The Chicken Sandwich Wars: Burger King Loaded Jalapeño Original Chicken Sandwich

Bottom Line: The Burger King Original Chicken Sandwich is a fast-food classic, but the Loaded Jalapeño version has some misfires and doesn’t deliver much heat.

Burger King wants people to return to its stores, and it is currently coming up with all sorts of ways to lure them back. Apparently there have been complaints from customers over the last few years about the declining quality of the food and the locations, and the company decided to start listening (largely because sales were dropping off). So they have made changes to improve their products and stores, and–best of all–they also dumped that creepy King character. One of their recent promotions has been the “Whopper by You,” which offers versions of their most popular sandwich inspired by customer requests. I tried the Loaded Jalapeño Whopper, and you can read my review of that here. They then gave the same treatment to their Original Chicken Sandwich, and here is the rundown on that from the press release:

The beloved classic gets a spicy twist, featuring creamy jalapeño sauce, crispy and pickled jalapeños, crispy onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and American cheese, layered on the signature long white meat chicken patty and iconic elongated sesame seed bun.

Now, before I proceed with the review, let’s talk about that chicken sandwich, because it is actually a fast-food favorite of mine (even if I do not order it too often these days). It hit the drive-thru in 1979 at a time when bird on a bun was not common in the fast-food industry (Chick-fil-A was one of the few other places offering it at that time). And this is no premium poultry sandwich. It is a ground, oblong chicken patty that is deep-fried and put on a bun with mayo and lettuce. Pretty darn simple, and also pretty darn good. Sure, it may not measure up to the higher quality you are getting now after places like Popeyes and the previously mentioned Chick-fil-A upped the ante with the Chicken Sandwich Wars, but it is not trying to. The BK Original Chicken Sandwich is junk food at its most pure and simple, and it is such a good guilty pleasure.

All that said, the Loaded Jalapeño version is a bit of a disappointment, largely because of its execution. I will say that the chicken patty from my sandwich delivered a nice crust and it was well seasoned. The meat inside was plenty tender, but it was a bit dry, as if the patty had sat out for a while (I have had much better luck with these in the past). The texture is similar to sausage, though it has the milder taste of chicken, and the seasoning adds some good salt and savory notes.

The jalapeños deliver some tang, though not as much heat as you might expect (and not as much as the Loaded Whopper). The crispy jalapeños add a little crunch but don’t stand out too much. The sauce gets mostly lost in the mix, just like with the Whopper version, and does not seem to add much. The lettuce and tomato are fresh enough, though the slices of the latter were pretty thick and almost overwhelmed the sandwich. The cheese is a nice addition, adding some creaminess and a touch of sharpness. The sesame seed bun is perfect for fast-food sandwiches, adding a nice little boost of flavor from the seeds on top.

As for the heat, this only gets to around Mild on my scale. Neither the sauce nor the crispy jalapeños bring much burn, so the pickled peppers are where most of the spice comes from. But with the mild chicken and the veggies, those end up countering most of the burn. It did remind me that I enjoy the Original Chicken Sandwich, though, and if I get this again, I will likely just go with the classic version, add jalapeños, and sub mustard for the mayo. That should kick things up without overloading it with too many ingredients that don’t enhance the experience.

As for the nutrition, this one edges things up with 740 calories (and 41 grams of fat along with 2,300 mg of sodium). That is on the high side, especially for a chicken sandwich, and doesn’t fit into too many diet plans. If you add even a small order of fries (300 cals), you are over a thousand total and definitely tipping the scale. Even the non-loaded version of this sandwich is up there at 660 calories, but if you drop the mayo, that will save you somewhere around 80 to 100 cals.

This is a limited-time promotion, so if you are interested in trying it, you may want to make a trip to the drive-thru soon. I do appreciate that they are highlighting their Original Chicken Sandwich (gonna guess it has a higher margin than their premium poultry sammies), even if this version did not quite work for me. But it reminds me that I do like this fast-food classic, and I will likely be putting it back into the rotation.

Nutrition Info:

Calories: 740
Fat: 41g (10g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 71g
Carbs: 31g
Sodium: 2300mg