Wendy’s has been a contender in the chicken sandwich wars for a while and the spicy version that they offer is sure to please those who like to add some heat to their drive-thru order. But now that burger flipper is taking the game to the next level by combining their chicken sandwich with a favorite spicy appetizer.
Here’s what Wendy’s packs between the buns in their Spicy Jalapeno Popper Sandwich: a spicy, crispy fried chicken breast filet, jalapeno cream cheese, shredded pepper jack cheese, Applewood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese sauce, and pickled jalapenos on top for that extra kick. That’s really quite a mouthful of a sandwich! There’s no mention of a fancy brioche roll or potato bun, so I am assuming this is just the regular bun the chain used for its burgers.
There’s a lot to unpack here, so I will start off with the core of the sandwich, the chicken breast filet. This is all-white meat, none of that ground-up chicken stuff that they put in nuggets (and who knows what else). The breading is crunchy and nicely seasoned, while the meat is tender and juicy and not at all greasy. Even though I don’t make it to the Wendy’s drive thru that often, I acknowledge that their chicken sandwich, especially the spicy version, is among the better fast food offerings out there.
Of course, this version piles on a lot of extra ingredients which might have you wondering if it is overkill. But despite my initial doubts, the gussied up version of their chicken sammy works quite well. The cream cheese delivers a nice creaminess to mix, and they go the extra mile with the cheddar cheese sauce. When it comes to poppers, I prefer cheddar cheese stuffing to cream cheese, but the blend of both on this sandwich works quite well and delivers a best of both worlds experience. There was a mention of shredded pepper jack as well, but that apparently got lost in the mix.
You can definitely taste the jalapenos and they offer a nice extra kick with each bite. The bacon is not essential here, but it adds some smokiness and a salty kick and turns out to be a nice addition. My concern at first is that this would descend into a gloppy mess with everything getting lost in the avalanche of add-ons, but the sandwich I had was quite delightful. It definitely brought in the taste of a jalapeno popper which worked to complement the chicken filet in the center instead of overwhelming it.
But is this sandwich truly spicy, and will it satisfy chili lovers? Well, it does come from a major fast food chain that caters to the average mortal, so temper expectations. That said, it still delivers somewhat of a kick with the heat approaching medium level. You can get the sandwich with the regular fried chicken breast instead of the spicy option, but I have no idea why you would want to do that. I stuck with the spicy filet and this turned out to be an enjoyable combination of entre and appetizer that delivered a nice kick.
Word of warning, this sandwich is somewhat messy, so eating and driving is not advised. But with all of that cheese sauce, you have several globs remaining on the wrapping and that is a good bonus for dipping the fries into. Also note that this tips the scales at 600 calories, so make sure you get that small order of spuds on the side lest you may be shopping for a larger size of jeans!
Wendy’s is located across the U.S. and just recently passed Burger King as the Number 2 burger joint in the country (expect that creepy King from the ads to muster the troops and try to regain ground, though). The Jalapeno Popper Chicken Sandwich is part of the chain’s “Made to Crave: menu, and I would expect that it is susceptible to getting sent back on the bus to Limited-Time-Only-Ville at some point. So get yours now because this one is a strong contender in the Chicken Sandwich Wars.
Tale of the Tape:
Serving Size: 1 Sandwich
Calories: 600
Fat: 26g (9g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 37g
Carbs: 54g
Sodium: 1660mg