2. Chicken Quesadilla
Order this in a restaurant, and you may be getting more than 1,000 calories and 30 grams of saturated fat. Why? Gigantic white flour tortillas, double doses of cheese, and oil-slathered chicken don’t help.
Ridiculously healthy: Try this healthy Chicken Quesadilla recipe instead. This dish uses spices, not oil, to add flavor and serves up cheesy chicken on a whole wheat tortilla.
3. Chicken and Dumplings
Though the calorie count in this traditional dish isn’t horrible, the sodium count (approximately 2,000 mg) is enough to give you high blood pressure just by looking at it. And most recipes contain few, if any, vegetables.
Ridiculously healthy: Try this healthy Chicken and Dumplings recipe. It cuts the sodium in half while adding in carrots, celery, and peas.
4. Fried Chicken
It may not come as a surprise that fried chicken isn’t waistline-friendly. But how bad is it? Just one breast of fried chicken contains 7 grams of saturated fat, one-half of your recommended daily intake, without any sides.
Ridiculously healthy: To get your fried chicken fix without busting your belt buckle, try this 200-calorie "fried" chicken recipe. Buttermilk and a mixture of white and wheat bread crumbs coats the chicken, along with fresh herbs and spices.
5. Chicken Salad
Coated with saturated fat-filled mayo, most chicken salad doesn’t stand a chance of making it on your healthy eating list. And certain drive-thru varieties contain over 50% of your daily dose of saturated fat and heart-stopping trans fat.
Ridiculously healthy: This chicken salad recipe goes light on the mayo, but adds in celery, scallions, and grapes for a burst of flavor and crunchy texture.
6. General Tso’s Chicken
Breaded, deep-fried, and soaked in sauce aren’t usually included in the General Tso’s Chicken description, but this Chinese food favorite contains about 1,300 calories and over half a day’s saturated fat.
Ridiculously healthy: Choose this Chinese chicken recipe instead. Low-sodium soy sauce, vinegar, and fresh ginger give this authentic flavor while cutting the sodium and the fat.
7. Chicken Pot Pie
One of the classic American one-pot meals, chicken pot pie’s buttery crust and thick gravy come at a caloric cost, coming in at almost 800 calories per serving and 45 grams of fat.
Ridiculously healthy: You don’t have to skimp on flavor to cut the fat, with this take on a classic chicken pot pie. This version has all the comforting qualities (including a delectable crust!) with half the calories and one-third of the fat.
8. Chicken Wings
This traditional game time favorite doesn’t score well in our books ‚Äì it’s deep fried, doused in hot sauce, and dipped in a rich blue-cheese dressing. So it’s not surprising that each serving can be over 700 calories, 49 grams of fat, and 2,000 mg of sodium.
Ridiculously healthy: Feel the heat of these metabolism-revving spicy chicken wings complete with a figure-friendly yogurt-based dipping sauce.
9. Chicken Caesar Salad
Think ordering a salad puts you in the safe zone? Think again. Chicken Caesar salad can tally to nearly 1,000 calories if you are not careful with all the rich fixings: Caesar dressing, croutons, and Parmesan cheese.
Ridiculously healthy: Made with light dressing and homemade pita croutons, this hearty chicken Caesar salad will fill you up without drowning you in heavy dressing.
