You Should Never Order Zaxby's Grilled Chicken Sandwich. Here's Why

For 30 years, Zaxby's has been delighting customers with their delicious chicken options. The Southern restaurant was created by childhood friends Zach McLeroy and Tony Townley, according to Money Inc. The pair started the eatery after realizing the chicken chains where they lived were relatively bland (via Zaxby's), so they wanted to create more bold flavor options. That's why one of the main things Zaxby's is known for today, is their mouthwatering sauces that you can dip your crispy chicken into. But be warned, they are not for the faint of heart. The menu features sauces called Nuclear, Insane, and Tongue Torch. However, if you're feeling less adventurous, it does have more mild sauces like teriyaki and honey mustard. 

The popular chain also has an array of sandwiches to pick from, like the grilled chicken sandwich. This might be one of the healthier options on the menu, but "healthier" and "healthy" aren't always the same thing. Registered dietitian Jane Ujoatu weighed in on why you might want to skip this particular sandwich.

Eat This, Not That! reports that Zaxby's grilled chicken sandwich contains 530 calories, 22 grams of fat, and a whopping 1,510 milligrams of sodium. While this is one of the lower-calorie items on the menu that doesn't mean it's great for you. "In terms of calories, this is a good option, but it contains way too much sodium for one sandwich — let alone an entire meal," Ujoatu said. The amount of salt is alarming because that's pretty much the amount of sodium you should have in an entire day. The FDA recommends having less than 2,300 milligrams of salt daily. 

But if you still need your chicken fix, Eat This, Not That! has a solution — order the traditional chicken bone-in wings. In comparison, they have just 300 calories, 19 grams of fat, and only 340 milligrams of sodium. They are also a much better choice than Zaxby's breaded and deep-fried chicken wings options. "It's one thing if the chicken was fried naked, but the breading on boneless wings adds not only extra calories but excess sodium and fat," Ujoatu explained. Another safe choice is the garden caesar salad, coming in at just 280 calories. But let's be honest: wings are more fun to eat.