McDonald’s introduced the Snack Wrap back in 2006, which included a chicken tender — grilled or fried — wrapped in a tortilla with lettuce, shredded cheese, and sauce. This was intended as a way to add a healthier, lower-calorie item to the menu, and these quickly became quite popular at the Golden Arches. You could get them with Ranch, Honey Mustard, or Chipotle BBQ sauce (with some limited-time variations popping in as well), and they sold quite well for the chain for over a decade.

But in 2016, the company started to phase them out, claiming that they took more prep time than other items. By 2020, they were completely discontinued as the chain simplified its menu during COVID. Fans of the Snack Wrap were none too happy about the move and regularly lobbied for its return. Competitors took advantage of this, with Burger King, Jack in the Box, Sonic, and — more recently — Taco Bell and Popeyes all adding their own versions. McDonald’s finally got the message, and they’ve brought their Snack Wraps back, with two varieties currently available: Ranch and Spicy. But the competition is pretty stiff at this point, so will people be heading to the Golden Arches drive-thru when there are so many other options out there?

Below, I take a look at each of the spicy versions of these chicken wraps that are currently available to determine which one will win the war of the Snack Wrap. The main factors I am considering are taste and heat. The wrap has to be tasty to munch on with a decent-sized tender, and it also has to have a kick to live up to its spicy designation. I am also considering price and value, but those are secondary factors.

And I will say this to start out with: of the six Snack Wraps I tried, all of them are quite good. McDonald’s showed how it could be done, and the competition picked up on that pretty quickly — so just about any of these wraps should provide a tasty gnosh. Also, none of them are tipping the scale on the heat, but that’s what you expect from the drive-thru, seeing as these companies cater to the average consumer. It’s not that these don’t have a kick — they just won’t set your mouth on fire. Finally, I’ll mention the tortilla, which is mostly the same for all. It does a good job of holding the wrap together as expected, and each location appears to warm the tortilla to make it more pliable. But none offer a fresh, tortilleria-style tortilla that really stands out.

With all that said, it’s on to the ranking.

Burger King Fiery Royal Crispy Wrap

Wrap Basics: White meat breast fillet coated in triple pepper fiery glaze along with savory Royal sauce, tomato, and lettuce wrapped in a soft, warm tortilla.

Heat: Approaching Medium

Price: $2.99

Spice it up: You can add jalapenos for 60 cents extra.

Bottom Line: Burger King offers a decent spicy snack wrap with a kick, though the tender is on the small side.

The chicken is tender and the crust is well-seasoned, but there’s not much crispiness to the breading. It’s coated with what they call a glaze — which is more like a seasoning — though it has a good peppery flavor. A bigger piece of chicken would be nice, seeing as the tender I got barely filled up half the wrap (we’ll call the rest of it a veggie wrap). The Savory Royal Sauce offers a bit of tang, some creaminess, and a touch of sweetness. Along with the seasoning from the chicken, it helps to kick things up. The lettuce is fresh enough, and while some may consider it superfluous, it just seems to work well in these wraps. (Look Mom, I’m eating my veggies!)

BK usually does a good job of spicing things up, and this wrap does have somewhat of a bite, which comes from the combination of seasoning and sauce. It doesn’t quite make it to Medium on my scale, but it is definitely above Mild. I would’ve liked a little more heat, but this is not bad. It’s lowest on the list not because it doesn’t measure up, but because when you factor in the smaller tender along with the $2.99 price, it comes up a bit short in value. (You can read my full review here.)

Sonic Honey Chipotle Crispy Tender Wrap

Wrap Basics: An all-white meat crispy tender wrapped in a soft flour tortilla along with lettuce, tomatoes, melty cheddar cheese, and honey chipotle aioli.

Heat: Mild

Price: $1.99

Spice It Up: Add jalapenos for 99 cents.

Bottom Line: The tender is on the small side, and this only gets to about Mild heat, but it is still tasty and a pretty good value.

Sonic may not be known for its chicken-slinging, but they did a pretty decent job with this wrap. The chicken strip is all-white meat — no ground-up bird here — and it is tender and well-seasoned. It has a good crust that holds its crunch, though it is on the small side. The sauce has some creaminess and a nice smokiness, with a bit of a delayed kick. The cheese adds more creaminess and some sharpness. The lettuce and tomato (generous slices of the latter) are fresh, though I would have preferred less of those and more of the tender.

The heat won’t blow you away, coming in just above Mild on my scale, but it does have a bite. And overall, this is quite a tasty wrap, which I rather enjoyed. Plus, at $1.99 in my area, it’s a bargain — and the price leader among the wrap competition. At that fare, I’ll excuse the fact that the tender came up a bit short.

Jack in the Box Spicy Crispy Chicken Jack Wrap

Wrap Basics: A chicken strip, shredded lettuce, shredded cheddar, jalapenos, Spicy Good Good sauce and buttermilk ranch wrapped up in a warm tortilla.

Heat: Above Medium

Price: $3.00

Spice it up: Add extra jalapenos which they may or may not charge for.

Bottom Line: This is a hefty wrap that offers a good kick, but this chain can be very inconsistent with its quality.

To start off with, this is a pretty hefty wrap — definitely the biggest of the bunch I sampled. Jack may refer to that cut of chicken as a “tender,” but it is no wimpy little piece of meat. This compares in size to the filet they put on their Classic Spicy Chicken Sandwich, just cut differently to better fit into the wrap. And true to its name, it is tender while also delivering good flavor. There’s not an excessive amount of breading, but the crust retains some crispiness despite all the ingredients packed in. The tang from the sauces is immediately evident, delivering sweetness and creaminess as the buttermilk ranch and Spicy Good Good Sauce blend together. The jalapeños add to the tang and essentially play the same role as pickles in a chicken sandwich — though with more heat. The lettuce adds a little cooling effect, while the cheese mostly gets lost in the mix but still adds creaminess. One more thing to note: this wrap is pretty messy, so don’t try eating it while driving!

Most importantly, for those of us looking for a kick from their drive-thru meal, this wrap delivers. The Spicy Good Good Sauce has a nice bite, and that is amped up by the jalapeños, which also deliver a notable burn. I would put this just above Medium on my scale, and it’s a heat that lingers for a while. The combination of flavor, value, and heat gets it to Number 3 on the list, but I won’t move it higher because I ding Jack in the Box for its inconsistency. When you find a good location, Jack delivers some first-rate fast food — but unfortunately, those are becoming harder to track down. (You can read my full review here.)

McDonald’s Spicy Snack Wrap

Wrap Basics: Features a McCrispy™ Strip topped with shredded cheese and shredded lettuce, along with Spicy Pepper sauce and wrapped in a soft tortilla.

Heat: Approaching Medium

Price: $2.99

Spice It Up: No options

Bottom Line: This is decent in size and quite tasty, and it actually delivers some good heat for the Golden Arches.

Ronald’s new Snack Wraps are not exactly the same as the previous version as those used the Chicken Selects tenders while the updated ones have the new McCrispy Strips stuffed in the tortilla. Fans of the original are disappointed, but I didn’t notice too much difference. The chicken tender has decent size with a good crust that delivers some crunch. It’s not too heavily seasoned but still has good taste, and you get some of the tender in almost every bite. The cheese brings sharpness and creaminess, and the sauce has a little tang along with a nice peppery kick. The lettuce adds some texture, though there is a lot of that and shreds of it tend to scatter everywhere.

Surprisingly, this delivers some heat, considering that McDonald’s “spicy” items usually veer to the Mild side. It gets close to Medium on my scale thanks to the habaneros in the sauce, which kick things up nicely. At $2.99, this is a decent value for what you get, though I still rank the next two Snack Wraps above it.  (You can read my full review here.)

Taco Bell Spicy Ranchero Crispy Chicken Taco

Wrap Basics: A Crispy Chicken Strip layered with purple cabbage, crisp lettuce, pico de gallo, and shredded cheddar cheese, with the all-new Spicy Ranchero Sauce made with Anaheim and jalapeño chiles, tomatoes, garlic, and onion.

Heat: Approaching Medium

Price: $2.79

Spice It Up: Add Fire or Diablo Sauce (no extra cost)

Bottom Line: This has a quality chicken tender at its core, and the sauce delivers a nice kick of heat.

Taco Bell is not calling its chicken taco a “wrap,” but for all practical purposes, it’s in the same category. At the center of this taco is the new Crispy Chicken Strip, which is the same as the nuggets introduced last year — just a bigger piece of meat. It’s quite tender and well-seasoned with good taste, and the tortilla crust delivers some crunch, standing up well to the sauce. As for the latter, that’s a tasty concoction delivering creaminess and earthiness, along with a hint of smoke and a nice kick. This wrap is also packed with veggies, with the cabbage bringing a nice crunch and the pico delivering a little citrus tang and some fresh notes. The shredded cheese adds sharpness and complements the rest of the ingredients.

As for the heat, this one rises above the typical Mild level that The Bell often offers, delivering a respectable bite. I’d put it close to Medium on my scale, which is pretty good for a fast-food joint. The chicken strip was on the small side, but other than that, I really enjoyed this taco/wrap. At $2.79, it beats all but the Sonic wrap in price, delivers good quality, and includes more veggies than just the standard lettuce, and I rank it second among the ones I tried. (You can read my full review here.)

Popeyes Spicy Chicken Wrap

Wrap Basics: Hand-breaded and battered, Cajun-marinated chicken tender topped with lettuce, shredded cheese, and two barrel-cured pickles, wrapped in a soft flour tortilla with spicy sauce.

Heat: Above Medium

Price: $3.99

Bottom Line: This is a hefty snack wrap that delivers on both taste and heat.

It will likely come as no surprise to Popeyes fans, but the leader in the Chicken Sandwich Wars also comes out on top with its Snack Wrap. The tender is nice and crispy, with the good taste you expect from this chain. It’s seasoned well, with a bit of a Cajun kick, and you get some of the tender in every bite. The pickles are a nice addition, adding pucker and tang. The sauce — heavy on mayo flavor — adds more tang and some creaminess. The shredded cheese brings a little sharpness, while the lettuce is sparse but noticeable.

The heat seems mild at first, but after a few bites, you know it’s there — and it eventually lands just above Medium on my scale, leaving my lips burning. At $3.99, this is the priciest of the wraps, but it wins out in flavor and heat, and it’s rather filling. If you’re trying to save money, then go for the Taco Bell or Sonic options, but if you want the most satisfying wrap with the best heat, Popeyes has you covered. (You can read my full review here.)