Review: Takis Fuego Chicken Sandwich and Fuego Fries from Wendy’s

Bottom Line: The Takis Fuego Chicken Sandwich from Wendy’s has some assembly issues but brings the heat, while the Fuego Fries are the true star of the meal.

Wendy’s ranks No. 3 among burger chains and falls out of the Top 10 when looking at overall fast food establishments, so they frequently roll out promotions aimed at getting noticed and possibly going viral. Most recently, they’ve teamed up with the Mexican snack that makes you pucker—Takis—for their Fuego Meal, which includes a spicy chicken sandwich and kicked-up fries. Here’s the rundown on those two:

Fuego Chicken Sandwich: Spicy chicken filet with chili lime & cheddar cheese sauce, followed by crushed Takis Fuego chips and creamy corn spread on a toasted bun.

Fuego Fries: Hot natural-cut fries with chili lime seasoning. Comes in a tear-away bag.

These were announced back in May and just recently hit stores, so I stopped by to give them a try. Before diving into the review, I should add a disclaimer: the Wendy’s near me has been hit-or-miss lately, which seems to be common for the chain these days as they’ve been struggling of late. If you have a good Wendy’s near you, your experience may be better than mine.

The chicken sandwich doesn’t look nearly as massive as the monster concoction you see in the ads. But the filet was spilling out from the bun, so I can’t complain too much about the size. The meat was somewhat dry, and the crust wasn’t very crispy—part of the inconsistency at this location. Last time, the chicken was the highlight of the sandwich, so maybe the filet had been sitting under the warmer too long. Still, it was well-seasoned and tasty, and the cheese sauce and corn spread helped cover for the dryness.

As for that spread, it definitely delivered the corn taste you would expect, and I rather liked it on the sandwich. The cheese, though, just got lost in the mix and added to the overall goop factor. The crushed Takis went soggy pretty quickly (even though I was dining in), delivering almost no crunch. I get that they paired the Takis with the sauces to keep them from falling off, but it might have worked better if they had melted a slice of pepper jack over the Takis on top of the filet and put the corn spread underneath. Maybe the cheese flavor would stand out more that way. (Hey Wendy’s, feel free to give me a call if you need a consultant for spicy menu items!)

Basically, this is somewhat of a mess of a sandwich that does have some good flavor, but it has assembly challenges and it doesn’t help that the chicken at the middle was not up to par. Heat-wise, it lands around Medium on my scale, which is decent for a fast food joint these days. So if done well, this could be a solid spicy sammy. But I wasn’t overly impressed with what I got.

As for the Fuego Fries, they were the real winner. They’re essentially Wendy’s regular fries (which I rank pretty high among fast food fries) tossed with the same chili lime seasoning used on the chips. They have an immediate tang like the Fuego Takis, with a nice citrusy finish. They push the pucker factor without going overboard, and honestly, I think they work better than the snack itself (I’m not a big Takis fan since they lean more sour than hot). If you dip them in ketchup, the sweetness balances out the sour, but the heat still comes through. I’d rate these slightly above Medium on my scale, and the heat builds as you keep eating. I might skip the sandwich next time, but I’ll definitely go back for more of those fries.

As for the calories: the Fuego Chicken Sandwich clocks in at 550, which is starting to push it for a fast food entrée. Add a medium order of those Fuego Fries (290 cals), and you’re tipping the scales—likely booking some extra time on the treadmill. And if you’re watching your sodium, run away now! Because the fries alone come close to 2000mg.

The combo, which includes the sandwich, fries, a drink, and a small bag of Fuego Takis, comes to $10.99 in my area. That’s a bit steep—especially considering I can get a great spicy chicken sandwich combo from my go-to chicken slinger, Golden Chick, for just $8.99. But then again, fast food isn’t “cheap” food anymore. The Fuego items are only around for the dreaded limited time, so if they sound tempting, don’t wait too long. As mentioned, I will probably get the fries again, but I might pair them up with Wendy’s regular spicy chicken sandwich instead of the Fuego version.

Nutrition Info:

Fuego Chicken Sandwich

Calories: 550
Fat: 24g (6g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 31g
Carbs: 45g
Sodium: 1650mg

Fuego Fries (Medium)

Calories: 290
Fat: 12g (2g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 5g
Carbs: 41g
Sodium: 1930mg