Tag: Jack in the Box

Jack in the Box’s Pepper Jack Ranch Spicy Chicken…

No, wait. That’s not accurate to me.

Jack in the Box’s Pepper Jack Ranch Spicy Chicken Sandwich doesn’t deserve to have “Ranch” in its name, because, as I ate through all 672 calories, I tasted very little of it.

The limited time only menu item comes with a spicy “ranch” sauce, a spicy pepper jack cheese, and a spicy, crispy chicken fillet. It’s also topped with lettuce, tomato, and bacon on a buttery bakery bun. It’s surprising I didn’t taste much of the ranch sauce because a layer was spread on the top AND bottom buns. And to make sure it was the right sauce, I licked both buns.

But the spicy ranch sauce, along with the pepper jack, did help give the sandwich a mild heat that built up the more I ate. After trying the ingredients individually, it turns out the sauce and cheese are spicier than the chicken fillet.

But without the ranch flavor, the sandwich is a glorified Jack’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich. Actually, I take that back. Even without the tangy ranch, it’s still a good sandwich and slightly better than the Spicy Chicken Sandwich because of the bacon and it’s spicier.

The chewy, but not crispy bacon added a nice smoky element and, apparently, I’ve pleased the Bacon Gods because every bite had a little bit of pork. While the bacon wasn’t crispy (but is it ever at fast food places?) the chicken’s breading along the edges had a satisfying crunch. The chicken fillet itself was easy to bite through despite being a little dry and I got three tomato slices (BONUS!!!).

But an extra tomato slice doesn’t make up for the lack of ranch flavor. But it has pepper jack, it is spicy, has chicken, and is a sandwich, so I guess it fulfills the rest of its name.

(Nutrition Facts – 672 calories, 349 calories from fat, 39 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 80 milligrams of cholesterol, 1392 milligrams of sodium, 49 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 6 grams of sugar, and 34 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price:
Size: N/A
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Spicier than a Jack’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich. Bacon adds a nice smoky element. Chicken fillet has crispy edges. Bonus tomato!
Cons: Ranch flavor is lacking. Lettuce never looks like what’s in the promo photos. Doesn’t deserve the “ranch” in its name. Might not have enough spiciness for head heads.

It’s okay to admit Jack in the Box’s Bacon & Egg Chicken Sandwich looks tasty in the photo above. I won’t tell anyone. Okay, the cheese looks a bit plasticky, but so do the faces of many celebrities, but we still love them…Tom Cruise.

The sandwich features crispy all-white meat chicken topped with a fried egg, American cheese, hickory smoked bacon, and bacon mayo on a toasted English muffin. It’s part of Jack’s new Brunchfast menu that sounds like it’s available during a small window during the day, but is actually available all day.

While it looks good in the photo, I have to admit the sandwich doesn’t taste as good. My main issue with it is that it tasted too much like other chicken sandwiches I’ve had from Jack in the Box. The “breakfast” parts of the sandwich didn’t make it taste breakfast-y.

The fried egg added nothing to the flavor. It was pretty much the lettuce of the sandwich. The only way you’d know it’s there is if you had eyes to look at the sandwich or had eyes to see the milligrams of cholesterol it has by looking at its nutrition facts on Jack in the Box’s website. I thought the yolk would’ve made a difference, but it just blended in with the rest of the egg’s blandness. If the yolk was runny, then it might’ve added something, but that’s never going to happen due to food health concerns.

But the English muffin was worse. It had a spongy texture that’s more like a stale bun than what folks in London call a muffin. I don’t know if the FDA has rules regarding English muffins, but if I were to write them, I’d make sure that this wouldn’t be considered one.

The hickory smoked bacon was fine. I’ve had it many times before. It added a nice smoky and chewy element to the sandwich. But the winner of Best Bacon Ingredient on the Bacon & Egg Chicken Sandwich goes to the bacon mayonnaise. It’s creamy and had a bacon flavor that was tastier than the actual bacon included. The breaded chicken had crispy edges, but was dry inside (not surprising). And the cheese kept the bacon from falling out and looked like something made by Fisher Price, but did nothing beyond that.

The Bacon & Egg Chicken Sandwich was not horrible, but there wasn’t anything about it that would make me want to get another, even the bacon mayo. Heck, I didn’t even feel like finishing it in one sitting. I ate half for Brunchfast and the other half for Linner.

(Nutrition Facts – 649 calories, 351 calories from fat, 39 grams of fat, 301 milligrams of cholesterol, 1629 milligrams of sodium, 37 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 37 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $4.99*
Size: N/A
Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros: Bacon mayo was nice. Chicken was crispy on the edges. Available all day. Tom Cruise action movies. Cheese is the seat belt that’ll make sure the bacon never falls out.
Cons: Fried egg was the sandwich’s lettuce. Dry chicken. Tastes like other chicken sandwiches. “Breakfast” ingredients didn’t make it taste breakfast-y. Tom Cruise looking younger than most of us.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

French fries.

Seasoned curly fries.

Hash browns.

I guess we should include Bacon Cheddar Potato Wedges.

And now Homestyle Potatoes.

That, my friends, is the list potato sides you can get at a Jack in the Box. If you’re a potatophile, this list should give you a carb-on. Although, if Wendy’s can have a baked potato, why can’t Jack in the Box? Come on, Jack! Get on that!

The chain’s Homestyle Potatoes are part of their new Brunchfast menu and they feature diced potatoes mixed with bell peppers and onions. The side comes in one serving size and it’s almost the same as a large fries.

I’ve gotten my money’s worth at several brunch buffets in my lifetime and almost all of them had roasted potatoes that looked like these. Some were just potatoes while other included peppers and onions.

The flavor of Jack’s Homestyle Potatoes do remind me of the roasted potatoes I’d form mounds of on my plate at a brunch buffet. Well, to be more exact, they’re like the potatoes I’d get from a brunch buffet that have been sitting in the Sterno-heated tray for too long, but I took them because I didn’t want to wait for a fresh tray.

The potatoes appeared to be seasoned with some herbs (although I couldn’t taste them), had a soft texture, and some of the potato skins had slightly crispy edges. The veggies, which there were not a lot of, were somewhat crisp. While I enjoyed the Homestyle Potatoes with my Brunchfast, a part of me wished I had hash browns. There’s something about that golden brown, crispy, greasy brick of potatoes, that appeals to me more.

Like all of Jack in the Box’s menu, the Homestyle Potatoes are available all day. So you can order them for Lunner, Dinnfast, Snacner, or whatever meal portmanteau tickles your fancy.

(Nutrition Facts – 259 calories, 106 calories from fat, 12 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 580 milligrams of sodium, 489 milligrams of potassium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $2.39*
Size: N/A
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Another potato side at Jack in the Box. Tastes like brunch buffet potatoes. Some vegetables. Some potatoes has crispy skin on the edges. Available all day.
Cons: I think I’d rather have hash browns. Tastes like brunch buffet potatoes that have been sitting out for a while. Couldn’t taste herbs. Not a lot of veggies. No Jack in the Box baked potato, yet. Making portmanteaus with a portmanteau.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

My hope, when it comes to garlic fries, is that it has enough garlic to prevent any vampire or human being from wanting to invade my neck or personal space.

Unfortunately, the only way Jack in the Box’s Garlic Herb Fries can keep anyone away from my neck or personal space is if I use them to pelt those who want to get up on me.

I’m not Jack. I don’t have a giant head I can swing around to get people away from me. I’m also not a hoatzin. I can’t just eat whatever and then make myself smell like cow manure. I need help and Jack in the Box is preventing me from getting stinky.

The herbs and the way the fries glisten from the butter make them look so inviting. But when I compare them to the pictures I’ve seen of ballpark garlic fries or McDonald’s Gilroy Garlic Fries the chain is testing in California, with their generous amounts of garlic, I can’t help but think I’m getting gypped.

With Jack’s version the butter is infused with garlic. I’m not sure if it’s the exact same stuff on the chain’s line of Buttery Jack burgers, but I assume it is because it would complicate things in the kitchen if there were two garlic herb butter ingredients.

Having had several Buttery Jack burgers over the past few years, I’ve experienced the garlic herb butter and it has a light garlic flavor in the burger. Without having the ingredients of a burger in the way, I thought the garlic would be a bit more pungent, but it’s just as light as it is with the Buttery Jack. Also, oddly, there was a slight cheesy flavor.

That’s not what I want.

I want that garlic herb butter to affect those within a two foot radius around me when I say, “Whaaaat doooo yoooou meeeeean myyyy brrrreeeeath smeeeells?” The only thing the butter did a great job at was laying a greasy coating on and around my lips that gave them a glossy look that I only like when I’m dolled up. Thankfully, a fork came with the fries so I couldn’t build a layer of butter on my fingers.

The garlic herb butter was dumped in the middle of the fries and a lot of it ended up on the bottom of the container it came in. So the fries that didn’t get any butter love could get some by mopping up whatever greasy liquid remained. The herbs added a nice flavor to the melted dairy. Surprisingly, even with all that butter, the fries maintained a decent level of crispiness.

Jack in the Box’s Garlic Herb Fries were disappointing. I don’t think they’re worth picking up if you’re a fan of garlic fries. They look good and smell good, but they need a stronger garlic punch.

(Nutrition Facts – 459 calories, 244 calories from fat, 27 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 29 milligrams of cholesterol, 819 milligrams of sodium, 487 milligrams of potassium, 49 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $2.29*
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Jack in the Box
Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros: Comes with a fork. Looks good. Smells good.
Cons: Needs a stronger garlic punch. Garlic-infused butter instead of having chopped garlic. Makes it easy for others to invade my personal space.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

Even though I’ve eaten pounds of Jack in the Box Curly Fries and paid dollars upon dollars in upgrades to swap regular fries with them in my combo meals, I’m replacing them with Jack in the Box’s new Panko Onion Rings as my favorite Jack in the Box side.

To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations, but I blame the promotional photos that don’t do them justice. When I first saw a photo of them, I thought they were going to be formed onion mush inside breading, much like the uniform-sized onion rings from a fast food chain that begins with “B” and ends with “urger King.”

But in real life these look like they’re from a sit-down chain restaurant, like Chili’s or Applebees. I know that doesn’t sound like a compliment, but it’s a compliment. They come in different sizes and have actual rings of onion in them.

Oh, and look at that golden brown panko. From what you’ve probably learned via the Food Network, panko tends to be lighter and crispier than other breadcrumbs and that’s definitely the case here. The coating wonderfully crispy (of course your results may vary). With every chew it’s as if a staticky television is going off in my head. They’re also not at all greasy and the coating doesn’t easily flake off.

And that crispy coating is wrapped around rings of onion that have a slightly sweet flavor. There were times when couldn’t bite through the onion causing me to pull some of it out of the panko coating and I do wish the onion was a bit more oniony, but, my goodness, writing this review makes me want to buy more of them. I’ll be right back.

(20 minutes later)

Still love them.

I imagine Jack in the Box’s Panko Onion Rings would go great with a Buttery Jack, Jack’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich, Jumbo Jack, or anything else on the menu with the name “Jack” attached to it. They would also go great with any dipping sauce Jack in the Box offers, if you’re willing to pay for a container because, sadly, they don’t come with a dipping sauce. Ketchup is fine, but I got container of ranch sauce and they made these onion rings even better.

(Nutrition Facts – 443 calories, 215 calories from fat, 24 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 623 milligrams of sodium, 52 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 5 grams of sugar, and 6 grams of protein..)

Purchased Price: $2.79
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Jack in the Box
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Wonderful crispy exterior. Uses actual rings of onion. Better than Jack’s Curly Fries. They look like they’re from Chili’s or Applebees (that’s still a compliment). Not greasy.
Cons: It doesn’t need a dipping sauce, but it would’ve been nice to have to option. Perhaps the onion could’ve been more oniony. Sometimes I couldn’t bite cleanly through the onion.