Review: Hot Honey Spicy Chicken Strips from Jack in the Box

Bottom Line: The Hot Honey Spicy Chicken Strips from Jack in the Box are a little pricey, but they deliver good taste and crunch with a nice kick of heat.

Chicken again, chicken again, chicken again. The restaurant industry continues to procure poultry as one of the main items to spice up, flooding us with an endless lineup of new selections. From sandwiches to wings to nuggets to chicken strips to chicken skin chips (no, really), there are plenty of picante options for the bird these days. But is that really a bad thing? Sure, I’d like to see more non-chicken items from time to time, but I’m always open to some well-spiced poultry.

And Jack in the Box has given us one of the latest options with its new Hot Honey Spicy Chicken Strips.  These are essentially a variation on the Spicy Chicken Strips that rotate through the menu—made with 100% all-white meat chicken, breaded and fried with spicy seasonings. The Hot Honey version adds, well… Hot Honey. Not the ubiquitous Mike’s brand this time, but what they use works out pretty well.

These are decent-sized tenders, and an order of three should prove quite filling. The crust has a nice crunch, and the chicken is mostly tender, though a few bites were a bit tough. The hot honey delivers a pleasant sweetness that doesn’t overpower, followed by a peppery kick with just a touch of Cajun twang. Ranch is offered on the side, but honestly, it’s unnecessary—these don’t need extra sauce.

Heat-wise, these deliver about what I expected since the regular Spicy Chicken Strips already have a kick (you can read my review of those here). They come in above Medium on my scale, which is good for the drive-thru, and they left my lips tingling. Overall, these are quite tasty, and the hot honey adds a nice twist. Just note: your hands will get sticky eating them, so maybe don’t munch on these while driving!

A three-piece order clocks in at 550 calories, which is edging toward the high side for drive-thru fare. (I ordered that, but they gave me the two-piece snack meal with fries—which works out to about the same in cals.)  You will want to go easy on the sides, and my standard choice is the two tacos which total up to 340 cals.  They are only $1.29 in the app and they are less in calories (and price) than a medium order of fries (430 cals).

Of course, these are around for the dreaded limited-time-only, though Jack in the Box tends to rotate chicken strips in and out of the menu pretty regularly, so these could join that cycle. At $6.79 for an order of three, they are a bit pricey (over two bucks per strip!) and in line with fast food not being cheap food these days.  The Hot Honey Spicy Chicken Strips are tasty, but more often than not, I’ll probably look for a more economical option for my junk food fix. Still, they bring a nice level of heat and are worth checking out if you’re a fan of crispy chicken strips and/or hot honey.