Determining the amount of carbohydrates in a fast food menu item like the bacon ranch grilled chicken salad from McDonald’s can be tricky. There are a few factors that contribute to the total carb count, so getting an exact number requires looking at the complete nutritional information.
The Components of the Salad
First, let’s break down what comes in the bacon ranch grilled chicken salad from McDonald’s:
- Grilled chicken breast
- Baby spinach
- Baby kale
- Red leaf lettuce
- Romaine lettuce
- Grape tomatoes
- Bacon pieces
- Shredded Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese
- Ranch dressing
The combination of fresh greens, vegetables, cheese, bacon and grilled chicken make this a nutritious salad choice. However, the ranch dressing contributes additional calories, fat, and carbohydrates.
Nutrition Information for the Full Salad
Here are the complete nutrition facts for the bacon ranch grilled chicken salad from McDonald’s (based on a full large salad):
| Calories | 440 |
| Total Fat | 22g |
| Saturated Fat | 8g |
| Trans Fat | 1.5g |
| Cholesterol | 125mg |
| Sodium | 870mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 24g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4g |
| Sugars | 6g |
| Protein | 38g |
As you can see, the full salad contains 24g total carbohydrates. This carbohydrate count includes the ranch dressing as well as small amounts from the vegetables and cheese.
Estimating Carbs for Salad Alone
We can get a rough estimate of the carbohydrates coming just from the salad ingredients (excluding the dressing) based on typical values:
| Baby spinach (2 cups) | 2g |
| Baby kale (1 cup) | 5g |
| Romaine lettuce (1 cup) | 1g |
| Red leaf lettuce (1 cup) | 1g |
| Grape tomatoes (1 cup) | 5g |
| Bacon (2 slices) | 0g |
| Cheese (1/4 cup) | 1g |
| Grilled chicken breast (4 oz) | 0g |
| Total: | 15g |
Based on these rough estimates, the salad alone likely contributes around 15g of carbohydrates without the dressing.
Carbohydrates in Ranch Dressing
The majority of the carbohydrates in the full McDonald’s bacon ranch grilled chicken salad comes from the ranch dressing. Here are the nutrition facts for 2 fluid ounces (1/4 cup) of McDonald’s ranch dressing:
| Calories | 180 |
| Total Fat | 18g |
| Sodium | 350mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 4g |
| Sugars | 2g |
| Protein | 0g |
Since a full large salad likely contains around 1/2 cup of dressing, that would contribute approximately 9g of carbs from just the ranch dressing alone.
Net Carbs
To calculate net carbs, we take the total carbs and subtract grams of fiber. Based on the nutritional information, the full McDonald’s bacon ranch grilled chicken salad provides 4g of fiber.
So the total net carbs would be:
Total carbs: 24g
– Fiber: 4g
= Net carbs: 20g
Conclusions
To summarize:
- The full McDonald’s bacon ranch grilled chicken salad contains 24g total carbs and 4g fiber for 20g net carbs.
- An estimated 15g of those carbs come just from the salad ingredients themselves.
- The ranch dressing contributes approximately 9g of additional carbs.
- For people on low-carb or keto diets, this salad would likely contain too many net carbs to fit their macros, unless skipping the dressing.
- Removing the croutons and dressing significantly reduces the carb count to create a more low-carb friendly option.
So in conclusion, the total amount of carbohydrates in a McDonald’s bacon ranch grilled chicken salad clocks in around 24g net carbs when dressing is included. Limiting the amount of dressing and omitting croutons can reduce the carb count for those looking to limit intake.