25 Saltiest Chicken Sandwiches in America—Ranked

A juicy, crispy chicken sandwich is often the perfect choice to satisfy a craving at lunch or dinner, and you'll find them at nearly every fast-food and fast-casual chain. However, while they're easy to come by, many of these popular chicken sandwiches are loaded with sodium.

Restaurant food is notoriously higher in sodium than items you'd prepare at home, and chicken sandwiches are no exception. What's surprising is that chicken itself can be a sneaky source—often injected with sodium to enhance flavor. A 3.5-ounce serving of chicken breast can have 200 milligrams of sodium. Add sandwich toppings like pickles and mayonnaise, and the sodium content creeps up even more.

Eating too many high-sodium foods, like fast food, can raise blood pressure and increase the risk of heart disease. In fact, a meta-analysis of more than 600,000 people found a 6% increase in heart disease risk for every 1-gram increase in dietary sodium. While the U.S. Dietary Guidelines suggest a daily sodium limit of 2,300 milligrams per day, the American Heart Association (AHA) encourages keeping sodium at less than 1,500 milligrams daily, especially those with heart complications. The AHA also notes that reducing sodium by 1,000 milligrams can significantly improve blood pressure and heart health.

We've rounded up the saltiest chicken sandwiches at popular fast-food and fast-casual restaurants and ranked them from the least sodium to the most. Read on to discover the saltiest chicken sandwich in America, and for more, don't miss 26 Popular Store-Bought Bacons—Ranked by Sodium.

McDonald's McChicken Sandwich

McDonald's classic McChicken sandwich is a low-sodium chicken sandwich alternative. The sandwich is simple: a patty with lettuce, mayonnaise, and a bun, providing just 560 milligrams of sodium. Condiments like mayonnaise, honey mustard, and spicy sauce, among others, can be packed with sodium, making it harder to keep a meal low-salt. Omitting extra sauces—even ketchup and mustard—and pickles keeps the sodium content low with this sandwich. One thing to note: The McChicken is a chicken patty, not a filet, likely influencing the sandwich's sodium content.

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Dairy Queen Original Chicken Strip Sandwich

Instead of a patty or filet, the Original Chicken Strip Sandwich at Dairy Queen puts two chicken strips between a bun for a crunchy chicken sandwich. The two chicken strips provide a greater surface area for seasoning and breading. Leave off sauces to help keep the sodium content below 1,000 milligrams.

Culver's Grilled Chicken Sandwich

Even a grilled chicken sandwich can be high in sodium. Culver's Grilled Chicken Sandwich keeps it simple with lettuce, tomato, pickles, grilled chicken, and a hoagie roll but still has 1,070 milligrams of sodium. Chicken, seasoning, and pickles contribute to sodium. Although this sandwich is low on our list of saltiest chicken sandwiches, it is still not a low-sodium option.

McDonald's McCrispy Sandwich

Different from the McChicken sandwich, the McDonald's McCrispy sandwich uses a crispy chicken filet. Despite its lack of condiments, the McCrispy has salted butter, which adds significant sodium to this sandwich. If you're looking for a chicken sandwich at McDonald's, go for the McChicken, which has just 560 milligrams of sodium.

Shake Shack Chicken Shack

The Chicken Shack at Shake Shack comes with pickles, a buttermilk herb mayo, and lettuce on a potato bun. The Chicken Shack still has 1,170 milligrams of sodium despite its simple ingredients. Even with few ingredients, sodium content can add up. One potato bun contains 290 milligrams of sodium, and each pickle slice has roughly 55 milligrams of sodium.

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Buffalo Wild Wings Classic Chicken Sandwich

Despite its simplicity, the Classic Chicken Sandwich at Buffalo Wild Wings still contains 1,220 milligrams of sodium, more than half the daily recommendation. The 1,220 milligrams of sodium does not include fries, which come with the sandwich order. Still, the classic chicken sandwich is the better chicken sandwich option at Buffalo Wild Wings. It is lower in fat, carbohydrates, and sodium but with the same amount of protein as other sandwiches.

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KFC Classic Chicken Sandwich

There are plenty of chicken options at KFC, but the Classic Chicken Sandwich is the best option if you're monitoring sodium intake. With 1,260 milligrams, the KFC Classic Chicken Sandwich has moderate salt compared to other chicken sandwiches. Keep sodium lower by sticking with the classic sandwich and toppings. Trying to cut sodium even more? Go with the Chicken Littles sandwich, which has half the sodium as the classic.

Burger King Royal Crispy Chicken

The Burger King Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich has 1,330 milligrams of sodium from sauces, chicken, and bread. To reduce sodium, switch to a wrap instead of the sandwich, as bread can be a sneaky source of added salt. The BK Royal Crispy Chicken Wrap has just 790 milligrams of sodium—a little more than half of what's in the sandwich.

Carl's Jr. Charbroiled BBQ Chicken Sandwich

Although not fried, Carl's Jr. Charbroiled BBQ Chicken Sandwich still has 1,300 milligrams of sodium, more than half the recommended 2,300 milligrams. Besides the sodium content, this sandwich also contains 13 grams of sugar—26% of the recommended daily added sugar. Barbeque sauce is a sneaky source of added sugars. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting added sugar to 10% of total daily calories to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and other health conditions.

Texas Roadhouse Mushroom Jack Chicken Sandwich

The Texas Roadhouse Mushroom Jack Chicken Sandwich loads up on vegetables to help balance its 1,410-milligram sodium content. Each sandwich comes with mushrooms, tomatoes, lettuce, and onions. Instead of fried chicken, this sandwich uses grilled chicken. Customize the sandwich to change the sodium: Skipping the margarine reduces the sodium by 100 milligrams.

Jack in the Box Sourdough Grilled Chicken Club

Jack in the Box's Sourdough Grilled Chicken Club packs 1,440 milligrams of sodium per sandwich. Just because the chicken is grilled instead of fried does not mean the sandwich will be healthier. Other sandwich components, like the bread, butter, and Good Good sauce, still contain salt, which all adds up. The sourdough bread also contributes to the sodium content. Two slices of sourdough bread can contain 280 milligrams of sodium.

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Popeyes Classic Chicken Sandwich

The Classic Chicken Sandwich from Popeyes contains 1,440 milligrams of sodium. The chicken is marinated in seasoning before frying. Seasoning mixes impart flavor to the meat but also contribute a significant amount of sodium. Popeye's gives you the option of adding bacon and cheese. Consider skipping the cheese and bacon unless you want to add more sodium to the sandwich.

Wendy's Classic Chicken Sandwich

The Classic Chicken Sandwich at Wendy's is served with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and mayonnaise on a toasted bun. Although the classic chicken sandwich may not seem bad compared to other sandwiches on the list, it still has 1,450 milligrams of sodium—a significant amount for anyone, but particularly for individuals monitoring salt intake.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Sonic Crispy Chicken Sandwich

Keeping the sodium content of foods low is challenging. Although the Sonic Crispy Chicken Sandwich only includes a crispy chicken filet, chopped lettuce, brioche bun, and mayonnaise, it still has 1,470 milligrams of sodium. For frying, chicken is often coated in a flour and spice mixture to seal in moisture. Then, the chicken is coated with another layer of seasoning for crunch and more flavor. Salt is used at each seasoning phase, ultimately increasing the sodium content of the sandwich.

Chick-Fil-A Deluxe Sandwich with American Cheese

Chick-Fil-A's deluxe sandwich with American cheese has 1,700 milligrams of sodium. Save 230 milligrams of sodium by skipping the American cheese and going for the regular chicken sandwich. Choosing a different cheese doesn't cut the sodium by much, so if you're looking for a lower-salt option, consider ditching the cheese entirely.

Bojangles Bo's Chicken Sandwich

The Bo's Chicken Sandwich at Bojangles has a similar sodium profile as other chicken sandwiches on this list. However, it contains considerably more carbohydrates than similarly sized sandwiches. Although carbohydrates are necessary for energy and health, eating too many refined carbohydrates—from white bread or flour—can contribute to health conditions down the line.

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Smashburger's Truffle Mushroom Swiss Crispy Chicken Sandwich

Smashburger's Truffle Mushroom Swiss Crispy Chicken Sandwich contains 1,790 milligrams of sodium. It uses Swiss, a lower-sodium cheese, and trades typical sandwich toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles for mushrooms. Ask for the chicken grilled instead of fried to reduce the sodium content to 1,190 milligrams.

Chick-Fil-A's Honey Pepper Pimento Sandwich with Spicy Filet

Chick-Fil-A's honey pepper pimento sandwich with spicy filet has 1,950 milligrams of sodium, nearly 85% of the 2,300-milligram sodium limit recommended by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines. This chicken sandwich also has 16 grams of sugar—more than 30% of the 50-gram added sugar limit set by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines. Eating a diet high in added sugars can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Arby's Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

Arby's Buffalo Chicken Sandwich is loaded with sodium, containing 2,095 milligrams per sandwich. Some of the sandwich's sodium likely comes from the sauces. Salt is one of the main ingredients in Buffalo sauce, with some sauces containing nearly 1,000 mg per two-tablespoon serving. The Parmesan peppercorn ranch also contributes a significant amount of sodium; Parmesan is known to be a saltier cheese.

Buffalo Wild Wings Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich

The Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich at Buffalo Wild Wings boasts 2,690 milligrams of sodium—nearly 17% more than recommended. Despite its greater vegetable content from slaw, pickled peppers, and pickles, this sandwich is still the highest sodium chicken sandwich option at Buffalo Wild Wings. The hot sauce and ranch contribute to the high salt content, as do the pickles and pickled hot peppers. If you're looking for a chicken sandwich at Buffalo Wild Wings, opt for the classic instead, which has half of the sodium as the hot chicken.

Zaxbys Signature Club with Spicy Zax Sauce

Zaxbys' Signature Club with Spicy Zax Sauce has 2,740 mg of sodium, exceeding the recommended limit of 2,300 milligrams. Eating significant amounts of salt raises blood pressure and increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. On average, Americans eat more than 3,400 milligrams of sodium daily—much more than what's recommended. Sauces and condiments like pickles add even more salt to an already-salty dish. When you have the option, opt for a sandwich without sauce or get the sauce on the side to control it.

Carl's Jr. Hand-Breaded Bacon Swiss Chicken Sandwich

Even with Swiss cheese instead of American cheese, the Carl's Jr. Hand-Breaded Bacon Swiss Chicken Sandwich still has 3,100 milligrams of sodium. Swiss cheese is lower in sodium, with almost 48 milligrams per slice compared to the 256 milligrams in a slice of American cheese. Still, this sandwich contains about as much sodium as Americans consume on average daily, but it comes from one meal instead of multiple ones.

Ruby Tuesday Ultimate Crispy Chicken Sandwich

The Ultimate Crispy Chicken Sandwich from Ruby Tuesday has 3,180 milligrams of salt in one sandwich. Unlike some other sandwiches on the list, this one is also high in sugar, contributing 66% of the recommended added sugar. While the honey mustard and honey garlic sauces add flavor, they also up the sugar and salt content. If you want to improve this sandwich's nutrition profile, ask for it without the sauces. Or, get the sauces on the side to control how much goes on the sandwich.

The Cheesecake Factory's Chicken Parmesan Sandwich

The Chicken Parmesan Sandwich at the Cheesecake Factory contains 3,600 milligrams of sodium and is high in fat, protein, and calories. This sandwich is enormous: One sandwich contains 62 grams of saturated fat, nearly three times the recommended 22 grams. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends keeping saturated fat below 10% of total calories to reduce the risk of heart disease. The American Heart Association encourages people to keep saturated fat at less than 13 grams daily.

The Saltiest Chicken Sandwich Is… Chili's Buffalo Chicken Ranch Sandwich

Last on the list, with the highest sodium content, is the Buffalo Chicken Ranch Sandwich from Chili's. With a whopping 4,290 milligrams of sodium, this sandwich is best avoided if you monitor your salt intake.