Healthy Fast Food, a review of grilled Chicken Sandwiches at Burger King, McDonald's and Wendy's

Eating healthy can be tough, but even more so when you're relegated to fast food. If you're able to bypass the Big Mac or Whopper, which grilled chicken sandwich should you get? We at Cooking for Dads set out to answer that age old question.

We narrowed the options down to the grilled chicken sandwiches at McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's, the most nationally available chains. Both McDonald's and BK only have one option while Wendy's has 3. We chose the basic grilled chicken sandwich at each, with lettuce and tomatoes and accepted the way they served it to us. Here is the run down on the information for each sandwich.

The Review

Wendy's Grilled Chicken Sandwich - $4.60 - 370 calories

BK Tender Grill Chicken Sandwich - $4.60 - 470 calories

McDonald's Classic Grilled Chicken Sandwich -$4.19 - $420 calories

All of them come under the Big Mac as far as calories (576) so right off the bat you're ahead. Here is our take on their tastes by each component.

The Meat:

BK - Nicely seasoned and juicy, cooked just right. We like the char burns on the meat from the flame broiling.

McDonald's - Surprisingly bland. We were surprised there wasn't more sodium at least. The chicken was in dire need of seasoning.

Wendy's - The meat has nice texture but the seasoning is a little sweet, and there's a chemical after taste.

The Buns:
BK - Tougher than the rest but a nice taste. The Wendy's and McD's buns were much softer.

McDonald's - The best bun of the bunch with great texture and nice white bread taste - just like mom. The Classic McD's bun.

Wendy's - Again nice texture but really quite sweet. The is a lot of sugar in this bread.

Over all Sandwich:

BK - Well, you can tell from the picture which one we liked. The only one that's almost gone. The BK Sandwich was heads and shoulders above the others in over all taste as a sum of it's parts. The meat matched the bread and the crisp lettuce and juicy tomato, they all worked together in ensemble. We will definitely get this one instead of a Whopper.

McDonald's - Not a terrible sandwich, but definitely lacking in interest. We would have expected more McDonald's magic in this one. Definitely get the Big Mac. This one's not worth it.

Wendy's - I'm a big Wendy's fan, but this sandwich is not an option. The bread is sweet, the meat is sweet, the sandwich is way too sweet. (We like sweet things but this is just too much of it) Maybe if you got it without the sauce it would help, but I would stick to the burgers or the fried chicken here.

So that's it for healthy fast food for today.

Remember when possible, cook well.
Rob Barrett, Jr.
Cooking for Dads

Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu with White Wine and Lemon Cream Sauce

Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu with White Wine and lemon Cream Sauce

for chicken:
2-4 thawed Chicken Breasts
honey
Dijon Mustard
salt and pepper
thinly sliced honey ham
sliced Swiss Cheese

Butterfly chicken breasts by slicing longways but not completely through (see video). Open up chicken breasts and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place a small dollop of honey on each side of the breasts and spread with a knife. Do the same with the Dijon mustard. Place a small slice of Swiss cheese and a small slice of ham on each side of the breast and close breast by folding over. Place a toothpick to hold breast closed while cooking.

Grill over high heat (400 degrees) for 3-4 minutes a side or until completely cooked.

for white wine and lemon Cream Sauce
3 spoonfuls of white wine
1 inch of butter
the juice of one lemon
1 spoonful grated lemon peel (lemon zest)
1 spoonful finely chopped onion

Combine in pan and cook for 3-4 minutes over medium low heat until butter is melted, onions are softened and the combination starts to thicken slightly.

Add 1 cup heavy cream while stirring to combine. Continue to simmer for 3-4 minutes. don't let it boil.

Pour over chicken.

© 2011 Cooking for Dads

Cook well, it's worth it.

Rob Barrett
Cooking for Dads

Pecan Salmon for Mother's Day

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs salmon filets
3 spoonfuls honey
1 inch butter
4 spoonfuls mustard
chopped pecans
bread crumbs
fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper
parchment paper

Directions:

In a small bowl combine: 3 spoonfuls of honey, 1 inch butter (melted), and 4 spoonfuls of Dijon mustard. Stir.

In another small bowl combine: small handful(1/4 cup) chopped pecans, small handful (1/4 cup) of bread crumbs, and 1 spoonful chopped parsley.

Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper, place skins side down on a baking sheet with parchment paper, and brush with mustard and honey mixture on one side. Add a layer of pecan mixture and pat down. Bake at 450º for 10-15 minutes or until salmon is just cooked through (just firms up). Serve with couscous and broccoli.