With the Chicken Sandwich Wars currently in full force, Texas-based burger slinger Whataburger has brought back its spicy chicken sammy to contend with the other chains that are upping the heat as well. This version is “new and improved”, now featuring a brioche bun.
The sandwich includes a spicy chicken breast filet, a slice of tomato, whole leaf lettuce (none of that shredded stuff that ends up under the seats of your car), pickles, and mayonnaise. Oh yeah, and that new brioche bun. (Does that make this is fancy French cuisine?)
The filet is not too thick or too wide, but it does have some heft to it and won’t leave you hungry. The chicken from the sandwich I ordered was somewhat dry but still had decent flavor. The breading was tasty enough and it did not overwhelm the meat, but it was not very crispy like you might expect from this type of sandwich. The lettuce and tomato added some freshness, and the pickles brought a bit of tang, but those were all mostly just supplements to the overall sandwich. And the bun was good, but not really outstanding considering how they hype it as a major upgrade to the previous version.
There is a little heat to the piece of chicken, but the mildness and creaminess of the mayonnaise counterbalanced that so that the sandwich did not deliver much burn. This definitely could have used some sort of spicy sauce instead of the same-ol’ same-ol’ mayo that is too often slathered on these sandwiches. And nothing really made it stand out as a truly premium chicken sammy. It is a decent fast food sandwich, and also relatively low in calories for what it is, but nothing that really counts as next level. Given a choice, I would probably take the McDonalds Hot’n Spicy McChicken over this because it is at least cheap and not too much of a step down in quality.
Whataburger’s Spicy Chicken sells for about five bucks for the sandwich itself and the meal with fries and a drink will get you close to eight bucks with tax and all (when did fast food get so darned expensive?). You can customize it and add cheese and/or sliced jalapenos and that might kick this one up a bit. But actually, if I’m going through the Whataburger drive thru, I’m thinking I’d rather get one of their burgers instead (and add jalapenos, please) and then cross the road to Shake Shack or Golden Chick for a truly superior spicy chicken sandwich. Whataburger’s offering is not a bad sandwich, there are just better choices out there. Note that this one will be disappearing back to limited-time-only-ville before too long.
Whataburger is a Texas original that opened its first store in Corpus Christi and is now based right here in San Antonio. It has developed somewhat of a following across the state and is known to out-of-staters as that orange and white place the slings good fast food burgers. In 2019, a majority stake in the company was purchased by a Chicago-based firm which sent a shudder through Whataburger fans across the state. But its base of operations will remain here in Alamo City and this will allow the chain to spread to other parts of the country. So keep an eye out because a Whataburger could be opening near you soon!
Tale of the Tape:
Serving Size: 1 Sandwich
Calories: 405
Fat: 13g (2g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 24g
Carbs: 53g
Sodium: 1300mg