Review: Jack-in-the-Box Blazin’ Cluck Sandwich

Bottom Line: Jack delivers a filling and tasty chicken sandwich with a kick that stands up well next to the competition.

The Chicken Sandwich Wars carry on, and Jack-in-the-Box continues to fire salvos in order to fight back the competition from Popeyes, Chick-Fil-A, McDonald’s, and the other fast food joints. The Cluck sandwich was released late in 2020 in a direct attempt to compete with Popeyes and its rather girthy chicken sammy. But what Jack lacked up until now was a really spicy version of that sandwich. He has made up for that, though, with both a spicy and “Blazin’” version added to the menu.

The spicy sandwich offers a extra seasoned version of the Cluck crispy-fried spicy chicken fillet along with Good Good Sauce (the same used on the regular Cluck sandwich) and pickles on a brioche bun. The Blazin’ version is basically the same, though it includes the Spicy Good Good Sauce. You can upgrade either of these two to Deluxe which piles on swiss cheese, onion rings, and bacon. I went with the standard Blazin’ Cluck sammy.

While the fried chicken tucked inside that bun does not quite have the girth shown in the ad, it is still a decent size piece of poultry and bigger than their classic spicy chicken sandwich. The chicken filet itself is rather good with a crispiness to the breading, though the meat is a bit dry and chewy in places, the disadvantage of the cooking needed for a thicker piece of meat. But that does not detract from the sandwich much. The Spicy Good Good sauce has a nice sweetness to it and a touch of a zing. The pickles add a nice tang and the best bites included those. The bun is not remarkable but holds everything together well.

Heat-wise, the Blazin’ Cluck definitely kicks it up for the drive thru. The heavily-seasoned breading has a spiciness to go with the crunch as well as with a peppery bite. The sauce brings some heat to this sandwich as well. Altogether, the spiced-up additions to the Cluck set off somewhat of a blaze in your mouth that goes beyond medium heat (decent for a fast food joint) and that lingers for a bit. But don’t be confusing this with the Blazin’ sauce from Buffalo Wild Wings. (Do I detect a trademark battle on the horizon?) Jack’s new sandwich kicks things up, but still falls short of the inferno level of the BWW gold standard.

Jack-in-the-Box is no stranger to the spicy chicken sandwich as that fast food joint had it on the menu long before Popeyes helped people realize what they have been missing all these years. In fact, I remember buying Jack’s original spicy chicken sandwich all the way back in the ‘90s and considering it one of the best fast food items out there. Popeyes, Chick-Fil-A, and others have since upped the game for this market, and Jack has delivered a pretty good response with the Blazin’ Cluck. It may not be leading the pack, but it is certainly worth making a quick run to the drive thru (and get a couple of tacos as your side).

Calorie-wise, this is actually one of the better choices you can make among the fast food premium fried chicken sandwiches. I have not seen the numbers specifically for the Blazin’ version, but the original comes in at 490 cals, and I can’t believe that the extra seasoning or the Spicy Good Good sauce adds much more to the tally. But at 490, you are considerably lower than the 700 mrak for Popeyes’ spicy chicken and well below the 950 calories for Burger King’s Spicy Ch’King. And if you add two tacos with your Blazin’ Cluck, that’s only 340 more calories! (A regular order of fries comes in at 426.) Just don’t make this a habit or you will be sizing up your jeans for the new year!

It is not clear at this point if the Spicy and Blazin’ Cluck are limited-time-only options. Jack does tend to cycle through menu items on a regular basis (bring back the spicy popcorn chicken and the spicy tiny tacos!), but I am guessing one of these two will get a permanent spot alongside the regular Cluck which has become a menu mainstay. I recommend checking out the Blazin’ version while you can, though, because it could disappear at any time.

Tale of the Tape

Serving Size: 1 Sandwich

Calories: 490
Fat: 22g (4g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 23g
Carbs: 54g
Sodium: 1260mg