Guide · Updated 11 September 2026
The lowest sodium fast food in Australia
The lowest sodium meal with real protein at a fast food chain in Australia is a piece of Original Recipe chicken at KFC, at 407 mg. After that it's Grill'd, and by a long way. Grill'd publishes a full table for every burger on every bun, and the grilled chicken burgers with no bun are the lowest sodium mains in the whole app: the Bird & Brie with no bun is 266 mg for 40.0 grams of protein. Keep the Panini and it's still only 528 mg. Then the Superpower Salad at 529 mg, the Cali Green Goddess wrap at 519 mg and a Sausage & Egg McMuffin at 592 mg. Outside Grill'd, those plus Zambrero's lamb fat taco duo at 594 mg are the only mains with more than 20 grams of protein and under 600 mg of sodium at any chain that publishes the number.
For scale, the suggested target for an adult in Australia is about 2,000 mg a day, and 2,300 is where the health guidelines say to stop. A lot of single items on this page go past that on their own.
Why I added sodium to the app
Calories tell you whether you'll lose weight. Sodium tells you why the scales jumped a kilo after a day you thought was fine. It's water, it comes off, but if you weigh yourself daily it'll mess with your head. And for anyone with blood pressure to think about, it matters more than the calories do.
Twelve of the fifteen chains in the app publish sodium and I've put it on every item that has it. Sushi Hub, Chatime and Oporto don't publish it at all, so I can't tell you what their food carries, and I'd rather say that than guess.
The lowest sodium order at each chain
One per chain that publishes it and has something that qualifies. Everything here has at least 20 grams of protein, sorted from least salt to most. These are the chains' own figures.
| Item | kcal | kJ | Protein g | Fat g | Carbs g | Sugars g | Sodium mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Piece of Chicken KFC | 235 | 983 | 20.4 | 13.9 | 7.2 | 0.2 | 407 |
| Bird & Brie - No Bun Grill'd | 361 | 1,510 | 40.0 | 19.8 | 10.8 | 10.1 | 266 |
| Superpower Salad Grill'd | 459 | 1,920 | 42.3 | 22.4 | 21.6 | 9.9 | 529 |
| Cali Green Goddess Grill'd | 490 | 2,050 | 42.5 | 17.3 | 39.6 | 6.8 | 519 |
| Bird & Brie - Panini Grill'd | 538 | 2,251 | 45.7 | 24.9 | 34.3 | 11.1 | 528 |
| Sausage & Egg McMuffin McDonald's | 366 | 1,531 | 21.9 | 19.3 | 25.5 | 2.7 | 592 |
| Lamb Fat Taco Duo Zambrero | 476 | 1,992 | 24.2 | 19.8 | 50.0 | 10.6 | 594 |
| Sautéed Vegetables Brekkie Bowl with Guacamole Guzman y Gomez | 392 | 1,640 | 20.4 | 28.5 | 12.7 | 3.6 | 623 |
| Grilled Chicken Hungry Jack's | 350 | 1,464 | 22.4 | 17.0 | 26.7 | 4.6 | 661 |
| Zinger Fillet Piece KFC | 224 | 937 | 20.4 | 12.0 | 9.1 | 0.4 | 679 |
| Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders - 3 Piece Carl's Jr. | 250 | 1,046 | 25.0 | 12.0 | 11.0 | 0.0 | 740 |
| Shredded Beef Brisket Quesadilla Guzman y Gomez | 474 | 1,983 | 29.9 | 24.3 | 33.5 | 2.1 | 814 |
| 4 PERi-PERi Tenders Nando's | 220 | 920 | 39.6 | 6.5 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 949 |
| Quarter Chicken Red Rooster | 280 | 1,172 | 34.9 | 11.4 | 8.8 | 0.9 | 1,085 |
| Cheesy Garlic Bread Domino's | 669 | 2,799 | 22.7 | 32.2 | 70.6 | 7.8 | 1,130 |
Some of those are surprising. KFC's plain chicken is the lowest sodium protein at any drive through, which nobody expects from KFC. The catch is that the burgers and the Wicked Boneless are two to three times saltier than the pieces. At Maccas, breakfast is the low sodium meal. A Bacon & Egg McMuffin is 608 mg, a Quarter Pounder is 1,263 mg.
Nando's and Red Rooster are the two chains where the best protein order is also a big sodium order. Nando's four tenders are 949 mg. Red Rooster's quarter chicken is 1,085 mg. Both are still worth ordering, you just don't want two of them in a day.
The single items that carry a whole day
These are the ones to know about. Each one is close to, or well past, a full day's worth in one serve.
| Item | kcal | kJ | Protein g | Fat g | Carbs g | Sugars g | Sodium mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbacoa Beef Cali Burrito Big Zambrero | 1,280 | 5,356 | 59.5 | 55.6 | 132.0 | 19.0 | 3,305 |
| Grilled Chicken Enchilada Guzman y Gomez | 1,150 | 4,812 | 59.2 | 50.2 | 113.0 | 11.3 | 3,160 |
| Saucy Chicken Wings - Hot Sauce (5 Pack) Domino's | 384 | 1,607 | 34.6 | 24.4 | 6.8 | 0.9 | 2,460 |
| Outback Meat Deluxe Hot Dog Donut King | 654 | 2,736 | 36.8 | 32.4 | 52.6 | 12.3 | 2,420 |
| Big Arch McDonald's | 1,102 | 4,611 | 58.8 | 69.2 | 57.5 | 14.8 | 2,121 |
| Zinger Stacker Burger KFC | 737 | 3,084 | 51.2 | 37.3 | 48.8 | 9.3 | 1,996 |
| Chicken Tender Strips 3 Pack Hungry Jack's | 572 | 2,393 | 23.7 | 39.0 | 31.7 | 1.5 | 1,816 |
| Zinger Protein Bowl KFC | 552 | 2,310 | 44.0 | 28.9 | 27.6 | 9.8 | 1,531 |
The Domino's wings with hot sauce are the one that got me. Five wings, 2,460 mg. The same wings without the sauce are 1,150 mg. The sauce is over 1,300 mg on its own. The GYG grilled chicken enchilada is 3,160 mg, which is a day and a half. The Hungry Jack's tender strips are 1,816 mg for three, and people order them as a snack.
Sodium per calorie
Some things are salty because they're big. Some are salty because they're salty. The three tenders with ketchup at GYG are only 386 calories but 1,530 mg, which is about 400 mg of sodium for every 100 calories. The Donut King hot dogs are the same story. The McCafé Ham & Cheese Toastie is 1,150 mg for 356 calories, which makes it the saltiest main on the McDonald's menu per calorie, worse than any burger.
How to eat lower sodium at a drive through
Pick the plain protein over the burger. Chicken pieces over a Zinger, a quarter chicken over a burger at Red Rooster, grilled chicken at HJ's over anything fried. Skip sauces, because they're where a lot of it hides. Go for breakfast at Maccas over lunch. And check the app before you order, because the difference between two items that look the same on the board can be a thousand milligrams.
FAQ
How much sodium is in a McDonald's burger?
A Big Mac is 1,119 mg, a Quarter Pounder is 1,263 mg, a Cheeseburger is 792 mg and a McSpicy is 1,162 mg. The lowest sodium McDonald's meal with real protein is a Sausage & Egg McMuffin at 592 mg, with the Bacon & Egg just behind at 608 mg.
How much sodium is in KFC?
A piece of Original Recipe is 407 mg, which is the lowest of any protein at a drive through. A Zinger is 944 mg, a Zinger Stacker is 1,996 mg and the Zinger Protein Bowl is 1,531 mg.
Which fast food has the least salt?
Of the chains that publish it, the plain chicken pieces at KFC, the grilled chicken burgers and salads at Grill'd and the McMuffins at McDonald's are the lowest sodium meals with real protein. Sushi Hub, Oporto and Chatime don't publish sodium, so I can't rank them.