Fast food under 300 calories: the best order at 27 chains

The best complete order — an entrée, a side and a drink — under 300 calories at 27 chains, each composed for the most protein from that chain's own published nutrition data. 9 of the 27 reach 30 g of protein under 300; the top three are KFC (47 g), Dairy Queen (46 g) and Jack in the Box (44 g), and the spread from best to worst is 12–47 g. At Five Guys, Jersey Mike's and Little Caesars no entrée fits under 300 at all.

2,967 items · 30 chains · each chain's own nutrition guide · Data refreshed September 14, 2026

27 chains ranked
9 reach 30 g protein
47g best full meal
22 chain pages under 300

As of September 2026, 9 of the 30 fast-food chains we track can serve a complete meal with 30 g or more of protein under 300 calories; the best is KFC at 47 g (A Kentucky Grilled Chicken Breast, a Kentucky Grilled Chicken Whole Wing, and a water).

The best order under 300 calories at every chain, ranked by protein

Entrée first, then a side, then a drink if there is room — the same greedy order the MinMax app uses (water unless a shake adds 10 g of protein). Click a chain for every one of its orders under 300.

Best complete meal under 300 calories, by chain
#	Chain	Order	Calories	Protein
1	KFC	A Kentucky Grilled Chicken Breast, a Kentucky Grilled Chicken Whole Wing, and a water	280	47g
2	Dairy Queen	Rotisserie Style Chicken Bites (8 Piece), a Protein Boost, and a water	260	46g
3	Jack in the Box	Chicken Strips (Grilled), a Side Salad, and a water	270	44g
4	Chick-fil-A	12 ct Grilled Nuggets, a Small Fruit Cup, and a water	260	39g
5	Firehouse Subs	An Oven Roasted Chicken (Medium), a Chicken Noodle Soup, and a water	280	38g
6	Chipotle	Chicken, a Queso Blanco, and a water	300	37g
7	Arby's	Steak Nuggets (9) and a water	240	36g
8	Panda Express	A Grilled Asian Chicken and a water	300	36g
9	Whataburger	A Garden Salad with Grilled Chicken and a water	290	34g
10	Popeyes	Chicken Blackened Tenders (3 Pcs), a Baguette, and a water	260	29g
11	Carl's Jr.	A Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders™ (3 pieces) and a water	260	25g
12	Subway	A Sweet Onion Teriyaki Chicken® Salad and a water	300	23g
13	Domino's Pizza	A Chicken Caesar Salad, a Classic Garden Salad, and a water	300	22g
14	Sonic Drive-In	CRISPY TENDERS (3 PC.), GRILLED ONIONS, and a water	275	21g
15	Culver's	A Chicken Tenders, Buffalo - 2 Piece and a water	270	20g
16	Panera Bread	A Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken - Half and a water	290	20g
17	Jimmy John's	A SLIM 2 (Unwich Lettuce Wrap) and a water	90	17g
18	Shake Shack	Chicken Bites (6 piece) and a water	300	17g
19	Taco Bell	A Loaded Chicken Flatbread Taco and a water	270	16g
20	In-N-Out Burger	A Cheeseburger ProteinStyle (Bun replaced with Lettuce) and a water	280	16g
21	Pizza Hut	A Thin 'N Crispy Creat Beyond Pizza (Large) and a water	290	16g
22	McDonald's	A Chicken McNuggets® (6 Piece) and a water	270	15g
23	Burger King	A Cheeseburger and a water	283	15g
24	Wendy's	Spicy Chicken Nuggets (6 Piece), Strawberries, and a water	300	15g
25	Raising Cane's	Chicken Fingers and a water	127	13g
26	Hardee's	A Small Cheeseburger and a water	300	13g
27	Papa John's	A Meatball Pepperoni Papadia and a water	300	12g

Eat at fast food without blowing your cap

MinMax finds the best fast food meal under your calorie goal — at the location nearest you — and lets you swap items to hit your protein. Free on iPhone.

Download MinMax — free What the app does

Every chain under 300 calories

22 chains have enough single orders under 300 for a page of their own; Burger King, Wendy's, Carl's Jr., Five Guys, Shake Shack, Raising Cane's, Jersey Mike's and Little Caesars do not (fewer than 10 orders fit, or no entrée does).

Other caps and the chain ranking

Every figure is from the chain's published nutrition guide or a cited copy of it; sources are linked on each chain's page and on the sources page. Read how the data is gathered and checked.