Tag: Jack in the Box

I don’t think Jack’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich from Jack in the Box is spicy. Whenever I’ve eaten one, I’ve never felt the need to reach for whatever Coke beverage that came with my meal, or jump over the cash register counter at Jack in the Box and place my mouth under the ice cream machine’s nozzle, in order to soothe my oral cavity.

Because of my feelings towards Jack’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich, I was hesitant to believe a new Jack in the Box chicken sandwich with Ghost Pepper Ranch Sauce would satisfy masochistic desire to burn my taste buds and give me a good reason to jump over a Jack in the Box cash register counter so I can suck on an ice cream machine’s teat.

For those of you who aren’t Scoville scale scholars, Ghost Peppers, or Bhot Jolokia, were once the hottest peppers in the world. In 2012, the title of world’s hottest pepper was taken by the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, and, in 2013, both peppers were overtaken by the Carolina Reaper from the PuckerButt Pepper Company. I mention the other peppers because with the information I just gave you, I believe you can now consider yourselves Scoville scale scholars and it allows me to put “PuckerButt” into a paragraph.

Well, it turns out my feelings about the sandwich’s spiciness were right because Jack’s Blazin’ Chick’n Sandw’ch is not blazin’ and its name doesn’t contain that many apostrophes. I added a couple extra.

With the Ghost Pepper Ranch Sauce, I was hoping for a level of spiciness that would, um, make me tear up a little as if I was watching Toy Story 3’s ending, but that didn’t happen. It didn’t even make me sweat. While the Ghost Pepper Ranch Sauce has some heat, the sliced jalapeño are spicier, which emphasizes how tame the sauce is. The sandwich comes with the same spicy chicken patty used in Jack’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich, but as I mentioned at the beginning of this review, it’s not spicy to me. However, the chicken patty did have a little crispiness, but it was also slightly dry.

If your mouth prefers the extreme safe side of the Scoville scale, this sandwich still might be a little too much for you. To give you a reference point for how spicy this sandwich is, it’s noticeably less so than McDonald’s Habanero Ranch Quarter Pounder or their Southwest Premium Chicken McWrap, both of which have made me sweat a little.

But even though it’s not blazin’ and the lettuce I received with my sandwich was the saddest looking piece of lettuce I’ve ever seen, it’s a tasty sandwich.

The flavor from the pickled jalapeño stood out, followed by the Ghost Pepper Ranch Sauce, which has a nice smokiness and pepperiness. It also kind of tastes like a milder version of McDonald’s Habanero Ranch sauce.

The sandwich is also topped with grilled onions, Swiss-style cheese, and tomatoes. I didn’t get very many grilled onions on my sandwich, and I thought it was weird to have grilled onions on a chicken sandwich, but they didn’t add anything flavor-wise because they got lost behind the jalapeño and Ghost Pepper Sauce. The Swiss-style cheese’s flavor does come through a little bit and it slightly tempers the sandwich’s spiciness.

Again, even though it’s not blazin’ to me, it’s a really good sandwich. And I guess it’s a good thing it wasn’t blazin’, because if it was overly spicy, the heat would’ve distracted my taste buds from the flavors. Jack’s Blazin’ Chicken Sandwich is a giant step up in terms of flavor and heat from Jack’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich, and, to be honest, I wish Jack in the Box would replace their Spicy Chicken Sandwich with it.

(Nutrition Facts – 665 calories, 269 calories from fat, 30 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 1172 milligrams of sodium, 662 milligrams of potassium, 70 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 32 grams of protein.)

Item: Jack in the Box Jack’s Blazin’ Chicken Sandwich
Purchased Price: $4.99 (sandwich only)*
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Jack in the Box
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: A giant step up in terms of flavor and heat from Jack’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich. Ghost Pepper Ranch Sauce may not have a lot of heat, but it does have a nice flavor. Crispy jalapeño provided most of the flavor and heat. Slightly crispy chicken. Thank goodness they used Swiss-style cheese instead of American cheese. Toy Story 3.
Cons: Ghost Pepper Ranch Sauce is not blazin’. My computer’s autocorrect correcting “blazin'” with blazon. Received the saddest piece of lettuce. Grilled onions didn’t add anything. For some reason not available in Austin, Cincinnati, Denver, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Laredo, McAll/Brownsville, Palm Springs, Reno, or Tulsa. Jack’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich.

*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.

Purchased Price: $1.99*
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Jack in the Box
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Best tasting of the Monster Tacos, so far. Has more flavor than the Bacon Ranch Monster Taco. My goodness there’s a lot of gooey nacho cheese sauce; so messy, but so tasty. The jalapeños give it a lot of flavor and a decent level of heat. Crispy shell…well, crispy on the shell’s outer edges. Jack in the Box expanding the Monster Taco line.
Cons: Could’ve used a bit more jalapeño slices. If you hate having to lick nacho cheese sauce off your skin or clothes, you may not enjoy eating this messy taco. Grease-soaked shell…well, soaked on the shell’s inner part. Jack’s 2 tacos for 99 cents is a better deal. My desire for Jack in the Box to make a sweet Monster Taco variety.

*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.

Nutrition Facts: 333 calories, 196 calories from fat, 22 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 17 milligrams of cholesterol, 930 milligrams of sodium, 241 milligrams of potassium, 23 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 9 grams of protein.

Purchased Price: $1.99*
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Jack in the Box
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Contains the longest fast food bacon slice I’ve ever seen. Buttermilk ranch sauce goes surprisingly well with the seasoned ground beef. Parts of the taco shell that aren’t soaked in grease are crispy. Shell does a good job of preventing the lettuce from falling out. I’d probably buy it again drunk or sober.
Cons: The flavor of the bacon gets lost behind the seasoned beef. The obligatory Jack in the Box taco grease patch. Could’ve used a bit more buttermilk ranch sauce. Bacon isn’t crispy; its texture is more like bacon that has been sitting for a while at a Courtyard by Marriott hot breakfast buffet. Lots of pale lettuce. It might be a Monster Taco, but eating just one isn’t filling.

*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.

Nutrition Facts: 335 calories, 215 calories from fat, 24 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 663 milligrams of sodium, 293 milligrams of potassium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, 11 grams of protein.

Purchased Price: $2.49
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Jack in the Box
Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros: Exterior remained crispy after the five minute drive home. Crisscut fries are a nice change of pace if you’re tired of plain old straight fries. A serving provides four grams of fiber. Probably a good source of beta-carotene. Can get it with a combo (but there’s an upcharge).
Cons: Sweet potato flavor is a bit too mild for my liking. Not very salty or sweet. Available in only one size (comes in sleeve for regular large fries). When you pour them out of the sleeve, it doesn’t look like much..

Nutrition Facts: 395 calories, 182 calories from fat, 20 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 977 milligrams of sodium, 381 milligrams of potassium, 31 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 15 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

Jack in the Box’s Egg White & Turkey Breakfast Sandwich is a weirdo!

Weirdo! Weirdo! Weirdo!

I thought it was going to have a turkey sausage patty or maybe some turkey bacon, like a normal breakfast sandwich, but it doesn’t. Instead it uses the same turkey found in Jack in the Box’s Grilled Sandwich.

Weirdo! Weirdo! Weirdo!

And it’s not layers of turkey, it’s just one slice that significantly sticks out from under the bun, making it look like the sandwich is sticking its tongue at me.

Weirdo! Weirdo! Weirdo!

The breakfast sandwich also comes topped with a tomato slice. What!? Tomato on a fast food breakfast sandwich?

Weirdo! Weirdo! Weirdo!

However, even though Jack in the Box’s Egg White & Turkey Sandwich is a weirdo, I love this little weirdo. And if loving this weirdo makes me a weirdo, then so be it! I’ll point my finger at myself and yell…

Weirdo! Weirdo! Weirdo!

The combination of turkey, American cheese, tomato, and egg with a toasted regular bun seems like something overnight Jack in the Box employees developed out of boredom during some downtime between the hours of 2 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. Thank you bored Jack in the Box employees (or a chef in Jack in the Box’s test kitchens), because I think it’s a wonderful way to start my morning.

Or afternoon.

Or evening.

Or end my night of debauchery, since this breakfast sandwich is available 24 hours a day.

What I like most about the sandwich are the egg whites, an #FFFFFF glob of protein with a noticeable buttery flavor. They have a nice, soft texture and I prefer it over Jack’s regular fried egg. Thankfully, egg whites can be substituted for the regular fried egg in any other breakfast sandwich at no extra cost. So get ready Jack in the Box employees for all my special breakfast orders.

The sandwich doesn’t have a sauce, but the cheese melts to the point where it looks and gives the sandwich flavor like a sauce. Because there’s only a slice of turkey, it doesn’t really stand out flavor-wise, but it’s noticeable. As for the tomato slice, it’s still weird seeing it on a breakfast sandwich, even after having three of these within the past week. I can’t think of any other fast food place that does that, but I hope others follow because the lone tomato slice does add flavor and a slight crunchy texture to the sandwich.

I have to say, I find it funny I’m writing about the American cheese and tomato in a positive manner, because I usually write stuff like “the cheese was there only to prevent the other ingredients from falling out” or “the tomato was there only so you could say you ate veggies today.” Times have changed.

Last year, I gave the McDonald’s Egg White Delight a positive review. But I have to admit Jack in the Box’s Egg White & Turkey Breakfast Sandwich is better tasting, especially the egg whites. Also, thanks to the American cheese and tomato, it’s more colorful than the Egg White Delight, which looks like someone used a sepia photo filter on it.

It’s definitely weird looking.

Weirdo! Weirdo! Weirdo! McDonald’s Egg White Delight is a weirdo!

(Nutrition Facts – 248 calories, 52 calories from fat, 6 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 22 milligrams of cholesterol, 833 milligrams of sodium, 241 milligrams of potassium, 31 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 18 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $2.49
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Jack in the Box
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Tasty way to start my morning. Buttery egg whites, American cheese, and tomato slice make this a yummy sandwich. Cheese and tomato actually add flavor. Lower in fat and calories than Jack’s other breakfast sandwiches. Available all day. Proud about being a weirdo as an adult.
Cons: Tomato on a breakfast sandwich is weird. Not much fiber compared with the McDonald’s Egg White Delight, which uses a whole grain muffin. Only one slice of turkey. Still high in sodium. Being called a weirdo as a kid.