This High-Protein Chick-fil-A Order Is My Travel Meal

October has been a big travel month for me, with a cross-country press trip and a family vacation under my belt. And I’m planning on traveling a bit more in the coming months with the holidays approaching and a friend reunion planned for 2025.

I don’t know about you, but I much prefer an early morning flight over a red eye, even if it means getting to the airport at 5 a.m. I like to think it counteracts with jet lag and helps me stay on schedule—but the main reason why I love getting to the Philadelphia International Airport early is because there’s a Chick-fil-A inside.

Chick-fil-A may have the best breakfast menu out of all of the fast food giants. Not only is there an array of options, but it mostly stars their flavorful chicken so you can justify eating it first thing in the morning. This is what I order every time I’m going away.

My go-to Chick-fil-A breakfast order is the 4-count Chick-n-Minis. For lovers of the chain’s chicken nuggets, it’s their same delicious bite-sized nuggets enveloped in mini rolls with a light brush of honey butter on top. It needs no sauce; taste-wise, they are perfect as-is. The 4-count is the perfect size for me, and I pair it with water as I try to stay hydrated pre-flight.

Here’s the nutrition information for the 4-count Chick-n-Minis:

• Calories: 360
• Carbohydrates: 41 g 
• Dietary Fiber: 2 g
• Total Sugars: 8 g
• Protein: 20 g
• Total Fat: 13 g
• Saturated Fat: 4 g
• Cholesterol: 60 mg
• Sodium: 1060 mg

Let’s talk about the pros. This meal is lower in calories while being high in protein, so while smaller in size, it’s bound to keep me satisfied until lunch, typically for the duration of my flight. This will steer me away from unnecessary snacking on the plane, which I admittedly have a bad habit of.

However, it’s important to note the amount of sodium in this dish. At 1060 milligrams of sodium, these Chick-n-Minis are nearly half of the recommended sodium intake limit for adults (2,300 milligrams), per the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s guidelines. Keeping this in mind, I will typically opt for lower-sodium options for lunch and dinner that day when I do have this breakfast in the A.M.

Besides, this is an occasional meal for me, and I’m not eating these Chick-n-Minis (or any fast food) every single day. It’s important to remember that any food that sparks you with joy can be included in a healthy eating pattern when eaten in moderation. For me, it’s Chick-fil-A’s breakfast. It embraces my favorite flavor combination of savory and sweet, and if you love chicken and waffles, this order is a lighter version of your brunch favorite.