Review: McDonald's - Asian Salad Returns for the Summer

Returning this summer through early September, McDonald's Asian Salad is one of the more healthy options on the menu and features iceberg lettuce, Romaine lettuce, spring greens, edamame, red pepper strips, carrots, sliced almonds, mandarin oranges, and snow peas.

The salad costs $4.69 with grilled or crispy chicken which is in line with other McDonald's salads. It is also available without chicken.

While a little bit pricey, the Asian Salad is priced competitively with similar offerings by other fast food chains and is quite a fair bit of food; more than I tend to eat in one sitting actually. I ate half initially and saved the other half for later.

Visually, the veggies were relatively fresh although iceberg lettuce always looks cheap to me and is of sparse nutritional value. It does add a watery, crispy crunch to any salad though. I especially liked the edamame (green soybeans) which add a soft bean texture and a subtle flavor. The mandarin oranges were muted in flavor but juicy. Oddly, my salad only contained one pod of snow peas. The almonds come in a separate little bag which helps them retain a lot of their freshness and crunch.

The strongest flavor is supplied by the chicken which is marinated and orange glazed. It was quite tender as well. There's enough flavor in the chicken to enjoy the salad without the dressing for healthier eating, but I love me some sesame ginger dressing so I went with a little bit less than half the dressing which is plenty.

Overall, McDonald's Asian Salad is a refreshing blend of veggies, chicken and flavor. And beyond the sodium count (which varies with your choice of chicken and the amount of dressing you use), is quite good for you. I'm really surprised McDonald's isn't keeping it on as a regular menu item.

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Nutritional Info - McDonald's Asian Salad with Grilled Chicken (356g)
Calories - 270 (from Fat - 80)
Fat - 9g (Saturated Fat - 1g)
Sodium - 640mg
Carbs - 21g (Sugar - 13g)
Protein - 29g

Nutritional Info - Newman's Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing (1.5 fl oz)

Calories - 90 (from Fat - 25)

Fat - 2.5g (Saturated Fat - 0g)

Sodium - 410mg

Carbs - 15g (Sugar - 9g)

Protein - 1g