Review: Zaxby's - Ranchero Zalad

Zaxby's Ranchero Zalad features mixed greens, topped with a barbacoa chicken filet, crispy tortilla strips, fire-roasted corn, black beans, and Picante Ranch dressing.

I purchased one for $6.99.

I highly doubt Zaxby's is cooking their chicken in a traditional barbacoa style, which entails slow-roasting it in a pit with an open flame, but the barbacoa-style chicken in the Ranchero was tender and featured a great smoky, savory flavor. I was surprised to find it so distinctly different from their regular grilled chicken. As far as portion goes, it seemed like there was about a whole breast fillet in there. I was full afterward, which I can't always say about a salad.

The Picante Ranch was light and creamy, but didn't really bring any heat as its name suggests. Still, it complemented the rest of the Southwest-inspired ingredients well.

The tortilla strips were sparse but provided a nice little crunch every once in a while. The fire-roasted corn was sweet but tended to get lost in the strong flavor of the black beans and the abundance of the fresh mixed greens, which included chopped tomato. The salad also featured some green and red peppers, which really helped in bringing home the Tex Mex feel of the dish.

Overall, I really enjoyed the Ranchero Zalad. The combination of ingredients is a winner, from the greens to the dressing. My biggest gripe was the inclusion of roma tomatoes. It seems like they missed a perfect opportunity to include some pico del gallo, which would have been less out of place. At $6.99 it's on the high end of fast food menu items but in line with comparable full-sized salads.

Nutritional Info - Zaxby’s Ranchero Zalad
Calories - 630 (from Fat - 350)
Fat - 37.5g (Saturated Fat - 10g)
Sodium - 1260mg
Carbs - 31g (Sugars - 8g)
Protein - 40g

By Darius.