by Bottom Line: Jack in the Box delivers some hefty chicken strips with good crunch, good taste, and plenty of heat.
For those of us that frequent the drive thru, we know that the menu is always in flux with the latest special getting cast back to Limited-Time-Only-Ville and/or some “permanent” items getting sent to the chopping block. Taco Bell is most notorious for this (Nacho Fries, Mexican Pizza, Spicy Tostada), but Jack also keeps things on a regular rotation including fan favorites like Spicy Popcorn Chicken and Spicy Chicken Strips. That latter item was allegedly added to the permanent menu in 2020, but us drive thru veterans know that permanent is only as long as the attention span of the latest corporate executive making “brilliant” strategy decisions. Despite all that, the Spicy Chicken Strips are back, and you chiliheads need to get out and start buying them.
These are strips of all-white-meat chicken that are breaded, seasoned (and possibly marinated as well), and deep-fried to golden brown perfection (if you happen to get a good Jack in the Box, more on that below). They come with a dipping sauce of your choice (please avoid the tired old Ranch and get the Good Sauce or Spicy Good Sauce) and they currently come in three-piece and eight-piece combos.
To start out with, these are not wimpy little chicken nuggets, they are decent size, meaty strips of chicken. The breading to meat ratio is good as they have thick crust, but with plenty of poultry inside. And they are well-cooked and tender all the way through with a nice peppery crunch from the breading bringing it all together (even after sitting in the car on the drive home). The person at the drive thru window gave me pancake syrup instead of the Spicy Good Sauce I asked for, and I decided not to sample that with the strips. (Maybe next time.) That was not a problem, though, as these do not really require sauce. (My only complaint is that they did have a slight aftertaste of oil that had been in the vat too long.)
As for the heat, these definitely live up to their “spicy” title. There is plenty of seasoning (with a bit of a Cajun taste) and I believe the meat is marinated as well. You get a kick with the first bite and it continues to build as you work your way through the three strips included in the order. By the end, these have definitely surpassed the Medium heat level and you will be looking for something to cool your mouth down. (My lips were actually tingling from the heat!) So often the drive thru promises spice and does not deliver, but Jack hits the mark with these. And I imagine if you are dipping them in that Spicy Good Sauce, they are really going to burn!
I can’t find the nutrition information for the Spicy Chicken Strips, but Jack’s website has information on the four-piece regular strips, so I did the math from there. Three of the spicy strips should be around 465 calories which is not too bad for the drive thru. Add on 300 calories for a small order of fries or 340 for two tacos, and you’re not doing too bad. In fact, they should have the option of subbing two tacos for fries as your side (and maybe they do). Just don’t get this every day and you shouldn’t be in need of leveling up the next size up of pants!
Here’s the thing about Jack in the Box, though. If you find a good location, they are pretty reliable and have a lot of decent menu items to choose from. Sadly, that is not always an easy thing to do and a bad Jack in the Box can be really bad. The one I go to regularly has been fairly reliable, but as mentioned above they may need to change the oil in the fryer a bit more often. I’m not going to ding the person at the window for giving me the wrong sauce, though. It was an honest mistake especially in a busy drive thru.
That said, if you have pegged a good Jack in the Box near you, head there soon to get the Spicy Chicken Strips. These definitely deliver on the heat and they are quite tasty as well. And there is no telling if they will be sent back to Limited-Time-Only-Ville in the next month or so. (Maybe bring back the Spicy Popcorn Chicken at that time?) If you are tired of being disappointed by promises of spice in the drive thru, give this fan-favorite a try because it does bring the heat!
Tale of the Tape:
(The information below is based on the Crispy Chicken Strips from the website.)
Serving Size: 3 Strips
Calories: 465
Fat: 23g (3g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 33g
Carbs: 32g
Sodium: 1760mg
