Nuggets are actually probably the best choice on the McDonalds menu for calorie counting. Relatively higher in protein and lower in carbs and fat than most other things on the menu. A sauce pot has 20% of the calories that 6 piece has though, so absolutely should be counting the sauces too (if you are indeed counting).

If you're counting calories and then restricting yourself to salads only, you're already approaching it in an unhealthy way. At least from places like McDonalds.

One of the new larger dunking style sauce packets can* be about 125 calories, so it's not nothing.