Subway Chicken Breast

The Subway Chicken Breast sub costs £7.39 and carries 340 kcal in a six inch, with the second highest protein of the classic subs. It is plain roast chicken in bread, and it makes no apology for that: this is the gym order, and the menu knows it.

The chicken arrives as sliced roast breast, unseasoned beyond the roasting, and the counter provides everything else. Bread, cheese if wanted, the free salad rail, sauce last. Like the turkey it is lean enough that the sauce choice effectively decides what sandwich you end up eating.

The taste is mild and savoury, the texture firm and substantial in a way the sliced deli meats are not; this is the classic sub that eats most like actual meat. Toasted with a little cheese it turns into something close to a roast dinner sandwich. Cold with salad and a peppery sauce it stays light and clean.

It suits protein counters and plain eaters, and it is the safest possible order for anyone suspicious of cured meat. The catch is blandness by default: order it with no cheese, no sauce and a shy hand of salad and it will taste exactly like what it is. The rail exists for a reason.

Within the chicken family on the Sandwiches menu, the Chicken Tikka carries even more protein with a spiced edge for the same price, and the Rotisserie-Style Chicken is the lighter, softer shredded version. The plain breast is the middle path: most substantial texture, least seasoning.

The value case is protein per pound: only the Tikka does better among the classics. As a repeatable default lunch it is close to optimal, which is precisely why it is never anyone's favourite and almost everyone's regular.