High Protein Fast Food: 708 Items Ranked by Protein per Calorie

Chick-fil-A's 8-count Grilled Nuggets are the most protein-efficient item in fast food: 25g of protein for 130 calories, or 19.2g per 100 calories. Our Fast Food Protein Index ranks 708 menu items from 21 chains using each chain's official nutrition numbers. Wendy's has the best median at 5.19g per 100 calories, and the typical item delivers just 3.82g. The full dataset is free to download.

The index in one minute

Protein per 100 calories is the simplest way to compare a 130-calorie box of nuggets with a 1,390-calorie burger. It answers one question: for every 100 calories you spend, how many grams of protein come back? Divide protein by calories and multiply by 100.

Across all 708 ranked items, the median is 3.82g per 100 calories. Only 31 items reach 10g or more, and 55 have no protein at all. The spread is huge: the top item returns 19.2g per 100 calories, and a large lemonade returns zero.

Three patterns run through the whole list. Grilled chicken wins almost everywhere it is sold. Starbucks' protein drink line punches far above the rest of its menu. And the items with the most total protein are rarely the most efficient ones. Whichever one you order, Nouri shows its protein the second you log it.

Want to filter it yourself? Try the High Protein Fast Food Finder.

Top 25 items by protein per 100 calories

Rank	Item	Chain	Calories	Protein	Protein per 100 cal
1	Grilled Nuggets, 8-count	Chick-fil-A	130	25g	19.2g
2	Grilled Nuggets, 12-count	Chick-fil-A	200	38g	19.0g
3	Kentucky Grilled Chicken Breast	KFC	210	38g	18.1g
4	High Protein Cup: chicken	Chipotle	180	32g	17.8g
5	High Protein Cup: pollo asado	Chipotle	220	37g	16.8g
6	Blackened Tenders, 5 pieces	Popeyes	280	47g	16.8g
7	Blackened Tenders, 3 pieces	Popeyes	170	28g	16.5g
8	Iced Sugar-Free Caramel Protein Matcha	Starbucks	210	31g	14.8g
9	Iced Sugar-Free Vanilla Protein Matcha	Starbucks	210	31g	14.8g
10	Iced Sugar-Free Caramel Protein Latte	Starbucks	200	29g	14.5g
11	Iced Sugar-Free Vanilla Protein Latte	Starbucks	200	29g	14.5g
12	High Protein Cup: steak	Chipotle	150	21g	14.0g
13	Kentucky Grilled Chicken Drumstick	KFC	80	11g	13.8g
14	Grilled Teriyaki Chicken	Panda Express	280	38g	13.6g
15	Kentucky Grilled Chicken Whole Wing	KFC	70	9g	12.9g
16	#19 BBQ Beef, sub in a tub	Jersey Mike's	400	48g	12.0g
17	Iced Protein Matcha	Starbucks	260	31g	11.9g
18	Sugar-Free Caramel Protein Latte	Starbucks	230	27g	11.7g
19	Sugar-Free Vanilla Protein Latte	Starbucks	230	27g	11.7g
20	Sugar-Free Caramel Protein Matcha	Starbucks	240	28g	11.7g
21	Sugar-Free Vanilla Protein Matcha	Starbucks	240	28g	11.7g
22	Iced Caramel Protein Matcha	Starbucks	270	31g	11.5g
23	Kentucky Grilled Chicken Thigh	KFC	150	17g	11.3g
24	Nuggets, 8-count	Chick-fil-A	250	27g	10.8g
25	Iced Vanilla Protein Latte	Starbucks	270	29g	10.7g

Ties are broken by lower calories. Starbucks drinks are Grande, standard recipe, exactly as Starbucks publishes them.

Eleven of the top 25 are Starbucks protein drinks. Of the 14 food items, 12 are unbreaded chicken or steak; the other two are Chick-fil-A's regular 8-count Nuggets and Jersey Mike's #19 BBQ Beef as a sub in a tub (no bread). Found your order up there? Saying it to Siri from the lock screen logs it in Nouri in one sentence.

The best item at each chain

Chain	Best item	Calories	Protein	Protein per 100 cal	Index rank
Chick-fil-A	Grilled Nuggets, 8-count	130	25g	19.2g	1
KFC	Kentucky Grilled Chicken Breast	210	38g	18.1g	3
Chipotle	High Protein Cup: chicken	180	32g	17.8g	4
Popeyes	Blackened Tenders, 5 pieces	280	47g	16.8g	6
Starbucks	Iced Sugar-Free Caramel Protein Matcha	210	31g	14.8g	8
Panda Express	Grilled Teriyaki Chicken	280	38g	13.6g	14
Jersey Mike's	#19 BBQ Beef, sub in a tub	400	48g	12.0g	16
Olive Garden	Grilled Chicken Margherita	650	65g	10.0g	31
Raising Cane's	Chicken Finger	130	12g	9.2g	39
Domino's	Chicken Caesar Salad	220	19g	8.6g	46
Burger King	Flame-Grilled Chicken Sandwich	410	35g	8.5g	48
Sweetgreen	Kale Caesar	545	41g	7.5g	60
Panera	Green Goddess Cobb, half	290	20g	6.9g	75
Wendy's	Chili, small	280	19g	6.8g	79
CAVA	Greek Chicken Pita	720	48g	6.7g	83
In-N-Out	Protein Style Double-Double	460	30g	6.5g	88
McDonald's	Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese	740	48g	6.5g	90
Subway	6-inch Grilled Chicken	510	31g	6.1g	108
Dairy Queen	Hamburger, triple	610	33g	5.4g	162
Dunkin'	Bacon Wake-Up Wrap	220	10g	4.5g	262
Five Guys	Peanuts, 1 oz	170	7g	4.1g	312

This table shows the best food item. At three chains a plain milk drink scores higher than any food: Burger King's Fat Free Milk (100 calories, 10g, 10.0g per 100 calories, rank 29), Dunkin's medium Hot Latte with skim milk (100 calories, 9g, rank 41), and Five Guys' Low Fat Milk (90 calories, 7g, rank 54). Five Guys does not publish protein for its finished burgers, so none of them can be ranked.

Best chain for protein, by median

A chain's best item tells you what is possible. The median tells you what a random order looks like. Chains need at least 10 ranked items to be compared here.

Chain	Median protein per 100 cal	Items ranked
Wendy's	5.19g	17
KFC	5.04g	38
CAVA	4.94g	17
Jersey Mike's	4.57g	57
In-N-Out	4.55g	10
Olive Garden	4.52g	40
Chick-fil-A	4.44g	23
Raising Cane's	4.40g	10
McDonald's	4.17g	17
Domino's	4.09g	28
Popeyes	3.89g	41
Sweetgreen	3.84g	36
Burger King	3.82g	66
Panda Express	3.81g	25
Panera	3.60g	24
Chipotle	3.20g	22
Dairy Queen	3.13g	59
Dunkin'	3.05g	22
Starbucks	2.35g	140

Not ranked: Subway (9 items, median 5.10g), Five Guys (7 items, median 1.57g), and Taco Bell, whose site publishes calories but not protein.

Wendy's wins because most of its 17 ranked items are burgers, chicken, or chili, and none of them has zero protein. KFC is close behind with more than twice as many items, carried by its grilled chicken pieces. CAVA and Jersey Mike's, new to the index, land third and fourth. Starbucks finishes last despite owning 11 of the top 25 spots, because its menu is mostly refreshers, lemonades, and Frappuccinos that return 0 to 6g of protein.

Best meal-sized picks: 30g+ protein under 500 calories

Twenty food items hit 30g of protein while staying at or under 500 calories:

Item	Chain	Calories	Protein	Protein per 100 cal
Grilled Nuggets, 12-count	Chick-fil-A	200	38g	19.0g
Kentucky Grilled Chicken Breast	KFC	210	38g	18.1g
High Protein Cup: chicken	Chipotle	180	32g	17.8g
High Protein Cup: pollo asado	Chipotle	220	37g	16.8g
Blackened Tenders, 5 pieces	Popeyes	280	47g	16.8g
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken	Panda Express	280	38g	13.6g
#19 BBQ Beef, sub in a tub	Jersey Mike's	400	48g	12.0g
Nuggets, 12-count	Chick-fil-A	380	40g	10.5g
Original Recipe Breast	KFC	390	39g	10.0g
#16 Mike's Chicken Philly, sub in a tub	Jersey Mike's	380	37g	9.7g
6 oz. Tuscan Sirloin	Olive Garden	480	46g	9.6g
Classic or Spicy Tenders, 3 pieces	Popeyes	390	35g	9.0g
Spicy Crispy Breast	KFC	350	30g	8.6g
Flame-Grilled Chicken Sandwich	Burger King	410	35g	8.5g
#17 Mike's Famous Philly, sub in a tub	Jersey Mike's	440	34g	7.7g
High Protein, Low Calorie Bowl	Chipotle	460	35g	7.6g
Deluxe Sandwich (American cheese)	Chick-fil-A	490	32g	6.5g
Protein Style Double-Double	In-N-Out	460	30g	6.5g
#7 Turkey and Provolone (Mike's Way), sub in a tub	Jersey Mike's	490	30g	6.1g
Bacon Double Cheeseburger	Burger King	500	30g	6.0g

Jersey Mike's #19 BBQ Beef sub in a tub carries the most protein in this group, 48g for 400 calories, with Popeyes' 5-piece Blackened Tenders right behind at 47g for 280. Four Starbucks drinks also clear the bar (the Iced Sugar-Free Caramel and Vanilla Protein Matchas at 210 calories, the Iced Protein Matcha at 260, and the Iced Caramel Protein Matcha at 270, all with 31g), which is worth knowing if your fast food stop is a coffee run.

Several of these are small on their own. A 180-calorie protein cup is a protein side, not a lunch, so pair it with something filling and log both. For the bigger picture on daily targets, see how to track macros, or let Nouri keep the running protein total for you.

The worst protein traps

These items cost 500 calories or more and return under 3g of protein per 100 calories:

Item	Chain	Calories	Protein	Protein per 100 cal
Fries, Large (Five Guys Style)	Five Guys	1,314	20g	1.5g
Fettuccine Alfredo	Olive Garden	1,220	27g	2.2g
Royal New York Cheesecake Blizzard, medium	Dairy Queen	1,040	19g	1.8g
Chili Cheese Fries	Dairy Queen	990	25g	2.5g
Chocolate Lasagna	Olive Garden	980	13g	1.3g
Falafel Crunch Bowl	CAVA	860	24g	2.8g
Chocolate chunk cookie, 3-pack	Jersey Mike's	840	9g	1.1g
Kitchen Sink Cookie	Panera	810	7g	0.9g
Chips & guacamole	Chipotle	770	9g	1.2g
Cajun Fries, large	Popeyes	740	9g	1.2g
Hash Browns, large	Burger King	700	6g	0.9g
Classic Oreo Shake	Burger King	640	13g	2.0g
Cookies & Cream Milkshake	Chick-fil-A	630	13g	2.1g
Fried Rice	Panda Express	610	15g	2.5g
Coffee Chiller (medium)	Dunkin'	540	5g	0.9g
French Toast Sticks, 5 piece	Burger King	500	6g	1.2g

The pattern is fries, chips, shakes, desserts, and starch-heavy sides. Every medium Blizzard in the index qualifies: 800 to 1,040 calories for 17 to 21g of protein. A large Five Guys fries alone has more calories than Burger King's Triple Whopper (1,250), with about a quarter of its protein. The zero-protein end of the list is almost all drinks, and the biggest is Popeyes' Frozen Premium Lemonade at 430 calories and 0g. These are the items that quietly sink a protein day, and logging the whole order, drink included, in Nouri is how you see it happen.

Surprising findings

Grilled beats fried, by a lot, at the same chain. Chick-fil-A's fried 8-count Nuggets are 250 calories for 27g; the grilled 8-count is 130 for 25g. KFC's Extra Crispy Breast is 530 calories for 35g; the Kentucky Grilled Chicken Breast is 210 for 38g, more protein for 320 fewer calories. Popeyes' Classic 3-piece Tenders are 390 for 35g; Blackened 3-piece are 170 for 28g.

Milk beats every burger. The best burger in the index is Wendy's Baconator at 6.6g per 100 calories (890 calories, 59g), rank 84. Burger King's Fat Free Milk, at 10.0g, outranks it.

The most protein is not the best protein. Olive Garden's Chicken Tortelloni Alfredo has the most protein of any item, 112g, but it costs 1,980 calories and ranks 139th. Burger King's Triple Whopper with Bacon & Cheese (87g, 1,390 calories) ranks 99th, and Raising Cane's Caniac Combo (also 87g, 1,810 calories) ranks 230th.

Chipotle lives at both ends. Its chicken High Protein Cup is 4th overall, while its chips appear all over the traps list. The chain median, 3.20g, sits near the bottom because our Chipotle guide lists many chip and side options.

Skipping the bread moves a sub up the list. Jersey Mike's #19 BBQ Beef on a Regular sub is 710 calories and 60g, 8.5g per 100 calories (rank 50). As a sub in a tub it is 400 calories and 48g, 12.0g per 100 calories (rank 16).

Wendy's best item is chili, not a burger. A small chili returns 6.8g per 100 calories, ahead of every Wendy's burger and sandwich in the index.

How to use this

1. Order the protein first, then add. Start with a top-ranked item (grilled nuggets, grilled chicken, blackened tenders, a protein cup) and build the meal around it.
2. Swap the side, not the main. The traps table is mostly sides and drinks. A large fries or shake can double a meal's calories while adding little protein.
3. Check the size. Many items come in several sizes, and the ratio often barely changes while the calories do. Twelve grilled nuggets and eight grilled nuggets are nearly identical per calorie.
4. Use the full chain guide for the actual order. Each guide has the complete official tables, order math, and swaps:
   • Burgers: McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Five Guys, In-N-Out, Dairy Queen
   • Chicken: Chick-fil-A, KFC, Popeyes, Raising Cane's
   • Mexican, subs, and bowls: Taco Bell, Subway, Chipotle, Panda Express, Jersey Mike's, CAVA, Sweetgreen
   • Bakery, pizza, coffee, sit-down: Panera, Domino's, Dunkin', Starbucks drinks, Olive Garden

If you are eating less overall, for example on a GLP-1 medication, the top of this index is where the protein-dense options are.

Methodology

• Data source. Every number comes from our 22 chain guides, each built from that chain's official nutrition page or PDF. No new data was fetched and no third-party database was used. Numbers are as published by each chain on the dates listed in Sources.
• Parsing. A script read every table row in those guides that publishes both calories and protein with calories above zero: 850 rows. Removing 3 duplicates (the same item listed twice in one guide) left 847 rows, all in the CSV.
• Left out entirely. Values our guides calculated instead of copying from the chain: Five Guys burger protein (summed from components), Domino's cheese and one-topping pizza figures (summed from ingredient rows), and our own Chipotle bowl builds. Rows marked "not published" or given as ranges ("3 to 4g", "less than 1g") were also skipped.
• In the CSV but not ranked (139 rows). 62 build-your-own components (Chipotle scoops and tortillas, CAVA bases, mains, and toppings, Subway breads, Five Guys patty and bun, Chipotle kid's components), 46 sauces, dips, dressings, and spreads, 14 drinks with 5 calories or fewer, and 17 items under 50 calories (single espresso shots, a fortune cookie, apple slices, a side salad), where a tiny ratio on a tiny item is noise.
• Ranking. 708 items, ranked by grams of protein divided by calories, times 100. Ties go to the lower-calorie item. Sizes are as each guide lists them: Starbucks drinks are Grande, Dunkin' coffee drinks are medium, Domino's specialty pizzas are one-eighth of a large, Jersey Mike's subs are Regular, and Dairy Queen Blizzards and shakes are Medium, the sizes each chain publishes protein for.
• Chain medians. Each chain's median uses only its ranked items, and chains need at least 10 to be compared. The medians reflect the items our guides cover, not every item on each menu.

Download the data (CSV): 847 rows with rank, chain, item, calories, protein, protein per 100 calories, whether the row is ranked and why not, the check date, the chain's official source, and our guide. You are welcome to use it; please cite "Nouri Fast Food Protein Index" with a link to this page.

How to track fast food protein in Nouri

I built Nouri after trying the other routes. Logging in a database app took long enough that I stopped doing it. AI photo trackers were fast, but when I checked their estimates against the actual ingredients, they came in low: a plate the camera called about 400 calories worked out closer to 700.

Fast food is the easiest case of all, because you already know exactly what you ordered and the camera does not. Type it the way you said it at the counter, "Chick-fil-A 12-count grilled nuggets and a medium waffle fries," and Nouri returns calories and macros right away, item by item, with its reasoning visible so you can confirm it read grilled and not fried. Add context like "extra sauce" and it recalculates. You can also say it out loud, snap a photo (Nouri turns the photo into a sentence first so you can correct it), or ask Siri from the lock screen: "Hey Siri, track food in Nouri," then the order in one sentence, and a card shows calories, macros, and what is left for the day. Text and voice are the most precise for a known order. Nouri is iPhone (iOS only), with a 3-day free trial.

Nouri Reports then show how the week went: average protein against your target, days on target for your goal, and protein equivalents that put the number in plain terms.

FAQ

What fast food has the most protein?

By total grams, Olive Garden's Chicken Tortelloni Alfredo leads the index with 112g, but it costs 1,980 calories. Among quick-service chains, Burger King's Triple Whopper with Bacon & Cheese (87g, 1,390 calories) and Raising Cane's Caniac Combo (87g, 1,810 calories) tie for the most. Per calorie, Chick-fil-A's Grilled Nuggets win: 25g for 130 calories in the 8-count.

What is the best high protein fast food under 500 calories?

Twenty food items in the index have 30g or more of protein at 500 calories or less. The most efficient are Chick-fil-A's 12-count Grilled Nuggets (200 calories, 38g), KFC's Kentucky Grilled Chicken Breast (210 calories, 38g), and Chipotle's chicken High Protein Cup (180 calories, 32g). Jersey Mike's #19 BBQ Beef sub in a tub has the most protein in that group, 48g for 400 calories.

Which fast food chain is best for protein?

Wendy's has the highest median, 5.19g of protein per 100 calories across 17 ranked items. KFC is a close second at 5.04g across 38 items. For a single best item, Chick-fil-A holds the top two spots in the index.

What is the highest protein item at McDonald's?

Of the McDonald's items in the index, the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese has the most protein, 48g for 740 calories. It is also McDonald's best item per calorie at 6.5g per 100 calories, ranked 90th overall. McDonald's does not show Big Mac protein on its current product page, so the Big Mac is not ranked.

Is Chick-fil-A good for high protein?

Yes. Its Grilled Nuggets are first and second in the whole index, at 19.2g and 19.0g of protein per 100 calories. Even the fried 8-count Nuggets rank 24th, at 10.8g.

Which burger has the best protein per calorie?

Wendy's Baconator, at 6.6g of protein per 100 calories (890 calories, 59g), ranked 84th. In-N-Out's Protein Style Double-Double (460 calories, 30g) and McDonald's Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese (740 calories, 48g) are close behind at 6.5g. No burger in the index reaches 7g.

Are Starbucks protein drinks actually high in protein?

Yes, by Starbucks' published numbers. The Grande Iced Sugar-Free Caramel and Vanilla Protein Matchas have 31g of protein for 210 calories, and 11 Starbucks protein drinks rank in the top 25. The rest of the Starbucks menu is low in protein, which is why the chain's median is the lowest of any ranked chain.

What fast food items have zero protein?

Fifty-five ranked items have 0g of protein. All but one are drinks (sodas, sweet teas, lemonades, and refreshers); the exception is Burger King's Mott's Applesauce. The largest is Popeyes' Frozen Premium Lemonade at 430 calories. If you are watching protein, these are calories that do nothing for it.

How do you calculate protein per 100 calories?

Divide grams of protein by calories, then multiply by 100. For Chick-fil-A's 8-count Grilled Nuggets that is 25 ÷ 130 × 100 = 19.2g. It lets you compare a snack and a full meal on the same scale.

Can I use this fast food protein data?

Yes. The full CSV is free to download, with each row's chain, item, calories, protein, check date, and official source. Please cite "Nouri Fast Food Protein Index" and link to this page; numbers are as published by each chain on the dates shown.

Why are Taco Bell and Five Guys burgers missing?

Taco Bell's site publishes calories but not protein, so none of its items can be ranked. Five Guys does not publish protein for its finished burgers, only for components, and the index uses published values only.

What is the easiest way to track protein when you eat fast food?

Describe the order in one sentence in Nouri, typed or spoken, or ask Siri from the lock screen. Nouri returns calories and protein for each item right away, and the weekly Nouri Report shows whether your protein actually landed on target across the week.

Start with the top of the index, check the full order in each chain's guide, and log it in Nouri as you say it at the counter. For the habits that make tracking stick, read how to log restaurant meals, and for a protein baseline at home, see calories in chicken breast.

Sources

Every value carries over from our chain guides, which cite each chain's official data. Index compiled October 3, 2026, and updated October 4, 2026 with five more chains (checked October 4, 2026).

• Chick-fil-A: chick-fil-a.com/nutrition-allergens (checked August 29, 2026), via our Chick-fil-A guide
• KFC: kfc.com/full-nutrition-guide (checked September 27, 2026), via our KFC guide
• Chipotle: chipotle.com/nutrition-calculator (checked October 3, 2026), via our Chipotle guide
• Popeyes: Popeyes USA Nutrition Guide PDF, linked from popeyes.com/nutritional-information (checked October 3, 2026), via our Popeyes guide
• Starbucks: product pages under starbucks.com/menu (checked October 3, 2026), via our Starbucks drinks guide
• Panda Express: pandaexpress.com/nutritioninformation (checked October 3, 2026), via our Panda Express guide
• Burger King: bk.com/nutrition-explorer (checked October 3, 2026), via our Burger King guide
• Olive Garden: Olive Garden Nutrition Information PDF, revision US_072026 (checked September 27, 2026), via our Olive Garden guide
• Domino's: Domino's Nutrition Guide PDF (checked September 27, 2026), via our Domino's guide
• Panera: Panera Nutrition Guide PDF (checked August 29, 2026), via our Panera guide
• Wendy's: official menu product pages, e.g. order.wendys.com/.../baconator (checked September 26, 2026), via our Wendy's guide
• In-N-Out: in-n-out.com/menu/nutrition-info (checked August 29, 2026), via our In-N-Out guide
• McDonald's: official product pages, e.g. mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/big-mac.html (checked August 29, 2026), via our McDonald's guide
• Subway: Subway U.S. Nutrition Information PDF (checked September 26, 2026), via our Subway guide
• Dunkin': dunkindonuts.com/nutrition (checked September 26, 2026), via our Dunkin' guide
• Five Guys: Five Guys US Nutrition & Allergen Guide PDF (checked October 3, 2026), via our Five Guys guide
• Taco Bell: official product pages, e.g. tacobell.com/food/tacos/crunchy-taco (checked September 26, 2026), via our Taco Bell guide; calories only, so no Taco Bell items are ranked
• Jersey Mike's: jerseymikes.com/menu/nutrition (checked October 4, 2026), via our Jersey Mike's guide
• CAVA: CAVA Nutrition and Allergen Guide PDF, March 2026 edition (checked October 4, 2026), via our CAVA guide
• Sweetgreen: sweetgreen.com/nutrition (checked October 4, 2026), via our Sweetgreen guide
• Raising Cane's: Raising Cane's Allergen & Nutritional Information PDF, August 2026, linked from raisingcanes.com/allergens (checked October 4, 2026), via our Raising Cane's guide
• Dairy Queen: dairyqueen.com/en-us/nutrition/food-treats and dairyqueen.com/en-us/nutrition/treats (checked October 4, 2026), via our Dairy Queen guide
• Dataset: fast-food-protein-index.csv, generated by script from the guides above; every number in this post was checked against the script output