What to Eat at Boston Market: Healthy Menu Choices and Nutrition Facts

While many fast-casual restaurants offer an array of menu items you wouldn’t try making at home, Boston Market is known for its homestyle fare. Serving whole rotisserie chicken and other meats, plus sandwiches, soups, and traditional side dishes, the chain’s appeal lies in offering foods reminiscent of a wholesome homemade meal.

Though some of Boston Market’s meals may contain high amounts of fat, calories, and sodium, the chain’s menu offers several good-for-you options, plus the freedom to make your own combinations. When you’re looking for a quick dinner out, Boston Market can definitely be a healthy choice.

Navigating the Menu

Boston Market’s menu is extensive, but not overwhelming. While menu offerings may vary by season and location, in general, you’ll find selections divided into combination-style individual meals, larger family-style meals, market bowls, sandwiches, soups, and a la carte sides (as well as kids' meals and desserts). Diners have plenty of room to mix and match to create their ideal meal from these categories. This flexibility can work in your favor if you’re trying to put together a healthy combination. 

Our prize for the healthiest meal on Boston Market’s menu goes to the regular turkey breast, accompanied by steamed vegetables as a side. And the one option we’d advise avoiding? The high-calorie, high-sodium Southwest Chicken Carver sandwich.

Individual Meals

If it’s a hearty meal you’re after, you’ll likely start at the beginning of Boston Market’s menu: the Individual Meals category. These combinations center around a meat entree, such as chicken breast, prime rib, or turkey, and are rounded out with your choice of side dishes. Though these full meals may be the most satisfying, they’re also among the heaviest on Boston Market’s menu. It’s important to remember, too, that nutrition information for these items covers just their meat base, not any sides you may add.

Most Nutritious Option

For a slim, trim choice, start your individual meal with the regular-sized turkey breast at just 160 calories, 4.5 g fat, 440 mg sodium, and 30 g protein.

Least Nutritious Option 

Take a pass on the rotisserie chicken pot pie. You’ll save yourself the 750 calories, 42 g fat, 64 g carbohydrate, and 1,780 mg sodium hiding in this pastry-based dish. 

Market Bowls

Boston Market joins a popular foodie trend with its market bowls. These one-dish meals come with one of three meats, plus two sides and a sauce. Like the restaurant’s individual meals, nutrition information reflects just the bowl’s meat (unless specified, as in the category’s mac & cheese or rice bowls). So pay extra attention to the healthfulness of your side choices. 

Most Nutritious Option

The base of turkey in the Rotisserie Turkey Breast Bowl makes a simple, healthy option, even with stuffing and gravy: 330 calories, 13 g fat, 870 mg sodium, and 25 g protein.

Least Nutritious Option

With a name like Meatloaf Mac & Cheese Bowl, it’s not hard to tell that this market bowl is calorie-rich and high in fat. Even without additional sides, it comes with 760 calories, 39 g fat (19 g saturated fat), 2280 mg sodium, and 62 g carbs. 

Home Style Sides

Boston Market’s side dishes round out your meal with hearty home-style options like mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and creamed spinach. While many of these sides serve up major calories, there are lighter options in the mix.

Most Nutritious Option 

You guessed it: The healthiest option in this category is the fresh steamed vegetables, with just 60 calories, 3.5 g fat, 40 mg sodium, and 3 g fiber.

Least Nutritious Option 

With its velvety smoothness and marshmallow topping, Boston Market’s sweet potato casserole may be delicious, but it’s not the healthiest, at 440 calories, 12 g fat, and 53 g sugar per serving.

Sandwiches

Except for one vegetarian option available only on catering orders, Boston Market’s sandwiches are all based on chicken and turkey. But while they may not vary widely in terms of ingredients, their nutritional value ranges from moderate to overload.  

Most Nutritious Option

To stay on the lighter side, choose the Half Chicken Salad Carver. Without sides, you’ll get 430 calories, 26 g fat, 710 mg sodium, and 19 g protein. 

Least Nutritious Option

We won’t deny that the Southwest Chicken Carver is a tasty lunch, but with enough fat (65 g) and sodium (2,330 mg) for a whole day, plus 1,110 calories and 19 g saturated fat, we wouldn’t advise it.

Salad Bowls and Soups

For lunch or dinner, Boston Market offers a modest selection of soups and salads, most based (of course) around chicken or turkey. Except for near-universal high sodium content, most of these menu options make healthy choices, with far lower amounts of calories and fat than Boston Market’s combination meals.

Most Nutritious Option

The house side salad is a sensible choice with 200 calories, 16 g fat, 350 mg sodium, and 10 g carbs.

Least Nutritious Option

If you opt for Boston Market’s chicken Caesar salad, make it your full meal. This one comes in at 770 calories, 51 g fat, 2,060 mg sodium, and 33 g carbs. 

Desserts

Boston Market’s selection of desserts falls in line with its other traditional American fare. Pies, cakes, cobblers, and brownies make up this menu category.  

Most Nutritious Option

We won’t call it healthy, exactly, but the single chocolate brownie leads Boston Market’s desserts with 340 calories, 14 g fat, 180 mg sodium, and 5 g protein.

Least Nutritious Option 

Steer clear of finishing off your meal with the pecan pie. A single slice of this rich dessert contains 720 calories, 42 g fat, 550 mg sodium, and 76 g sugar. 

Kids’ Entrees

Kids’ entrees mimic adult main dishes in this menu category, with choices of turkey, meatloaf, and white and dark chicken. Since portions are smaller, these options are fairly moderate in calories and other nutrients.

Most Nutritious Option 

As with Boston Market’s adult-sized meals, turkey is the entrée that stands out as healthiest on the kids’ menu. This white meat comes with less than half the sodium of all other kid entrees at 220 mg, plus 80 calories, 2.5 g fat, and 15 g protein.  

Least Nutritious Option

Of the four kids’ entrees on Boston Market’s menu, the meatloaf (240 calories, 16 g fat, 460 mg sodium, 13 g protein) is the heaviest choice. 

Kids’ Sides

Boston Market's kids' sides are also identical to adult sides, except for their size.

Most Nutritious Option

In kids’ side dishes, the fresh steamed vegetables are the clear winner once again. Slightly smaller than the adult portion, they contain 40 calories, 2.5 g fat, 80 mg sodium, and 1 g protein.

Least Nutritious Option 

With 220 calories, 6 g fat, 105 mg sodium, and a lot of sugar (27 g), the kids’ sweet potato casserole is simply a smaller version of the indulgent adult side. 

Diet-Specific Options

Boston Market offers friendly options for several specialty diets. People following a gluten-free, low-carb, low-FODMAP, low-fat, or diabetes diet have a wide range of appropriate choices. Vegetarians, vegans, and those on a low-sodium diet, however, may be disappointed with the chain’s minimal offerings for them.  

Gluten-Free

Those who need to avoid gluten will be pleased to find that many of Boston Market’s most popular menu items are inherently gluten-free. And, fortunately, the chain’s website provides an interactive tool that allows users to search for gluten-free options. To keep away from gluten, try the following:

• White or dark rotisserie chicken
• Turkey breast
• Prime rib
• Steamed vegetables
• Sweet corn
• Southwest Cobb Salad 

Low-Carb 

With a menu based primarily around meat, it’s not hard to go low-carb at Boston Market. Choose meats and vegetables not slathered in sauces or heavy seasonings, such as:

• Turkey breast
• Beef brisket
• Prime rib
• House salad

Low-FODMAP 

Those on a low-FODMAP diet will certainly be able to navigate their way to suitable choices at Boston Market. Without breading or sauces, meat contains no carbohydrates, so the restaurant’s many selections of lean meat are clear winners for a FODMAP-friendly meal. In order to stay in line with FODMAP guidelines, just be sure to take note of which fruit or vegetable sides you choose, and do a little reconnaissance with the restaurant’s online ingredient tool to decide your order ahead of time.

Examples of menu items to try include:

• Rotisserie chicken (quarter white)
• Beef brisket
• Garlic dill new potatoes
• House salad 

Diabetes-Friendly

Low-carb and low-sugar options abound on Boston Market’s menu, making it relatively simple for those on a diabetes diet to make good choices. If you’re following this type of diet, stay away from high-sugar, high-carb dishes like cinnamon apples and sweet potato casserole. Instead, opt for the following:

• Creamed spinach
• Fresh steamed vegetables
• Creamy garlic quarter white chicken
• Regular turkey breast 

Low-Fat

Though you may think all restaurant meals are brimming with fat, that’s not the case at Boston Market. Those on a low-fat diet can choose from a variety of options. Start with these:

• Rotisserie chicken
• Turkey breast
• Garlic dill new potatoes

Low-Sodium

Adhering to a low-sodium diet is a tricky proposition while eating at Boston Market. Like many other restaurants, this chain’s menu relies heavily on sodium. Some best bets include: 

• Regular turkey breast
• Fresh steamed vegetables
• Garlic dill new potatoes 

Vegetarian 

Since Boston Market’s entrees center around meat, vegetarians don’t have a lot of main dish choices. But while an individual meal or market bowl may not be an option, you may decide to create a meal out of side dishes. The following are all vegetarian: 

• Mashed potatoes
• Sweet corn
• Garlic dill new potatoes
• Fresh steamed vegetables

Vegan

For vegans, eating at Boston Market will be a serious challenge—if not outright impossible. Although the chain’s website does not reveal which menu items are free of animal products, some vegan websites claim Boston Market offers only four vegan choices. Since two of these are only seasonally available—and all are rather scanty side dishes—you’ll want to look elsewhere for a satisfying meal if you’re a vegan. The foods that some claim are vegan at Boston Market include: 

• Rice pilaf (subject to availability)
• Cinnamon apples
• Fresh steamed vegetables
• Cranberry walnut relish (subject to availability)

Food Allergies and Safety

Boston Market has made a clear effort to accommodate those with food allergies and sensitivities. Using an online tool, you can check the entire menu to discover which items are free of the top eight food allergens, plus gluten. If you’re unable to eat certain foods or ingredients, it’s wise to do your research on the menu before visiting.

However, like many restaurants these days, the chain makes a disclaimer that, in a kitchen with many ingredients, cross-contamination may occur, and that recipe formulations are subject to change.

While you may not always be able to discover with absolute certainty how each and every menu item has been prepared, communicate your needs with your server, or ask to speak to the location’s manager when ordering. This can go a long way toward getting a meal that’s safe for you to eat. 

A Word from Verywell

Among fast-casual restaurants, Boston Market stands out for its variety of menu items that can fit in the framework of healthy eating and special diets. Several whole-foods basics like lean meats and uncomplicated veggies make good choices for just about anyone.

However, it’s important to remember that calories, saturated fat, carbs, and sodium all add up quickly when you complement a simple entree of rotisserie chicken or roasted turkey with heavier sides.

To keep within healthy limits, try a mix-and-match meal of multiple sides, or share a family-style dinner among a group. With these guidelines, you can enjoy a homestyle meal—even away from home.