5 Fast Food Restaurants That Use MSG

It's no secret that fast food restaurants don't always have the most balanced menus, but many have taken steps to offer more varied options for customers and their dietary needs. For instance, at least a handful of fast food chains offer gluten-free fries (such as Five Guys and In-N-Out Burger) for those with celiac disease and gluten sensitivities. When it comes to monosodium glutamate (MSG), which some diners choose to avoid, many restaurants still use it as an ingredient in some, but not all, of their offerings — including Chick-fil-A, KFC, Jack in the Box, Zaxbys, and McDonald's.

A lot of restaurants stopped using MSG in response to widespread health concerns, but since then many myths about MSG have been busted, such as it being artificial and bad for you. In fact, the stigma around MSG is finally ending, and the FDA considers this flavor enhancer to be safe to add to foods. A lot of people even cook with it at home because MSG boosts the umami in savory ingredients like steak and other foods.

Still, some people report experiencing MSG symptom complex, a non-allergic reaction that is said to include headaches, muscle aches, nausea, and heart palpitations. If you're one of these individuals or you try to avoid MSG-containing foods for other reasons, you might want to steer clear of these fast food chains (or, at least, some of their menu items).

Chick-fil-A is popular for its chicken sandwiches, a portion of which contain MSG. The chain explains in its nutrition and allergy FAQ that the flavor enhancer is "present in some of our menu offerings."

Unfortunately, finding out which menu items takes a little digging, because the company doesn't provide a list. Instead, you need to select the location where you plan to eat and view the ingredients list for each item on the menu.

Daily Meal's research found that MSG is an ingredient used in the seasoned and breaded chicken fillets, which are the best-selling items that Chick-fil-A uses for its original and spicy sandwiches. It's also present in the restaurant's seasoned and breaded chicken nuggets and strips, as well as the chicken noodle soup. The grilled chicken options, though, don't contain the flavor enhancer, and you don't have to worry about it being in the chicken-free salads, fresh fruit cups, desserts, dipping sauces, or dressings, either.

Since about 2022, the "secret" herbs and spices used to make KFC's original recipe fried chicken have not been so secret. The Chicago Tribune got to test a scrapbook recipe from Joe Ledington, a nephew of Colonel Harland Sanders, with amazing results. However, upon comparing the test cooking against the real thing, there was still one ingredient missing from the hand-written recipe: MSG. After one of the reporters added the flavor enhancer to a piece, the test kitchen chicken was practically indistinguishable from KFC's. A restaurant spokesperson even confirmed that MSG is present in the original recipe, but that's not the only menu item that features this ingredient.

According to the Special Diets Wizard available on the KFC website, which provides allergen and ingredient information, MSG is used in all of the chicken recipes, including grilled chicken, nuggets, tenders, sandwiches, pot pies, and bowls. The flavor enhancer is also an ingredient in some of the chain's homestyle sides: secret recipe fries, gravy for the mashed potatoes, and green beans. Even the buffalo ranch, honey mustard, and sticky chicky sweet n' sour dipping sauces contain MSG. Additionally, some regional menu items with the flavor enhancer are the gizzards, livers, and peppered white gravy for the country-fried steak.

While it might be easier to just skip KFC if you're avoiding MSG, you could still make a meal out of the other menu items. The fresh salads (without chicken), the variety of other dressings and sauces, and the desserts are all free of that ingredient.

Jack in the Box has undergone some name changes since its founding — originally known as Topsy's drive-in and then as Oscar's — and its burgers remain the top-selling menu item. However, the fast food chain is also well known for its 24-hour breakfast menu and affordable tacos. It might not be surprising that the tacos are so popular and bursting with umami flavor, since they contain MSG. The flavor enhancer is included in the tacos themselves and in the sauce added to them. If you add the taco sauce packet to this cheap meal, you're getting even more MSG.

However, the tacos aren't the only menu item to which Jack in the Box adds MSG. Anything that includes the chicken patty, crispy chicken fillet, crispy chicken strips, and spicy chicken breast fillet has the flavor enhancer in it, as do the egg rolls. Menu items that are tossed in the barbecue chip sauce and spicy chili sauce — like the seasoned curly fries — have it, too. Plus, several of the restaurant's dipping sauces contain MSG: buttermilk house dipping sauce, creamy avocado lime, creamy ranch, Jack's balcony buttermilk ranch, and smoke house sauce.

Fortunately, there are still tons of non-MSG menu items at Jack in the Box for those who'd prefer to avoid it. You can still dine on the burgers, breakfast items that don't include chicken, classic french and curly fries, onion rings, shakes, and desserts.

The fried chicken chain Guthrie's may have been the inspiration behind the creation of Zaxbys', but the overall taste experience is different. If you're going to know everything about Zaxbys' fried chicken, though, that should include which of its menu items have MSG.

This largely-Southeastern chain's nutrition and allergen guide makes it easy to pick out these foods, and the flavor enhancer is used in all of its breaded and fried chicken fingers and fillets, which are served in various combos, on sandwiches, and in "zalads." MSG is also an ingredient in the restaurant's grilled chicken sandwich, crinkle-cut fries, and ranch dipping sauce and dressing.

However, there are still plenty of menu options at Zaxbys if you're avoiding MSG. You can order any of the traditional and boneless wings in any of the sauce options and use any of the dipping sauces except ranch. The same sauce restriction applies to the chain's salad items, as long as you forgo chicken or order grilled chicken instead of fried. Also, the fried pickles, coleslaw, fried white cheddar bites, and Texas toast are all free of MSG, as is the chocolate chip cookie for dessert.

To some diners' dismay, McDonald's started using MSG in its regional chicken menu items in 2020 as part of an effort to compete with the likes of Chick-fil-A, which (as discussed) also uses the ingredient in its fried chicken. Yet, after a positive response from patrons in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Houston, Texas — where the MSG-containing crispy and deluxe crispy chicken sandwiches were initially tested — the restaurant chain has continued to use this flavor enhancer and expand its chicken sandwich offerings into various regions.

As of 2025, if you see the McCrispy on the menu at your local McDonald's (whether it's a sandwich or in strips form) it likely has MSG in it. However, the McChicken and chicken nuggets that are available everywhere don't contain the flavor enhancer.

As a fast food giant, McDonald's has been successful at maintaining an MSG-free national menu (and at eliminating artificial preservatives) over the years. It's also open about its ingredients via the online menu, although you have to do a little digging into each item to see the ingredient list. Based on Daily Meal's research, all of the breakfast items, burgers, fries, apple slices, condiments, and desserts are safe to order if you're steering clear of this flavor enhancer. Even the fish sandwich is free of MSG.