I Tried 5 Fast-Food Salads, and This One Blows the Others Out of the Water

5. Taco Bell

Taco Bell discontinued the popular taco salad several years back, much to the chagrin of dedicated diners. However, it seems to be making a comeback, albeit in a different form. Right now, on the new Luxe Value menu, Taco Bell is offering a Mini Taco Salad for $2.99. This budget-friendly item would be a good add-on to your classic order or something from the Decades Menu . However, this is definitely not a meal-sized salad. The palm-sized, crispy tortilla bowl is filled with beef, cheese, beans, lettuce and tomatoes.

Bottom Line:A little price for a little salad. It was a fun new menu item to try at Taco Bell, but it felt more like a gimmick than something that would keep me coming back for more.

4. Culver's

Next on the list is the Chicken Cashew Salad from Culver's for $9.79. There were actually several salad options on the menu at Culver's. It also offers a Cranberry Bacon Blue Salad and a Garden Fresco Salad. All of Culver's salads include chicken, but you can order them meatless if preferred. You can also elect to have your salad prepared with chicken tenders, Buffalo tenders or even a burger patty instead. There are plenty of dressings to choose from.

I'm always impressed with the quality at Culver's, and this salad was no exception. There were substantial pieces of chicken, and overall, the salad looked very fresh and handmade. I liked the cucumber, crunchy cashews, tomato and large pieces of lettuce. I didn't feel like this salad cut any corners or skimped on ingredients.

Bottom Line:Overall, I felt like this was a satisfying basic salad. It just lacked some of the pizzazz that I found in other salads on this list.

3. Wendy's

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and interesting ingredients on the Wendy's salad menu. I think I still drove up to the order window with a bit of a chip on my shoulder, presuming a large chain known for some of the best fast-food fries couldn't possibly also serve a satisfying salad. The chain offers a Parmesan Caesar Salad, Taco Salad and Cobb Salad, but I decided to go with the Apple Pecan Salad for $8.49. This came with a pomegranate vinaigrette dressing as well as cranberries and candied nuts.

When I opened up the bag, I found a beautiful salad and from the first bite, I was impressed. I loved the crunch from the additional toppings, and there was a pleasant hint of sweetness to the dressing.

Bottom Line:Don't sleep on the Wendy's salad menu. I found this to be a great price for a lovely, fresh meal.

2. Portillo's

Portillo's has a Spicy Chicken Chopped Salad, Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken, Caesar Salad (with or without chicken) and its signature Chopped Salad. I couldn't decide which one to try first, so I asked the helpful attendant which one was the most popular. She said it's by far the chopped salad. I ordered it and pulled around to pay the $13.19.

Even before diving in, I was stunned by the size of this salad. Although the price point was higher than that of other salads on this list, it is made up for in volume. Also, the salad arrived with fresh-baked house bread, which was another nice touch.

This salad was fantastic, and dare I say, even fun to eat. I liked digging around looking for fun little bites among all the ingredients. There's ditalini pasta, chicken, blue cheese, red onion and green onion. The house dressing is a bit sweet, but I found that it was well-balanced with the other mix-ins.

Bottom Line:The Chopped Salad from Portillo's is so big, I'd probably order it as a family-style shared salad to serve with some of the chain's other fantastic menu items.

1. Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A has done it again! From the first bite of its Spicy Southwest Salad, I knew it was my top choice. For $10.19, you get a large salad filled with grilled spicy chicken, mixed greens, Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses, grape tomatoes, peppers, corn and black beans. I loved the way the chicken was sliced in this salad. The thin strips were easy to pierce with my fork as I dove in for bite after bite. There was a nice heat to the salad without being too spicy.

Chick-fil-A has a lot of dressings to choose from, including avocado lime ranch, zesty apple cider vinaigrette, fat-free honey mustard, light Italian, creamy salsa, light balsamic vinaigrette and garden herb ranch. However, the attendant recommended ordering the creamy salsa dressing with this salad. That choice was spot on.

Bottom Line:The Chick-fil-A menu also offers a Market Salad and Cobb Salad, but the Spicy Southwest Salad was so good, it will be hard to lure me away to other options. In fact, I found myself going back a few days later to order it again!

Which fast-food salad is your fave? Let us know in the comments below!