calories = 490
    • Fat = 31g
    • Carbohydrates = 7g
    • Protein = 40g

* taken from the official Zaxby’s nutrition information guide

Verdict

The Grilled House Zalad is an easy way to get something on the go that has plenty of fats while not adding an overabundance of carbs to your daily count. It might not be 100% “by the books” low-carb, but is an option for a fast way to stay keto at Zaxby’s.

#4 – The Grilled Cobb Zalad

On The Go: Keto at Zaxby's

The Grilled Cobb Zalad is not much different than the Grilled House Zalad mentioned above. However, it adds in two new (and tasty) ingredients the house salad lacks. Bacon and hard-boiled egg. It includes with all of the usual suspects that come in most of their salads, including Texas toast and fried onions.

Here’s What to Order

If the Grilled Cobb Zalad strikes your fancy to stay keto at Zaxby’s, then here’s how you need to order it.

Grilled Cobb Zalad, no fried onions or Texas toast, grilled chicken, and either ranch, Caesar, or blue cheese dressing (each has 2 net carbs)

Nutrition Information

If you order your Grilled Cobb Salad as mentioned above, the nutritional info will be as follows:

  • Total Calories = 610
    • Fat = 38g
    • Carbohydrates = 7g
    • Protein = 50g

* taken from the official Zaxby’s nutrition information guide

Verdict

Though the Cobb Zalad has more fats than the House Zalad, the amount of protein rises. This is another great option and includes two low-carb/keto staples bacon and egg.

Again, this salad might not be 100% “by the books” low-carb. But in comparison to most of the other menu items, it is a very decent option for a fast way to stay keto at Zaxby’s.

Final Words

These are what we would consider being the top three best choices while eating on the go at Zaxby’s. So many items on their menu are already breaded or have added sugars, making them unfit to eat on the keto lifestyle.

Please keep in mind, there are other menu combinations that will achieve this goal as well.

Have an ordering/food combination you think works well for keto at Zaxby’s? Let us know in the comments!

Rusty Shackelford

Friday 18th of October 2019

Out of those, I like the House Zalad the best. Used to get crispy House Zalads all the time back in college. Had the grilled one a time or two, also quite good!

Denise

Wednesday 17th of July 2019

R the traditional wings ok to eat

Logan Childress

Saturday 20th of July 2019

Denise,

The traditional wings would be fine to eat, but you'd have to get them without sauce. Any sauce that's added adds too many carbs.

Jeanmarie Morell

Thursday 9th of August 2018

I would discount the bacon because it’s not uncurled it contains nitrates none of the dressing either and the chicken is grilled in bad oil that is among wheat substances this is the best thing to order plain salad I bring my dressing and my own meat that’s what we do Wheatbelly.com that’s why I stay healthy.

Mary

Thursday 9th of August 2018

You can buy the chicken salad in a cup, as well.

Logan Childress

Thursday 9th of August 2018

Mary,

Thanks so much for letting us know!