Bottom Line: Mexican Original Chicken Sandwich from Burger King is not too hot and could probably use some more of that spicy queso, but it is still a good variation on a BK classic with a kick.
The new year has just started, and already Burger King is throwing in a new entry to the Chicken Sandwich Wars. But this time around they are doing things a bit differently and going back to the source, tweaking their Original Chicken Sandwich which has been around since the ‘70s. Personally, I think that’s a good move because I have always liked that sammy. Sure, it is made from ground chicken and may not count as a “premium sandwich”. But let’s face facts: you’re not going to places like Burger King for gourmet. They do fast food. And their chicken sandwich just happens to be really good fast food.
For the new twist on the old favorite, BK is emphasizing various world cuisines with the American Original Sandwich (which adds lettuce and tomato), the Italian Original (which is basically a chicken parm sandwich), and the Mexican Original. That is the one that I went with, and it adds spicy queso and crispy jalapenos.
The chicken patty meat has basically the same texture as nuggets, but that is expected. It is still tender and tasty if a bit on the salty side. It is the quintessential fast food chicken burger, and that’s a good thing if you like that (and I do). The fried jalapenos add some crunch and some of the heat. But they aren’t frying these up in the back, these are the same crispy jalapeno pieces you can find in the store. The queso adds some creaminess and a bit of tang, but really not much in the way of flavor. And they could have been a little less stingy with that.
I have to say that the bread on my sandwich was a bit stale, but I’m not holding that against them because the bread is generally pretty good on the original chicken sandwich. It is the basic sesame seed sandwich roll that you can buy in the store from companies like Sara Lee or Pepperidge Farms. I would say that they left it under the heat lamp too long, but they made me pull around front after ordering in the drive thru and wait, so it seems like it should have been fresh made. It’s more likely that the bread had gone past its “best by” date.
Heat-wise, this gets up to the Mild level at best. But the added kick still worked well with the other ingredients and I rather enjoyed the sandwich. If they were to add some more queso and if the bread were fresher, I’m sure this would have been really good and I will be giving it another try at some point in the future (if it does not disappear too quickly).
Nutrition-wise, this one is a bit on the high side at 680 calories. If you get a medium order of fries to go with it, that adds 370 cals and you are over 1000 total. (Can somebody tell me why a small order of fries shows to have more calories—402—than medium on their website?) That calorie count is a bit much from the drive thru especially since we are trying to lose of few pounds in the New Year, right? (And don’t tell your doctor about that 1900mg of sodium!)
These new variations on the Original Chicken Sandwich are limited-time-only as expected, so give them a try sooner rather than later. I’m hearing that a spicy version of this sandwich is showing up on menus in some places, and that has been what I have been hoping they would do for quite some time. It is not available at my local BK, but I will be watching for it. In the meantime, I’m going to give the Mexican version another try.
Spice It Up: Since this sandwich doesn’t go past the Mild line on my heat scale, a few drops of hot sauce are in order to kick it up. A habanero sauce like Trader Joe’s or Melinda’s is certainly a good choice and could amp it up to the Medium or Hot level. But Tapatio is also a good choice because it fits well with the flavor profile. It may only kick things up to Medium, but I found that it paired well with the BK Mexican Original Chicken Sandwich.
Tale of the Tape:
Calories: 680
Fat: 31g (7g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 28g
Carbs: 75g
Sodium: 1900mg