031034 Even Burger King goes low-fat

Ken Hoffman (King Features Syndicate) - This week I reached out for a new, low-fat Santa Fe Chicken Baguette sandwich at Burger King.

OK, folks, the joke's over. Pretty funny - healthy food in the drive-thru. Ha-ha. Now can I have my triple double-bacon cheeseburger, cheese fries and a 55-gallon drum of Coke?

McDonald's, Subway, Wendy's, Taco Bell, even KFC - they're all doing it. They're rolling out new, low- fat alternatives to the chest- pounders on their menu.

Now here comes Burger King with a Santa Fe Chicken Baguette sandwich that'll make you think twice about a Whopper.

It's a skinless, white-meat chicken fillet, fire-grilled red and green peppers, onions and Southwest sauce on a crispy baguette.

There are three Chicken Baguette Sandwiches. The Santa Fe Baguette was first out last month, followed by the Savory Mustard Chicken Baguette and soon the Smoky BBQ Chicken Baguette. They all feature fresh vegetables and low-fat sauces. Each packs only 350 calories and 5 grams of fat. All three have been added to the permanent menu.

Bread can make or break a sandwich, and these baguettes are just what the doctor (a heart specialist) ordered. Good for taste, bad for neatness. These sandwiches are not recommended for behind-the-wheel eating on your way home.

The chicken fillet is cooked over an open flame on Burger King's patented conveyor-belt grill. This grill is almost as much fun to watch as the doughnut-making contraption at Krispy Kreme. Cooking over an open flame makes the Santa Fe Chicken Baguette taste more outdoorsy than typical fast food. The peppers are run through the conveyor grill, too, giving them deeper flavor and snap. I like when there's some fight in my vegetables.

Each Santa Fe Chicken Baguette is made to order, so don't stand there tapping your foot and pointing to your watch. Relax. Good things come to those who wait a whole three minutes.

SANTA FE CHICKEN BAGUETTE: Calories: 350; Fat: 5 grams; Dietary fiber: 2 grams; Cost: $2.89

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