by Bottom Line: The Mini Chimi Bang Bangs from Jack in the Box are pure junk food and don’t deliver much heat, but the Spicy Chicken Strips definitely have a kick.
The Deadpool & Wolverine movie comes out this weekend, and Jack in the Box is riding the coattails of that film trying to lure people into the drive-thru. They currently have multiple tie-ins on the menu including their new Mini Chimi Bang Bangs (chimichangas are a favorite food for Deadpool), waffle strips (again, a favorite of the main character), and they have brought back their Spicy Chicken Tenders (those pair pretty well with the waffles). Here is the description from the website:
Southwest Chicken Mini Chimi Bang Bangs come with three pieces of mini chimichangas filled with seasoned, shredded chicken, corn, black beans, herbs & southwest flavors & a side of our signature taco sauce. (Price: $3.50 for Three)
Sauced & Loaded Southwest Chicken Mini Chimi Bang Bangs come with three pieces of crispy mini chimichangas with shredded chicken, corn, black beans, herbs & southwest flavors, loaded with two types of cheddar cheese, lettuce, and taco sauce. (Price: $4.50 for Three)
Spicy Chicken Strips: Three 100% all-white meat Spicy Chicken Strips & the choice between two brand new sauces, perfect for dipping. (Price: $6.79 for Three)
I have reviewed the chicken strips previously, but I was particularly interested in their new Honey Sriracha Sauce, so I ordered those and I sampled the mini chimis as well.
The Mini Chimi Bang Bangs are not particularly large (thus the “mini” in the title) and they pretty much count as a side order. The shredded chicken inside is noticeable and brings some decent flavor, and there are a few black beans in there as well. There are also a few pieces of corn, but not enough to claim you had a serving of vegetables. There is a goopy, cheese-like substance which must be the “southwest seasoning”, and that adds a bit of creaminess (though a little on the slimy side). The tortillas they are wrapped in develop somewhat of a crust from the frying, but they don’t deliver much crunch. Basically, imagine a frozen mini chicken burrito that has been cooked up in the fryer, and that is what you have here. This is junk food through and through, but if you were looking for quality Southwestern cuisine, why exactly are you in the Jack in the Box drive-thru?
The loaded version piles on cheese sauce, taco sauce, and lettuce, and these are somewhat of a mess. The main flavors that come through are the cheese and the sauce, which were applied quite liberally. They actually taste pretty good, but they definitely amp up the junk food overload.
Heat-wise, the Mini Chimi Bang Bangs by themselves have no bite at all, not even getting to Mild on my scale. If you dip them into the hot taco sauce, then you get to about Mild, and the loaded ones are about that level as well. A few shots of a good habanero hot sauce will kick them up, and that brings a nice flavor boost as well.
As for the Spicy Chicken Strips, I reviewed those previously on one of their prior limited-time visits (you can read that here). They have a nice crunch and they are well-seasoned, and they deliver a bit of a kick right away. The chicken is tender and cooked well throughout, and they are usually decent in size, but this time around one of the three was on the small end. The Honey Garlic Sriracha Sauce was what I was really interested in, and it did not disappoint. That is pretty high on the sweetness, but it is balanced by the peppery funkiness and kick of garlic you expect from sriracha. I really enjoyed it with the tenders as it added good heat and flavor, and I am hoping they keep this sauce around (it should also go really well with their egg rolls).
The tenders themselves come in around Medium heat on my scale, and the sauce turns the dial up closer to Hot. So while the Mini Chimi Bang Bangs disappointed on the heat, the chicken strips really hit the spot. We see a lot of items in the drive-thru advertised as spicy that end up falling short (as with the chimis), but these poultry strips should satisfy your need for some heat.
The Mini Chimi Bang Bangs total up to 170 calories for an order of three (they don’t provide a further breakdown of the nutrition, though), and the loaded version comes out to 320 calories. Add on a couple of tacos (350 calories), and you are not doing too bad for the drive-thru. And as a bonus, at $3.50 for an order of three chimis and 99 cents for two tacos (in-app special), you are also coming out pretty cheap for a fast food place these days. The three chicken strips are higher on the calorie counter at 550 total, but if you get those and a three-piece order of the chimis, you are still not doing too bad. They don’t give the calories for the Honey Garlic Sriracha Sauce, but I am guessing it does not add too much.
The Mini Chimi Bang Bangs and the Spicy Chicken Strips (along with the Waffle Strips) are around for a limited time only as a promotional tie-in with Deadpool & Wolverine. Early indications are that film will be a hit at the box office, so expect these to stick around for at least a month or so. But if they sound tempting to you, I recommend a trip to the Jack in the Box near you sooner rather than later because you never know how long things will stick around in the drive-thru.
