Weight Watchers first published its Chick-fil-A ordering guide in July 2021. Five years on, the page was updated. And that is the only notice anyone got. No press release, no announcement. It just changed.
With the update, I decided I’ll walk you through what the current guide says, item by item, and then fill in what it leaves out.
About the numbers. Every value marked “WW lists” is quoted from WW’s article. The rest were read in the WW app from Chick-fil-A’s own nutrition page. Plans differ, so check your own app before you order.
What WW’s Updated Guide Says
The guide’s own framing is worth repeating. Nothing at Chick-fil-A is off-limits, the grilled items are the easy picks, and a fruit cup or kale salad on the side keeps you full longer. It also points members to a curated Chick-fil-A menu in the app’s Discover tab.
Breakfast
WW’s breakfast picks are the Egg White Grill (WW lists it at 7 points), the Greek Yogurt Parfait without granola (8 points), and the bacon, egg and cheese English muffin (9 points). For chicken, it names the grilled breakfast filet at 0 points and the four-count Chick-n-Minis at 12 points. It tells you to add a medium fruit cup, 1 point, for fiber.
One thing WW doesn’t mention is breakfast is a morning-only menu, and the cutoff varies by restaurant. Check your location in the Chick-fil-A app before you count on the Egg White Grill.
Lunch and Dinner
Every pick here is grilled, and every number is “without dressing” or “without sauce.” WW lists the Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap at 4 points, the Cobb Salad with grilled nuggets at 4, the Market Salad with grilled nuggets (spicy or regular) at 5, the Spicy Southwest Salad with a grilled filet at 5, and the Grilled Chicken Sandwich at 7.
Then it adds the line I liked most “if your heart is set on the breaded version, go for it.” It just doesn’t tell you what the breaded version costs. I do, below.
Sides
WW lists a small waffle fries at 10 points, the side salad without crispy peppers or dressing at 2, the medium fruit cup at 1 (large, 2), a cup of chicken noodle soup at 4, and the grilled filet at 0. It explains why the fruit cup isn’t a zero-point food. The mandarins carry added sugar. It recommends the Kale Crunch Side twice, for fiber, and never gives it a number. That one is below too.
Sauces and Toppings
This is the section that saves the most points per bite. WW lists Chick-fil-A Sauce at 6 points a container, BBQ at 3, Honey Mustard at 3, Sweet and Spicy Sriracha at 3, Honey Roasted BBQ at 2, Cilantro Lime at 2, and Zesty Buffalo at 1. For salad toppings it lists Lemon Parmesan Panko at 2, Chili Lime Pepitas at 2, and Crispy Bell Peppers at 3.
Drinks and Dessert
WW names two drinks, both at 0 points: soda water from the fountain and unsweetened iced tea. It warns that a large lemonade can carry up to 65 grams of added sugar. For dessert it says order the Icedream and keep it small. The small cup is 8 points, the small cone 10.
What the Guide Leaves Out
The breaded chicken, priced
WW says go for it, so here is what “it” costs. The classic Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich is 14 points, and the Spicy Chicken Sandwich is 14 as well. An 8-count of Chick-fil-A Nuggets is 7 points. The same 8-count grilled? 0 points.
The grilled nuggets are the quiet star of the whole menu. They are the lean protein WW keeps describing, they take any sauce, and they come in a kids’ size too (more on that below). If the sandwich is what you’re after, the copycat grilled chicken sandwich on our site is 5 points as written, and you can put as much pickle on it as you like.
Every salad dressing
All four of WW’s salad numbers are “without dressing,” which is not how most people eat a salad. So here is each packet on its own. Light Italian is 1 point, Light Balsamic Vinaigrette is 4, and Fat-Free Honey Mustard is 5. Then the numbers climb. Zesty Apple Cider Vinaigrette is 11 points, Garden Herb Ranch is 10, Creamy Salsa is 11, and Avocado Lime Ranch is 11.
On Chick-fil-A’s label the Light Italian is the lightest of the seven by a wide margin, and the three creamy ones (Garden Herb Ranch, Creamy Salsa, Avocado Lime Ranch) sit at the other end. If you want the ranch, use half the packet and leave the rest in the bag.
The Kale Crunch Side
WW recommends it twice and prices it never. Chick-fil-A describes it as curly kale and green cabbage in an apple cider and Dijon mustard vinaigrette, topped with salted roasted almonds. It comes to 4 points, and it is the side I’d put next to the grilled nuggets.
The two sauces WW skipped
Polynesian is 6 points and the Garden Herb Ranch sauce is 4. One more thing about WW’s 1-point pick, Zesty Buffalo. It is the saltiest sauce on Chick-fil-A’s list, so if sodium is something you watch, Honey Roasted BBQ at WW’s 2 points is the gentler trade.
Two more drinks
WW’s two picks are both 0 points, and both are plain. If you want lemonade, Chick-fil-A makes a diet version, a medium Diet Lemonade is 2 to 4 points, depending on how the app counts the sugar from the lemon juice. The half-and-half order most members already know is a Sunjoy made with unsweetened tea and diet lemonade; a medium is 2 points. Chick-fil-A lists four Sunjoy combinations, so say both halves at the speaker.
The kids’ meal
Nothing in WW’s guide covers it, and plenty of members order one for themselves. The 5-count Grilled Nuggets kids’ entrée is 0 points; the 5-count breaded Nuggets, 4 points; the 2-count Chick-n-Strips, 6 points. Those numbers are for the entrée only. Pick the fruit cup as the side (WW lists it at 1 point) and ask for an Honest Kids Apple Juice, 2 points, or water.
Mac and cheese, waffle fries, and the cookie
A small Mac & Cheese is 11 points. WW priced the small waffle fries at 10 points; a medium is 13 points, which is why WW says to stick with the small. The Chocolate Chunk Cookie is 18 points, so WW’s small Icedream cup at 8 is the better sweet finish. If the mac and cheese is the craving, our copycat Chick-fil-A mac and cheese gives you a full bowl at home, and the points are listed with the recipe.
What I’d Order
Breakfast: the Egg White Grill (WW lists it at 7 points) with a medium fruit cup (1 point) and an unsweetened iced tea (0 points).
Lunch: an 8-count of grilled nuggets (0 points) with Zesty Buffalo (WW lists it at 1 point) or Honey Roasted BBQ (2 points), the Kale Crunch Side (4 points), and a medium Sunjoy made with unsweetened tea and diet lemonade (2 points).
Salad night: the Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap (WW lists it at 4 points without dressing) with a Light Italian packet (1 point).
With a kid, or as the kid: the 5-count grilled nuggets kids’ meal (0 points) with a fruit cup.
When it’s a treat day: the small Icedream cup, WW’s 8 points, and no apology.
And when the drive-thru line is too long, every one of these has a cousin in our chicken recipes, starting with that grilled chicken sandwich.
