by Bottom Line: The Fiery Menu from Burger King has some tasty options, particularly the Mozzarella Fries and Chicken Fries, but only one of the items really brings much heat.
Burger King is known for spicing up its menu items from time to time, and this summer they are offering a whole “Fiery Menu” that promises to bring the heat. This includes Fiery Mozzarella Fries, which have a Calabrian chili breading; a Fiery Bacon Whopper, which is kicked up with a creamy Fiery sauce, pepper jack cheese, and Fiery-seasoned bacon; Fiery Chicken Fries, which have a Fiery seasoning and garlic pepper breading; and finally the Fiery Royal Crispy Chicken Sandwich, which is basically the same as the spicy version of that sandwich but with the bacon, cheese, and sauce used on the Fiery Whopper. They also have a Fiery Strawberry & Sprite, but I am not a big fan of spicy drinks, so I passed on that.
Each of these items is at a different level on the heat scale from 1 to 5 according to the King. The Sprite is Level 1, followed by the Mozzarella Fries at Level 2, the Fiery Whopper at 3, the Chicken Fries at 4, and the Fiery Chicken Sandwich at the highest level of 5. After trying the four food items over the last couple of weeks, I didn’t quite agree with their scale, and here are my thoughts on each of those:
Fiery Mozzarella Fries: A non-spicy version of these joined the menu a while back, and I had been hoping they would offer a kicked-up option at some point. These have a nice crispy crust and deliver a decent crunch with each bite. They are also well-seasoned and not greasy at all. The cheese is stringy but not too chewy, with some milky notes and just a bit of tang. There is also some saltiness that amps up what they already added with the seasoning. Some might consider these too salty, but I wouldn’t go that far. A good marinara dipping sauce would be perfect with this, but they offer Ranch instead, and I passed on that because more tang is not what they need. Heat-wise, these have just a little bit of a kick, and I would put them just below Mild on my scale. Overall, I enjoyed them, but the marinara sauce would make them much better.
Fiery Bacon Whopper: This is basically the same as a Whopper with cheese, except it has the Fiery Bacon, pepper jack cheese, and creamy Fiery sauce. All of these come together to make for a good fast-food burger, though they don’t deliver much heat. The bacon adds a salty kick with a bit of smoke. The pepper jack is nice and creamy with a touch of sharpness, and I’d like them to keep that around as a permanent cheese option. The sauce adds some tang and sweetness and is similar in flavor to Thousand Island Dressing (and they added quite a lot to my burger). But none of these delivered much heat. There was maybe a slight tingle in there, but this did not even get to Mild on my scale and counts as the least spicy of the four Fiery Menu food items. It was a tasty burger, and I did enjoy it, but it definitely lacked fire.
Fiery Chicken Fries: Burger King regulars are familiar with (and big lovers of) the Chicken Fries, which are basically the same as the BK chicken nuggets (made from ground chicken), just shaped to look like fries. The crust on the Fiery version is not quite as crispy as the Mozzarella Sticks, but it still delivers some decent texture. The seasoning adds a nice peppery bite with maybe just a touch of sweetness. They are actually very similar to the Spicy Chicken Fries from last year, which I previously reviewed here. And they do bring the heat, passing Medium on my scale and approaching hot. I ate these without any sauce and enjoyed them just like that, but they might have gone really well with a bleu cheese sauce if BK had that on the menu. Of the four Fiery Menu food items, this selection brought the most burn.
Fiery Bacon Royal Crispy Chicken: This is basically the Spicy Royal Crispy Chicken Sandwich but kicked up with the same bacon, pepper jack cheese, and sauce added to the Fiery Whopper (and it also has lettuce and tomato). The breast filet seemed a little smaller than usual for the Royal Crispy Chicken, but it still filled out the bun. The crust did not remain too crispy with all the toppings, but that is really just a nitpick. The bacon added a salty kick and a bit of smoke, but I did not detect much heat from it. The sauce added some tang and sweetness and maybe a little bit of a bite.
The pepper jack cheese was really the star here as far as adding taste, and it was one of the best toppings in my opinion, even if it did not bring much heat. I am generally not too impressed with potato buns, but this one seemed nicely toasted, adding some flavor and doing more than just holding the sandwich together. The lettuce and tomato were quite fresh and worked well with the other ingredients. Heat-wise, the sandwich was somewhat disappointing, though. They advertise it at the highest heat amongst their Fiery Menu selections, but I would say that it only got to about Medium on my scale. It was still enjoyable and it still had a bite, but those Fiery Chicken Fries brought much more burn.
Nutrition-wise, the Mozzarella Fries are 450 cals for an order of eight and the Chicken Fries are only 260 cals for eight, so neither of those will break your diet and the latter are less than a medium order of French Fries (370 cals). The Fiery Bacon Whopper jumps up to 800 cals, so go easy on your side orders if you get that (a four-piece of the Fiery Chicken Fries is 130 cals). The new Fiery Chicken Sandwich will break the calorie bank at 930 cals, though, so you will will be wanting to schedule some extra time at the gym if you get that!
The Fiery Menu is around as a summer promotion and these items will slip off the menu probably in early September. I hope they consider keeping the Fiery Mozzarella Fries around, though, and at least some version of spicy Chicken Fries. And that pepper jack cheese is a really good addition to their sandwiches, so they should make it a permanent option. There is an in-app deal on the Fiery Menu where you can sample all of the items for $18 (price will vary by region), though both of the fries are just four-piece orders. That would be good to share and it gives you a taste of each of the new Fiery items, even that spicy Sprite if you are interested.
Nutrition Info:
Fiery Mozzarella Fries
Serving Size: 8 Fries
Calories: 450
Fat: 27g (9g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 15g
Carbs: 39g
Sodium: 1540mg
Fiery Chicken Fries
Serving Size: 8 Fries
Calories: 260
Fat: 16g (3g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 12g
Carbs: 18g
Sodium: 810mg
Fiery Bacon Whopper
Serving Size: 1 Sandwich
Calories: 800
Fat: 47g (18g Sat/1g Trans)
Protein: 43g
Carbs: 58g
Sodium: 1690mg
Fiery Bacon Royal Crispy Chicken
Serving Size: 1 Sandwich
Calories: 930
Fat: 59g (14g Sat/1g Trans)
Protein: 39g
Carbs: 67g
Sodium: 2540mg
