Quick Answer
The crispy chicken tender salad at Applebee’s contains around 800-1000 calories, depending on the dressing and other customizations. The salad itself contains around 500-600 calories, while the crispy chicken tenders add an additional 300 calories. The dressing can add anywhere from 50-400 calories, bringing the total calorie count to 800-1000 calories.
Detailed Answer
The crispy chicken tender salad is one of the more popular salad options at Applebee’s. However, like many restaurant salads, it can be surprisingly high in calories depending on the ingredients and dressing.
Here is a breakdown of the calorie count for the basic components of the crispy chicken tender salad:
Salad Base
The salad itself contains romaine lettuce, cabbage, carrots, grape tomatoes, cheddar cheese and croutons. This salad base contains around 300-400 calories, depending on the exact amount of each ingredient.
Crispy Chicken Tenders
The crispy chicken tenders alone contain around 300 calories for the 3-4 tenders typically served on the salad. The chicken tenders are breaded and fried, which significantly increases the calorie count compared to grilled chicken.
Dressing
The dressing is where most of the additional calories come from. Applebee’s offers several dressing options for this salad:
| Dressing | Calories |
| Fat Free Raspberry Vinaigrette | 50 |
| Lite Italian | 70 |
| Ranch | 300 |
| Honey Dijon Mustard | 300 |
| Bleu Cheese | 320 |
| Caesar | 400 |
As you can see, the traditional creamy dressings like ranch, honey Dijon and Caesar contain a significant amount of calories. On the other hand, lighter vinaigrette and Italian dressings only add 50-70 calories.
Total Calories
Adding up the calories from the salad, chicken tenders and dressing gives us the following calorie ranges:
- Salad + Chicken + Fat Free Raspberry Vinaigrette: Around 650 calories
- Salad + Chicken + Ranch Dressing: Around 1000 calories
So in summary, the total calorie count for the crispy chicken tender salad at Applebee’s ranges from 650 calories to 1000 calories, with 800 calories being a reasonable average.
Watch out for those high-calorie dressings if you’re trying to eat light! A vinaigrette or Italian dressing will save you hundreds of calories compared to a creamy ranch or Caesar dressing. And grilled chicken instead of crispy tenders will also reduce the calorie count substantially. But overall, the crispy chicken tender salad is one of the more diet-friendly entree options at Applebee’s if customized properly.
Nutrition Information
Here is the complete nutrition information for an Applebee’s crispy chicken tender salad with ranch dressing, according to Applebee’s website:
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 980 |
| Fat | 71g |
| Carbohydrates | 32g |
| Protein | 36g |
| Sodium | 1710mg |
| Cholesterol | 115mg |
| Vitamin C | 8mg |
| Calcium | 296mg |
| Iron | 2mg |
As you can see, while the salad provides protein, vitamins and minerals, it is quite high in calories, fat, sodium and cholesterol primarily due to the crispy chicken tenders and high-fat dressing.
Tips for Lightening Up This Salad
If you want to reduce the calorie count and improve the nutrition of the crispy chicken tender salad, here are some tips:
- Ask for grilled chicken instead of crispy chicken tenders to cut almost 200 calories and significant fat.
- Opt for a lighter dressing like vinaigrette or Italian. Stay away from creamy ranch, Caesar, etc.
- Request the dressing on the side and use sparingly.
- Avoid adding extras like bacon bits, croutons and cheese which will tack on calories.
- Order a half-size salad instead of full if the portions are large.
Following these simple tips can easily save you 300-400 calories while still letting you enjoy this tasty and filling Applebee’s salad!
Conclusion
The crispy chicken tender salad at Applebee’s contains approximately 800-1000 calories in total. This number varies based on factors like:
– Salad base: 300-400 calories
– Crispy chicken tenders: 300 calories
– Dressing: 50-400 calories
Stick to lighter dressings and grilled chicken to reduce the calorie count. And be mindful of large portion sizes. Overall, with some simple modifications, this salad can be a relatively healthy menu option at Applebee’s.