Bojangles is famous for its Southern-style staples like fried chicken, breakfast biscuits, mashed potatoes and gravy, grits, and coleslaw. While this fast-food fried chicken joint may not be the first place that comes to mind when you’re looking for a nutritious meal, there are plenty of healthier options on the menu (in addition to plenty you’ll want to avoid).
While fast food can be a part of an overall healthy diet, you have to do a little digging to find the choices that align with your goals. With dietitian insights, we found the best and worst items on the menu at Bojangles to help you stay on track while enjoying your favorite Southern-style fast food. Read on for the healthiest and unhealthiest Bojangles’ orders, and next, check out 35 Fast Food ‘Facts’ That Are Actually False.
Sandwiches
Best: Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Per Serving: 570 calories, 33 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 1,350 mg sodium, 36 g carbs (1 g fiber, 6 g sugar), 29 g protein
Bojangles’ Grilled Chicken Sandwich comes with a grilled chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on a lightly toasted bun. “You save a lot of fat and calories by opting for a grilled option over a fried sandwich,” says Bess Berger, RDN, CDN.
“Compared to Bo’s chicken sandwich, which is fried, the grilled sandwich has 100 fewer calories, no trans fats, and 3 fewer grams of fat overall,” says Katie Schimmelpfenning, RD and Founder of Eat Swim Win.
Worst: Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich
Per Serving: 690 calories, 39 g fat (9 g saturated fat), 2,130 mg sodium, 39 g carbs (1 g fiber, 8 g sugar), 46 g protein
Not to be confused with the standard grilled chicken sandwich, the grilled chicken club sandwich might sound healthy, but dietitians don’t recommend this pick. “With 2,130 milligrams of sodium, this sandwich almost exceeds the daily recommended value of sodium of 2,300 milligrams,” says Megan Huff, RD, LD, a cardiac ICU dietitian. “It’s a poor choice for your heart health, as it also ranks highest in calories, fat, and cholesterol compared to the other sandwich options,” Huff adds.
Individual Biscuits
Best: Plain Biscuit
Per Biscuit: 310 calories, 15 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 780 mg sodium, 37 g carbs (1 g fiber, 4 g sugar), 6 g protein
When you’re craving a Bojangles biscuit, choosing one without all the extras is your healthiest option. The plain biscuit has 6 grams of saturated fat, or 30 percent of the DV, and 34 percent of the DV of sodium. Adding additions like meat, cheese, and eggs adds additional fat and sodium, making it difficult to stay within the recommended daily limits.
Best: Sausage Biscuit
Per Serving: 470 calories, 28 g fat (11 g saturated fat), 1,160 mg sodium, 38 g carbs (1 g fiber, 4 g sugar), 15 g protein
Though it’s not as healthy as the plain option, adding sausage to one of Bojangle’s buttermilk biscuits can make for a filling and satisfying breakfast with 15 grams of protein. While this menu item does have 50 percent of the DV for sodium and 55 percent of the DV for saturated fat, it’s still one of the healthiest biscuit options on the menu.
Worst: Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit
Per Serving: 510 calories, 27 g fat (11 g saturated fat), 1,750 mg sodium, 40 g carbs (0 g fiber, 5 g sugar), 28 g protein
While the bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit has 28 grams of filling protein, the hickory smoked bacon and American cheese add a lot of sodium to this breakfast sandwich. Just this one small biscuit packs an astounding 76 percent of the recommended daily limit of sodium. Enjoying this for breakfast makes for a salty start to the day.
Worst: Cajun Chicken Filet Biscuit
Per Serving: 570 calories, 27 g fat (9 g saturated fat), 1,720 mg sodium, 40 g carbs (1 g fiber, 4 g sugar), 23 g protein
Adding a Fried chicken breast coated in Cajun seasonings to a biscuit makes this one of the worst items to order at Bojangles when it comes to your health, especially your heart health. One Cajun Chicken Filet Biscuit has 1,720 milligrams of sodium, three-quarters of the amount of sodium you should have in one day. Routinely eating too much sodium is associated with high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
Dinners & Boneless Chicken Favorites
Best: Chicken Breast
Per 1-piece: 540 calories, 29 g fat (10 g saturated fat), 580 mg sodium, 24 g carbs (1 g fiber, 0 g sugar), 41 g protein
One fried chicken breast gives you the most nutritional benefit with the least amount of sodium and saturated fat in one filling cut. You’ll get 41 grams of filling and satisfying protein with only 25 percent of the DV of sodium and 50 percent of the DV of saturated fat. You can easily turn this hefty cut of all-white meat chicken into a meal by adding two healthy fixin’s and a low-sugar drink.
Worst: Roasted Chicken Bites
Per 6.7 ounces: 350 calories, 14 g fat (3.5 g saturated fat), 1,610 mg sodium, 9 g carbs (1 g fiber, 5 g sugar), 44 g protein
While the roasted chicken bites aren’t deep fried like the rest of the chicken on the menu, they make up for this seemingly healthy attribute with 1,610 milligrams of sodium. These chicken bites have 70 percent of the DV for sodium, making them one of the worst chicken items on the menu.
Fixin’s
Best: Green Beans
Per Serving: 20 calories, 0 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 500 mg sodium, 5 g carbs (2 g fiber, 2 g sugar), 1 g protein
“For Bojangles Fixin’s, the best options are the green beans which are cooked in broth as opposed to most fixin’s that are fried,” says Berger. They’re seasoned with plenty of flavor but only add 20 calories and 5 grams of carbohydrates to your meal with zero added fat. Plus, they count as one serving of your daily vegetables!
Best: Grits
Per Serving: 90 calories, 0 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 5 mg sodium, 21 g carbs (1 g fiber, 0 g sugar), 2 g protein
A staple in many Southern-style meals, Bojangles grits are a creamy addition to any meal. With only 5 milligrams of sodium and no fat, they’re the perfect side for anyone following a heart-healthy diet.
Worst: Bo-Tato Rounds
Per Medium Serving: 390 calories, 24 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 880 mg sodium, 40 g carbs (3 g fiber, 0 g sugar), 3 g protein
Bo-Tato Rounds are deep-fried, seasoned potato patties—and one of the unhealthiest fixin’s on the menu. You’ll get 7 grams of saturated fat and 38 percent of the DV for sodium in one medium order of these potato rounds. While this doesn’t sound terrible, keep in mind that these are a side dish, and when paired with any entree on the menu, you’ll get more than a day’s worth of fat and sodium from just one meal.
Worst: Macaroni and Cheese
Per Serving: 280 calories, 18 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 830 mg sodium, 21 g carbs (1 g fiber, 3 g sugar), 8 g protein
Another carb-centered side dish, the Macaroni and Cheese makes the list of worst side dishes thanks to the 830 milligrams of sodium found in each small serving. This small portion of macaroni has 36 percent of your day’s worth of sodium, making it difficult to stick to your daily goals.
Sweets
Best: Sweet Potato Pie
Per Serving: 350 calories, 20 g fat (9 g saturated fat), 100 mg sodium, 41 g carbs (1 g fiber, 18 g sugar), 3 g protein
As far as sweet treats go, the Sweet Potato Pie is the better of the two options available at most Bojangles restaurants. While each pie has 18 grams of sugar and 9 grams of saturated fat, you’ll only get 100 milligrams (or 4 percent) of your daily value of sodium, making it a good choice for anyone watching their salt intake. It’s hard to say how much actual sweet potato is used in the pie, but sweet potatoes are a good source of vitamin A, potassium, and several B vitamins, so there may be some micronutrient benefits to this dessert as well.
Worst: Bo-Berry Biscuit
Per Serving: 370 calories, 17 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 720 mg sodium, 49 g carbs (1 g fiber, 18 g sugar), 5 g protein
The Bo-Berry Biscuit is loaded with berries and drizzled with icing, adding extra sugar and calories to the plain biscuit, which is already a higher sodium item. While you wouldn’t expect a sweet to add much to your sodium count, each Bo-Berry Biscuit has 720 milligrams of sodium. “This biscuit also contains 18g of added sugar, which can contribute to a number of chronic diseases, including obesity and diabetes,” says Wan Na Chun, MPH, RD, CPT of One Pot Wellness.
