Bottom Line: Wingstop has added a tasty and filling chicken sandwich to the menu that is as hot as you want it based on the sauce you pick, but good luck finding one right now.
There are lots of spicy chicken sandwiches out there, but up until now Wingstop was not a place where you would find one. They have wings, they have thighs, but breasts were not previously on the menu. That has changed, though, as they have fired their first volley into the Chicken Sandwich Wars with their “hand-sauced-and-tossed” sammie.
But actually, they have not just added one sandwich to the menu, they have added twelve because they offer it with any of their sauces or rubs. The construction of the sandwich is pretty standard with the crispy fried chicken filet, sauce of your choice, and pickles on a bun. I was debating between the Nashville Hot and the Atomic sauces with the latter packing more heat but the former having better taste (I’m a Wingstop regular, so I am well-versed on their sauces). I decided to go with flavor over heat, but ending up getting Atomic anyway because I forgot to change the sauce on my online order. Oh well.
This sandwich has a nice-sized piece of chicken that spills over the bun. It is not real thick like the Popeye’s filet, but still sufficiently meaty. The breading has no crunch because it is heavily sauced, but that’s true of the wings as well (the Nashville Hot would have had more crunch). They put quite a lot of pickles on the sandwich (maybe too much) and they were not well distributed. But once I rearranged them, they worked out okay and added the expected tang. The sandwich also comes with a side of dipping sauce which is a nice touch. I recommend their Bleu Cheese sauce which is among the best out there.
When I order wings, sometimes the Atomic sauce can be super hot, sometimes not so much. But on the sandwich, this went beyond the Hot heat level and was approaching Fiery. My mouth was certainly on fire while eating the sammie, but that dipping sauce acts as a perfect salve (and it is great for dipping fries in as well). This is the hottest chicken sandwich that I have gotten from a chain so far, though I did not get the Blazin’ sauce on the Buffalo Wild Wings sandwich that I tried (that’s an off-the-menu request). If you are looking for a really hot and tasty chicken sandwich, you can’t go wrong with the Atomic at Wingstop. The Nashville Hot will pack some heat as well, but not nearly as much as this one.
I got the combo that included fries and a drink and that was only $7.99 (before tax). And that is a large order of fries that you get, so it is a heck of a deal. You are going to pay that much or more at Popeye’s, Chick Fil-A, or McDonalds, and this meal delivers a hefty amount of food. And speaking of which, this meal packs in the calories as well. They have not put the nutrition info for the sandwich online yet, but I am guessing this is at least in the 800 cal range. And that will vary (most likely up) based on the sauce you choose. And since that was a large order of fries they included, that adds 710 calories. The Blue Cheese sauce is another 312, so we will just call this our off day from the diet . . .
Now here’s the rub (and it’s not Cajun): While I may have gotten you all pumped up for one of these sammies, you probably can’t find one at your local Wingstop right now. Yes indeed, they have pulled a Taco Bell and run out of the very item they have been heavily promoting. The company’s CEO Michael Skipworth has promised that “we’re working closely with our supplier partners to bring the Wingstop Chicken Sandwich back soon”. So hopefully it will be back on the menu before too long. But for now, you will just have to wait. BWW has a sandwich out there and it is pretty good, so maybe you can give that a try in the meantime (more on that one here).