Healthy KFC? Yes, Here's a Fast Food Hack

Kentucky Fried Chicken is not the first place that you would think of when it comes to healthy food. In fact, it would probably be at the bottom of your list. But it is in fact possible to order yourself a high protein, healthy KFC lunch with under 500 calories! You just have to be a little creative with your food choices. Get ready for the ultimate healthy KFC meal. Let’s look at each food choice individually and explain what benefits they offer, and then let’s go into the overall calorie and macro nutrient stats for the meal.

The Healthy KFC Meal

The meal that you are going to be ordering centers around the Chicken on the Bone (Kentucky Grilled Chicken Breast), and has corn on the cob, green beans, and mashed potatoes on the side. Washed down with either a water or a black coffee.

The Ingredients

Now that we know our meal, we can take a closer look at the food choices, why we picked them, and what’s special about them. We’ll start with the most important part of any KFC meal: The chicken.

• Chicken on the Bone (Kentucky Grilled Chicken Breast) – So the first thing you might have noticed is that we are in a KFC and we are ordering the grilled chicken. But sadly, as we are trying to keep fat down to a minimum, we just couldn’t justify a bucket of fried chicken. The grilled chicken tastes nice, is really high in protein (38g), and low in fat (7g). It also contains zero carbohydrates.
• Corn on the Cob – KFC actually has two corn options, on the cob, or a bowl of sweet corn. Out of the two, the cob won just because it is a legendary food item in KFC. It’s quite high in calories for a vegetable (140 calories) but it contains Vitamin A, Vitamin B-6, Vitamin C, and a whole host of antioxidants, magnesium, and potassium.
• Green Beans – Coming in at only 25 calories per serving, the Colonel’s Green Beans are a fantastic choice for lunch. They contain a lot of Vitamin C, they may reduce the risk of CVD, Colon Cancer, and Type II Diabetes, and they also contain a small amount (1g) of protein. Green beans also go really well with chicken!
• Mashed Potatoes – You can either choose to have the mashed potatoes on their own for only 90 calories (which we are using here) or you can add gravy for an additional 30 calories. It’s up to you. The mashed potatoes contain 15g of carbohydrates, 2g of protein, and just 3g of fat. Whereas the gravy provides an additional 4g of carbohydrates and 1g of fat.

Overall Calories

The total calories for grilled chicken breast, corn on the cob, green beans, and mashed potatoes (without gravy) is 470. Adding the gravy will bring the total to 500, which is satisfying from a mathematical and taste point of view!The total protein intake is 45g (which is fantastic), total carbohydrates is 53g, and total fat is 11g (which is shockingly good for KFC). This means that 99 calories come from fat, 212 calories come from carbohydrates, and 180 calories come from protein. This means that the meal is roughly 36% protein, 20% fat, and 44% carbohydrates. It is possible to have a Healthy KFC meal and with these selections, you can have your colonel and not derail your diet. Want more healthy fast food hacks? Click here!Read more Food and Drink articles here.