Is Chili's Safe During Pregnancy? Fajitas, Queso, Steaks and What to Order

Chili's is one of those places that ends up on the table whether you chose it or not: a work lunch, a family dinner, the 3 for Me deal when nobody wants to cook. The good news is that very little of the menu is anything pregnancy guidance restricts.

We went through the current menu section by section. Here is what to order, what to ask, and the handful of details that are easy to miss.

The Menu, Item by Item

Steaks Have an Asterisk. Burgers Don't.

This is the detail most people miss, and it's printed right on the menu.

Chili's marks its steaks with an asterisk. That is the standard restaurant notice that an item is cooked to order and may be served undercooked if you ask for it that way. A sirloin ordered medium-rare will arrive medium-rare.

For whole cuts of beef, the USDA's safe minimum is 145°F (63°C) followed by a 3 minute rest. Restaurant "medium" can land just under that, so medium-well is the order that leaves a margin. Pregnancy adds toxoplasmosis to the usual reasons for caution, which is why the advice is stricter than for everyone else at the table.

Burgers are different. Ground beef needs to reach 160°F (71°C) all the way through, because grinding spreads surface bacteria into the middle. Chili's burgers don't carry the asterisk, which signals they are cooked through as standard. The thin smash-style patties on the Big Smasher cook through quickly, which helps. Still, take a look at the center. Pink means back to the kitchen.

Queso, Fresh Cheese and the One Thing to Ask

Chili's leans Tex-Mex, which brings cheese into almost every order. The good news is that most of it is fine.

Hot queso dips are safe. The Southwestern Queso and Skillet Beef Queso are melted cheese dips served hot, and heat is exactly what deals with Listeria. The only advice is the shared-dip one: eat them while they're still hot.

Shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack are fine, on fajitas, quesadillas, salads or anything else. They're made with pasteurized milk and aren't in the high-risk group.

Crumbled fresh white cheese is the exception. Queso fresco, queso blanco and similar soft fresh cheeses are the one cheese family the FDA specifically tells pregnant women to avoid, even when pasteurized, because Listeria can get in after pasteurization. If street corn, a bowl or a salad arrives with crumbly white cheese scattered on top, ask for it on the side or left off. If it's melted into a hot dish, it's fine. Our Mexican food guide explains the full rule.

The Triple Dipper Math

Chili's portions are built for sharing, even when they arrive on one plate. According to the calorie counts on Chili's own menu:

• Triple Dipper: 1,450 to 3,040 calories.
• Full Rack of Ribs: 2,160 calories.
• Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas: 1,700 calories.
• Southwestern Eggrolls: 1,020 calories.

For context, ACOG says pregnancy needs no extra calories in the first trimester, about 340 extra a day in the second, and about 450 in the third. A single appetizer can be a whole day's increase several times over.

None of that makes these unsafe. It just means sharing the starter, boxing half the entree, or choosing from the lighter end of the menu goes a long way. The Guiltless Grill section is where the lighter plates live: Classic Sirloin 6oz at 250 calories, Ancho Salmon at 590, the Santa Fe Salad at 540 and Margarita Grilled Chicken at 640.

Sodium runs high across chain menus like this one too, which is worth noticing if you're dealing with swelling. Our pregnancy swelling guide covers what actually helps.

3 for Me, Without Overthinking It

The 3 for Me deal is a drink, a starter and a main, and it's easy to build a pregnancy-friendly version:

• Drink: lemonade or water. Iced tea has caffeine, and refills add up against the 200mg daily limit ACOG recommends.
• Starter: chips and salsa, a cup of soup, or a side salad.
• Main: Classic Sirloin 6oz ordered medium-well, a Big Smasher checked for pink, or a Big Crispy Chicken Sandwich.

Ordering With Nausea or Heartburn

For nausea, the plainest things on the menu are your friends: Chicken Crispers with fries, mashed potatoes, Mexican rice, steamed broccoli, or a cup of soup. Cold, low-smell food is often easier than anything sizzling, so fajitas can be a lot in the first trimester.

For heartburn, skip the Cajun, Nashville Hot and Buffalo options, go easy on fried food late in the evening, and choose grilled chicken or salmon with rice and broccoli. Our heartburn foods guide explains which triggers matter most.

Ordering With Gestational Diabetes

Chili's can work well with gestational diabetes if you build the plate yourself rather than taking it as it comes.

• Start with protein: the Classic Sirloin 6oz, Ancho Salmon, Margarita Grilled Chicken or fajita meat.
• Swap the sides: steamed broccoli or asparagus instead of fries, and a small portion of rice or black beans rather than both.
• Watch the tortillas and chips: fajitas come with a stack of tortillas, and a basket of chips disappears fast. Decide on your carbohydrate portion before the food arrives.
• Skip the lemonade: the sweetened lemonades and flavored teas are an easy way to lose control of your numbers. Water or unsweetened tea is simplest.

Your diabetes team will have given you specific targets, and our gestational diabetes meal plan shows how a restaurant meal can fit into the day.

To-Go and Delivery

Chili's does a lot of takeout, and the safety rules shift slightly once food leaves the kitchen. Hot food should still be hot when it arrives, so eat it soon after delivery rather than leaving it in the bag. The 2-hour clock for leftovers starts when the food is cooked, not when you sit down, which makes a long delivery wait part of the count.

If it arrives lukewarm, reheat it until it's steaming hot before eating. Fried food suffers, but fajita fillings, ribs and pasta all reheat well.

Desserts

Classic Cheesecake is baked and made with pasteurized dairy, so it's fine.

Molten Chocolate Cake is served warm with ice cream, and ice cream served in US restaurants is made from pasteurized dairy.

Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie is the one to look at. It's meant to be soft in the middle. If the center tastes like raw dough rather than a soft-baked cookie, leave that part, since raw flour and raw egg are the concerns our cookie dough guide covers.

Drinks

Margaritas and cocktails are the clear no. No amount of alcohol is known to be safe in pregnancy, and that includes the to-go margaritas. Lemonades are fine, if sweet, and the flavored iced teas carry caffeine, so count them toward your daily total.

Leftovers

With portions this size, you'll probably take some home. Get them into the fridge within 2 hours of the food arriving at your table, eat them within 3 to 4 days, and reheat until steaming hot, to 165°F (74°C). Fries don't reheat well, but ribs, fajita fillings and pasta all do. Our guide to eating leftovers when pregnant has the details.

If you're comparing chains, our Applebee's guide and Texas Roadhouse guide cover the other big casual dining menus, and our eating out while pregnant guide has the rules that work anywhere.

This article is general information and does not replace advice from your doctor, midwife or dietitian. Menus and recipes change and can vary by location, so check with your server if you're unsure how something is prepared.