Asian Salad with Grilled Chicken
McDONALD’S $4.30 for 12.7 ounces
290 calories; 10 g fat; 890 mg sodium
Comes with a grilled chicken filet cut into strips (8), Mandarin orange wedges (7), mixed greens, snow peas, carrots, red peppers, edamame and Newman’s Own low-fat sesame ginger dressing.
First thought: Looks serene. Peaceful. Lovely as a photograph. An interesting mix of vegetables that’s a new taste with every bite.
On second thought: If this salad were a film, it would be “The Da Vinci Code”–an endless promotional campaign, plenty of hype but disappointing in the end. As much as we appreciate Paul Newman’s charitable efforts, this dressing is pretty lousy: tongue-coating artificially sweet. The chicken is rubbery.
McGrade: C+
`Just Toss It’ Asian Style Salad with Chicken
WHITE HEN $4.99 for 10.5 ounces
290 calories; 18 g fat; 1080 mg sodium
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Comes with romaine lettuce, napa cabbage, carrots and radicchio, two small cups of chicken (about 20 tiny chunks), Mandarin orange wedges (6), crispy noodle topping and “Asian vinaigrette” dressing.
First thought: A to-go package that’s compact and easy to assemble. A fantastic, spicy sauce reminiscent of an Asian garlic-chile topper often found in Thai restaurants. Fresh and vibrant salad greens.
On second thought: The chicken, marinated in hoisin sauce with black sesame seeds, tasted unnatural. Only the sauce and the unique packaging distinguish this salad.
McGrade: B
Mandarin Chicken Salad
WENDY’S $4.19 for 15.8 ounces
550 calories; 26 g fat; 1210 mg sodium
A mix of red romaine, red oak, red bibb and other lettuce, diced chicken (about 16 pieces), Mandarin orange wedges (22), roasted almonds, crispy noodles and Oriental sesame dressing.
First thought: The chicken looks like chicken! Huge white chunks of breast and rib meat that taste great. The noodle slivers give the salad a terrific, crispy texture with each bite.
On second thought: The sauce is overly sweet and syrupy. Don’t add the whole package. And look at the nutritional levels–this salad packs nearly as much fat as Wendy’s Big Bacon Classic (29 g fat).
McGrade: B+
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