Eating Out · UK
Low-Carb Nando's: What to Order
Nando's is one of the easiest high-street chains for low-carb eating in Britain — if you treat it asflame-grilled chicken and salad, not chicken-in-a-bun with chips.
Macros from Nando's UK menu nutritional information · last verified 18 July 2026 ·check current figures on Nando's menu
Order
Butterfly or thighs + regular broccoli + mixed leaf + a measured PERi-PERi bottle sauce — roughly 5.7–6.6g carbs from the published component figures.
Low Carb Life · verify the current Nando's menu before ordering.
Watch
PERinaise (up to 7g), coleslaw and rainbow slaw (~11g), houmous, corn, macho peas — fine occasionally, not for strict keto.
Avoid
Anything in bread — wraps, pittas, burgers (40–60g+) — plus chips, spicy rice, and chilli jam.
On this page
How to order (30-second script)
- Main: Chicken Butterfly for lean protein; boneless thighs for a richer plate; quarter/half chicken for bone-in; wings for sharing.
- No bread: skip pitta, Portuguese roll, wrap, garlic bread, and any “burger” in a bun.
- Sides: long-stem broccoli and/or mixed leaf salad; olives if you want fat and flavour.
- Sauce: choose your heat, then count any table sauce separately. Published bottle portions range from 0.2g to 1.1g; creamy PERinaise costs more.
- Drink: water or a diet/zero soft drink — not full-sugar cola.
Choose the chicken that suits your appetite
The carbohydrate difference between the grilled chicken choices is tiny. The useful decision is portion, protein and richness — not chasing another tenth of a gram.
Leanest substantial choice
Chicken Butterfly
0.2g carbs · 59.4g protein · 10.1g fat. The cleanest high-protein lunch.
Richer and more filling
4 Boneless Chicken Thighs
0.2g carbs · 70.1g protein · 30.4g fat. Better when breast meat feels too lean.
Classic bone-in meal
¼ or ½ Chicken
0.3–0.5g carbs. Choose the quarter for lunch or the half when genuinely hungry.
Snack or sharing plate
3 or 5 Chicken Wings
0.3–0.4g carbs before extras. Easy to share; sweet dips are the part to watch.
Chicken & mains
Flame-grilled PERi-PERi chicken is the reason Nando's works for low-carb diners. These values are for the chicken (or halloumi) alone.
| Item | kcal | Carbs | Protein | Fat | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Boneless Chicken Thighsextra / lighter portionReport incorrect details | 289 | 0.1g | 35g | 15.2g | Excellent |
| Grilled Chicken BreastReport incorrect details | 138 | 0.1g | 28.6g | 2.6g | Excellent |
| Chicken ButterflyReport incorrect details | 332 | 0.2g | 59.4g | 10.1g | Excellent |
| 4 Boneless Chicken ThighsReport incorrect details | 578 | 0.2g | 70.1g | 30.4g | Excellent |
| 1/4 Chickenbreast or leg, on the boneReport incorrect details | 284 | 0.3g | 40g | 13.6g | Excellent |
| 3 Chicken WingsReport incorrect details | 236 | 0.3g | 31.9g | 11.8g | Excellent |
| 5 Chicken WingsReport incorrect details | 393 | 0.4g | 53.2g | 19.7g | Excellent |
| 1/2 ChickenReport incorrect details | 568 | 0.5g | 80g | 27.2g | Excellent |
| 10 Chicken WingssharingReport incorrect details | 786 | 0.9g | 106.4g | 39.4g | Excellent |
| Whole ChickensharingReport incorrect details | 1136 | 1g | 160g | 54.4g | Excellent |
| Grilled Halloumi Cheesetwo slicesReport incorrect details | 177 | 1.3g | 11.9g | 13.8g | Excellent |
Tip: Sharing platters are fine if you eat the chicken and skip the default chip/rice sides. Ask to swap sides for broccoli or salad where the restaurant allows it.
Sides & extras
Regular (not large) portions where Nando's publishes both. “Moderate” sides are fine occasionally if the rest of the plate is chicken-only — less ideal for strict keto.
| Item | kcal | Carbs | Protein | Fat | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheddar CheeseextraReport incorrect details | 78 | 0g | 5.2g | 6.4g | Excellent |
| Mixed Leaf SaladReport incorrect details | 13 | 1.6g | 0.9g | 0.2g | Excellent |
| Long Stem Broccoliregular adult side; the Nandinos portion is smallerReport incorrect details | 32 | 3.7g | 2.1g | 1.5g | Excellent |
| PERi-Chicken GravyReport incorrect details | 54 | 4.5g | 3.2g | 2.4g | Good |
| Spicy Mixed OlivesReport incorrect details | 138 | 4.7g | 1.2g | 13.5g | Good |
| Corn on the CobReport incorrect details | 72 | 11g | 2.9g | 1.4g | Moderate |
| Rainbow SlawReport incorrect details | 99 | 11.3g | 1.9g | 5.8g | Moderate |
| ColeslawregularReport incorrect details | 263 | 11.4g | 1.3g | 23.7g | Moderate |
| Houmouswithout pittaReport incorrect details | 202 | 13.6g | 6.7g | 13.4g | Moderate |
| Macho PeasReport incorrect details | 141 | 17.5g | 7.7g | 6.4g | Moderate |
Sauces & dips
Bottle PERi-PERi sauces are very low carb. Creamy PERinaise-style dips cost more carbs per serving. Chilli jam is a sugar bomb — treat it like a dessert condiment.
| Item | kcal | Carbs | Protein | Fat | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lemon & Herb PERi-PERi SauceReport incorrect details | 8 | 0.2g | 0.1g | 0.7g | Excellent |
| Medium PERi-PERi SauceReport incorrect details | 9 | 0.2g | 0.1g | 0.7g | Excellent |
| Hot PERi-PERi SauceReport incorrect details | 9 | 0.5g | 0.2g | 0.6g | Excellent |
| Garlic PERi-PERi SauceReport incorrect details | 10 | 0.8g | 0.2g | 0.6g | Excellent |
| PERi-PERi DrizzleReport incorrect details | 97 | 0.9g | 0.3g | 10.3g | Excellent |
| Extra Hot PERi-PERi SauceReport incorrect details | 9 | 1.1g | 0.3g | 0.2g | Excellent |
| PERinaise MildReport incorrect details | 46 | 2g | 0g | 4.2g | Excellent |
| Garlic PERinaiseReport incorrect details | 176 | 4.4g | 4.2g | 15.8g | Good |
| PERinaiseReport incorrect details | 159 | 7g | 0.3g | 14.3g | Good |
| Chilli JamReport incorrect details | 164 | 40.7g | 0.5g | 0.1g | Avoid |
What to avoid
The classic trap is “I'll just have the chicken wrap.” The chicken is fine; the wrap, pitta, or roll is where the carbohydrates live.
| Item | kcal | Carbs | Protein | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houmous with PERi-PERi Drizzleincludes pittaReport incorrect details | 815 | 103.8g | 25g | 32.6g |
| Beanie WrapReport incorrect details | 660 | 81g | 22g | 24.9g |
| PERi-Salted ChipsReport incorrect details | 452 | 64.9g | 6.4g | 19.4g |
| Grilled Chicken WrapReport incorrect details | 537 | 61.5g | 37.3g | 14.8g |
| Butterfly BurgerReport incorrect details | 632 | 53g | 66.6g | 16.4g |
| Grilled Chicken PittaReport incorrect details | 485 | 51.3g | 36.6g | 14.9g |
| Sweet Potato Wedges with Garlic PERinaiseReport incorrect details | 440 | 51g | 8.1g | 24.1g |
| Portuguese RollReport incorrect details | 275 | 47.1g | 6.7g | 6.3g |
| Tortilla Wrapbread onlyReport incorrect details | 247 | 42.4g | 7.4g | 4.8g |
| Spicy RiceregularReport incorrect details | 246 | 42.2g | 3.8g | 6g |
| Toasted PittaReport incorrect details | 246 | 40.8g | 7.1g | 5.6g |
| ChipsregularReport incorrect details | 225 | 32.3g | 3.2g | 9.7g |
Also skip most desserts (nata, brownie, cheesecake) and full-sugar soft drinks. Diet/zero fizzy drinks and water fit a low-carb meal.
Build a plate
Strict / keto-friendly
Butterfly or 4 thighs + broccoli + mixed leaf + PERi sauce
With the regular broccoli side, mixed leaf and a bottle sauce, this comes to roughly 5.7–6.6g carbs. Keep PERinaise optional and measured if you are tight on carbs.
Higher protein
½ chicken + broccoli + gravy + garlic PERinaise on the side
Still built on near-zero chicken; gravy and PERinaise are the main carb additions from the “good” band.
Sharing
Whole chicken or boneless platter — sides swapped
Eat the chicken; refuse the automatic chips and rice. Order olives, broccoli, and salad for the table instead.
Vegetarian-ish
Halloumi + olives + salad + broccoli + PERinaise
Skip beanie/plant burgers in bread (50–80g+ carbs). Plain halloumi is ~1.3g; halloumi sticks with sweet dip climb into double digits.
FAQ
What should I order at Nando's on a low-carb or keto diet?
Choose flame-grilled PERi-PERi chicken without bread — Butterfly, boneless thighs, quarter/half chicken, or wings. Pair with long-stem broccoli, mixed leaf salad, or olives, and use PERi-PERi bottle sauce or a small PERinaise. Skip chips, spicy rice, pittas, wraps, and burgers in a roll.
Is Nando's chicken really almost zero carb?
Yes for the plain flame-grilled chicken items in Nando's published UK nutrition data. Chicken Butterfly is about 0.2g carbohydrate as served; wings and thighs are similarly under 1g for typical portions. That figure is for the chicken on its own — not with chips, rice, or a bun.
Can I have PERi-PERi sauce on low carb?
The bottled PERi-PERi sauces (Medium, Hot, Lemon & Herb, Extra Hot, Garlic) are very low in carbohydrate — typically around 0.2–1.1g per published serving. Creamy PERinaise-style dips are higher (roughly 2–7g). Chilli jam is not low-carb at around 41g carbs.
Are all Nando's spice levels low carb?
The separately published bottle sauces from Lemon & Herb through Extra Hot contain about 0.2–1.1g carbohydrate per serving. Nando's base-dish figures may not include every baste or extra sauce choice, so do not treat 'any spice level' as automatically zero: check the live nutritional information for your chosen chicken and count table sauce separately.
How many carbs are in Nando's long-stem broccoli?
The regular adult side in Nando's July 2026 UK feed contains 3.7g carbohydrate. The 1.8g figure belongs to the smaller Nandinos children's portion. This guide uses the adult side for meal totals.
Why is a chicken wrap high carb if the chicken is low carb?
Almost all the carbohydrate comes from the tortilla, pitta, or Portuguese roll plus sauces and fillings. A grilled chicken wrap is over 60g carbohydrate in Nando's published figures — the wrap is the problem, not the chicken. Ask for the chicken and salad components without the bread.
How up to date are these Nando's carb figures?
Figures on this page were taken from Nando's UK public menu nutritional information on 18 July 2026. Menus reformulate. Always open the dish on nandos.co.uk/food/menu, tap Nutritional information, and confirm before relying on a number for medical carb counting.
Has Nando's changed something?
Tell us about a reformulation, missing item or menu change and include the official page if you can.
Source: Nando's UK public menu nutritional information (https://www.nandos.co.uk/food/menu/), snapshot retrieved 18 July 2026. Full machine-readable dump for re-verification lives in the project sources folder for site maintainers. Values may differ slightly from card kcal vs detail modal rounding. Not affiliated with Nando's.
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