Sides are where a Chicken Salad Chick order quietly gains or loses several hundred calories, and where the menu is more interesting than it first looks. Every meal includes one, so this is a choice you are making whether you think about it or not.
The short version: broccoli salad is the crowd favourite, fresh fruit is the only genuinely light option, and mac & cheese costs you about 350 calories for a cup and 560 for a bowl. Full nutrition context is on the calories guide.
Fresh signature sides
Sides
| Side | Price | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Broccoli SaladFresh broccoli, bacon, sunflower seeds and a sweet dressing. The most-ordered side. | $3.59 | 170 |
| Grape SaladRed and green grapes in a sweet cream dressing with brown sugar. | $3.79 | 230 |
| Pasta SaladRotini with vegetables in an Italian-style dressing. | $3.59 | 250 |
| Fresh FruitSeasonal cut fruit. The lowest-calorie side on the menu by a wide margin. | $3.79 | 80 |
| Mac & Cheese (cup)Creamy baked-style macaroni. | $3.99 | 350 |
| Mac & Cheese (bowl)The larger portion. | $5.99 | 560 |
| Pickle SpearA single dill spear — the same pickle the Jill Pickle flavor is made from. | $0.25 | 5 |
| Large Fresh SideAny signature side scaled up to serve three to four people. | $9.99 – $11.99 | — |
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Broccoli salad
The most-ordered side and the one worth trying first. Chopped raw broccoli, bacon, sunflower seeds and a sweet-tangy dressing. At around 170 calories it sits in the middle of the range, and it travels well — which is why it appears on most catering orders.
Grape salad
Red and green grapes in a sweet cream dressing, usually finished with brown sugar. Around 230 calories. People either love it or think it belongs in the dessert case; there is not much middle ground. If you are ordering for a group and unsure, it is the safest sweet option for children.
Fresh fruit
Seasonal cut fruit at roughly 80 calories — by a wide margin the lightest thing on this half of the menu, and the single easiest swap if you want a meal that stays under 500 calories total.
Pasta salad
Rotini with vegetables in an Italian-style dressing, around 250 calories. Reliable, unremarkable, and the side least likely to clash with a spicy flavor like Kickin' Kay Lynne.
Mac & cheese
Available as a cup (~350 cal) or a bowl (~560 cal). Creamy and baked-style rather than stovetop. Popular with children — it also appears on the Little Chicks menu as a meal in its own right.
Gourmet soups
Soups rotate seasonally and availability genuinely varies day to day. Cups run about $3.99, bowls about $5.99. If you want a light order that still feels substantial, a cup of tomato bisque with a scoop on lettuce is one of the better-value combinations on the menu.
Soups
| Soup | Cup | Bowl | Cup cal | Bowl cal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken PoblanoCreamy poblano and chicken. The best-documented calorie count on the soup menu. | $3.99 | $5.99 | 190 | 310 |
| Loaded PotatoPotato, cheese, bacon and chives. | $3.99 | $5.99 | 230 | 410 |
| Broccoli & CheeseCheddar and broccoli. | $3.99 | $5.99 | 190 | 310 |
| Chicken TortillaTomato-based with chicken and tortilla strips. | $3.99 | $5.99 | 190 | 310 |
| Chicken Artichoke FlorentineChicken, artichoke and spinach in a cream base. | $3.99 | $5.99 | 180 | 290 |
| Tomato BisqueSmooth tomato — the lightest soup on the menu. | $3.99 | $5.99 | 110 | 170 |
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Chips and bread options
Chips are the default swap if you do not want a prepared side. Bread choice, meanwhile, is the largest calorie lever on the whole menu — a large croissant adds around 330 calories over a bed of lettuce without changing anything else about your order.
Chips
| Chips | Price | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Regular / Sea Salt | $1.79 | 210 |
| BBQ | $1.79 | 395 |
| Salt & Vinegar | $1.99 | 200 |
| Jalapeño | $1.99 | 365 |
| Nacho Cheese Doritos | $1.99 | 255 |
| Baked Lay's Original | $1.99 | 125 |
| Spicy Dill Pickle | $1.99 | 350 |
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Breads & bases
| Bread / base | Price | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| White breadStandard sandwich bread. | included | 120 |
| Wheatberry breadNuttier, slightly denser. | included | 130 |
| Mini croissantButtery, used for catering platters. | +$0.79 | 200 |
| Large croissantAdds roughly 330 calories to any sandwich. | +$1.29 | 330 |
| CrackersServed with scoops instead of bread. | included | 60 – 130 |
| Lettuce wrap / bed of lettuceThe standard swap for anyone avoiding gluten-containing bread. | included | 0 – 10 |
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Questions about sides and soups
What is the best side at Chicken Salad Chick?
Broccoli salad is the one people come back for — fresh broccoli, bacon, sunflower seeds and a sweet dressing, at a reasonable 170 calories. Grape salad is the divisive one: essentially a dessert served as a side. If you want to keep your meal light, fresh fruit at 80 calories is the only side that meaningfully helps.
How many calories are in Chicken Salad Chick mac and cheese?
Roughly 350 calories for a cup and around 560 for a bowl. It is the heaviest side on the menu by a clear margin — seven times the fresh fruit. If you are watching totals, this is the item that quietly does the damage.
Which soups does Chicken Salad Chick have?
The rotation typically covers chicken poblano, loaded potato, broccoli & cheese, chicken tortilla, chicken artichoke florentine and tomato bisque. Not every location carries all six on the same day, and availability shifts seasonally — soup volume drops in summer. Tomato bisque is the lightest at around 170 calories a bowl.
Can I order a large side for a group?
Yes. Any signature side scales up to a large fresh side at roughly $9.99–$11.99, which serves three to four people. Above that, the catering menu sells sides that serve 10–12 for $24.99.