My closest Jack in the Box is right next to a Popeyes. If I’m craving burgers, I can go to Jack in the Box. If I want red beans and rice or mashed potatoes, I can go to Popeyes. If I desire a crispy chicken sandwich, I’ll flip a coin, call heads for Popeyes, and then go to Popeyes because I used a two-headed coin. But, if I yearn for chicken wings, I can now go to either. Yup, Jack in the Box is now in the chicken wing game for a limited time. Yes, bone-in chicken.
Jack in the Box’s Crispy Chicken Wings are available in six- or twelve-piece orders and three varieties: Classic, Buffalo, and Garlic Parmesan. They also come with containers of buttermilk ranch sauce, but I don’t think they’re necessary after trying all three.
Before I go into flavors, I want to mention how surprisingly crispy these are. Okay, they’re not teeth rattling crunchy, nor are they as crispy as what you’d get at Popeyes, but they have a pleasant audible crunch that food ASMR listeners would love. Maybe I shouldn’t have had low expectations because these are from a burger joint. I also anticipated that these chicken wings from a burger chain would be dry within their crispy exterior, but I’m happy to report that the meat was surprisingly moist. I’m sorry for doubting you, Jack. I’m also sorry for using the word “moist,” everyone.
The Classic version isn’t tossed with any sauce, but unlike Jack’s nuggets, which NEED some kind of sauce to make them decent, these are actually good sans sauce. There are some mild flavored seasonings that I can’t really distinguish what they are, but they do make the wings tasty.
If you’re hoping the Buffalo ones have a spicy kick that’ll make you reach for the buttermilk ranch sauce to temper the heat in your mouth, I’m about to douse those expectations with a dipping sauce container of reality. While they are somewhat spicy, it’s more like a spark than a flame, but the sauce did have all the pepperiness and slight butteriness that I’d associate with Buffalo sauce. Despite the lack of heat, these were extremely tasty, and I found myself trying to nibble every bit of non-bone I could get my teeth on.
Finally, we have the Garlic Parmesan Crispy Chicken Wings, which, according to Jack’s app, is tossed in a garlic and herb butter sauce and topped with grated Parmesan cheese. As you can see in the photo below, the seasonings were applied liberally to most pieces, but I didn’t get a blast of that gar-parm love (trying to make gar-parm a thing). They were slightly garlicky, but the cheese was most noticeable thanks to the thick parmesan layer. I wish the garlic stood out more since I love garlic and how it keeps the introvert in me happy by keeping others away.
While I found the chicken wings’ flavors good, I wish the sauced ones were tossed better. I’m not sure how they’re made, but even with the Buffalo ones, I noticed that the sauces weren’t coated evenly over all the pieces.
Since I got a molehill of buttermilk ranch sauce containers with my order, I tried them with all three wing varieties. After dipping them into the white creamy sauce, I must say it doesn’t necessarily make them better. It’s a tasty addition to whatever seasonings and sauces that are already on the chicken, but as I mentioned at the beginning of my review, the ranch isn’t necessary to make these tasty.
Should I be surprised by how good Jack in the Box’s Crispy Chicken Wings are? After all, McDonald’s did a great job with its Mighty Wings over a decade ago. So, I guess burger chains can do wings well. If I had to flip a coin between Jack in the Box and Popeyes for chicken wings, I’d be fine with either result.
Purchased Price: $8.99 each
Size: 6-pieces
Rating: 8 out of 10 (all)
Nutrition Facts: (6 pieces) Classic – 440 calories. Buffalo – 470 calories. Garlic Parmesan – 670 calories. No other nutritional information is available on Jack in the Box’s website.
