Tag: Jack in the Box

What are Jack in the Box Nacho Tiny Tacos?

The newest Tiny Tacos iteration from Jack in the Box takes 15 original mini tacos and dumps nacho cheese seasoning on them. There’s also the Bacon Loaded Nacho Tiny Tacos, which involves dumping cheddar cheese sauce, bacon crumbles, ranch, and Spicy Good Good Sauce on Nacho Tiny Tacos.

How are they?

First, check out the photo above again. It looks as if Chester Cheetah sneezed on it.

With that thick layer of seasoning on the shells of most of the Nacho Tiny Tacos I received, I expected a cheesy flavor that would be on par with Taco Bell’s Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco. But my taste buds could only detect a cheesiness that’s tinier than the tacos themselves, and they could easily be confused for the original version.

After eating a few, I ended up with cheesy dust on my fingers. And while it was a little cheesier when tasting it from my digits, it still had a weak flavor compared to what I experience when I clean my fingers after eating Cheetos or Doritos.

The Bacon Loaded Nacho Tiny Tacos are, obviously, a more flavorful option. But any cheese flavor, which there isn’t much to begin with, is completely overwritten by the sea of sauces, especially the Spicy Good Good Sauce. While the bacon’s smokiness and the ranch’s tanginess come through, this really should’ve been called the Spicy Good Good Sauce Loaded Nacho Tiny Tacos because the orange goo is what I mostly taste. And I’m okay with that because I love that sauce.

So, technically, you could get most of the Bacon Loaded Nacho Tiny Tacos’ flavor for the price of the Nacho Tiny Tacos and a free dipping container of Good Good Sauce.

Anything else you need to know?

With the regular Nacho Tiny Tacos, there are some inconsistencies when it comes to the application of the seasoning. Some had a nice layer on one side, but others didn’t have any seasoning on the shell. However, extra cheese dust ends up at the bottom of the box. So I’d recommend giving it a few good shakes before opening it to coat the tacos better. Or maybe just put the less seasoned ones on the side and then use them later to scrape up the nacho cheese dust.

Conclusion:

Jack in the Box’s Nacho Tiny Tacos are disappointing. Despite all that seasoning, they lack a potent cheesiness. If you want a bit more flavor, dip them into a sauce, or get the Bacon Loaded Nacho Tiny Tacos.

Purchased Price: $4.99 (Nacho Tiny Tacos), $6.99 (Bacon Loaded Nacho Tiny Tacos)*
Size: N/A
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Nacho Tiny Tacos), 7 out of 10 (Bacon Loaded Nacho Tiny Tacos)
Nutrition Facts: Not available on website, which hasn’t been updated with new products in months.

*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.

What are the Jack in the Box Spicy Cluck Sandwich and Blazin Cluck Sandwich?

Let’s have Jack’s website explain what the former is.

Jack’s Spice Squad has rated our new Spicy Cluck Sandwich as certified perfection. It’s a bigger, crispier and better-than-ever perfectly spicy, breaded fillet, topped with Jack’s Good Good Sauce, crunchy pickle chips, on a toasty brioche bun. But it doesn’t take an expert to know it’s the perfect amount of spice. You’ll know.

As for the Blazin Cluck Sandwich, instead of Jack’s Good Good Sauce (which seems to be The Condiment Formerly Known As Mystery Sauce), it has Jack’s Spicy Good Good Sauce. Basically, the Spicy one doesn’t have a spicy sauce, just a spicy fillet.

Are we good?

Good.

Sauce.

How are they?

Well, I’m not going to believe the “certified perfection” that Jack’s Spice Squad claims its Spicy Cluck Sandwich has achieved because if it’s “perfection,” why is there a second, spicier version of it?

As for that “bigger, crispier and better-than-ever perfectly spicy, breaded fillet,” it’s not what I’d consider perfectly spicy. There’s a scant amount of heat, and I think Jack’s regular spicy chicken sandwich was spicier. But the breading on this is crispier, and it seems to be slightly bigger.

The fillet’s lack of heat is really noticeable with the Spicy Cluck Sandwich. The regular Good Good Sauce dampens the breading’s spiciness enough that you might think you’re eating an original Cluck Sandwich.

However, with the Blazin version, the darker orange Spicy Good Good Sauce turns the heat up several notches while preserving the regular sauce’s tangy and peppery flavors. Granted, if it’s on a 10-point scale, we’re going from a one to a three or four. It’s a mild heat, but it’s not at a level where I felt the need for a cold beverage. Also, it doesn’t help that the pickle’s tanginess cuts through the spiciness.

The chicken’s coating could’ve had more heat, but I enjoyed these two as much as the original Cluck Sandwich. Although, with the Spicy one, it’s because it pretty much tastes like the original. While the Blazin one isn’t, you know, blazing, I’m okay with it being that way because it has the perfect amount of spice, thanks to the sauce. It’s spicy, but not so much that it takes away from its flavors.

Anything else you need to know?

I’m slightly surprised the Blazin version didn’t come with jalapeños or an apostrophe. But I can understand why. The pickled peppers would’ve overwhelmed the sauce’s flavor and heat, while the punctuation mark would’ve hurt Jack’s cred with the cool kids.

There are also Deluxe versions of both menu items that swap the pickles for Swiss-style cheese, onion rings, and bacon.

Conclusion:

If you’ve been waiting for a spicy version of Jack’s Cluck Sandwich, your wait is over. But, if you want to feel any heat, go for the Blazin Cluck Sandwich.

Purchased Price: $6.39 each*
Size: N/A
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Spicy), 8 out of 10 (Blazin)
Nutrition Facts: Numbers not available at publication time.

*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.

Short story: I ordered the Jack in the Box Cheddar Loaded Cheeseburger, which has a beef patty topped with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and cheddar ranch sauce on a cheddar cheese bun.

However, I received the more loaded Bacon Cheddar Loaded Cheeseburger that has everything the smaller burger does but includes hickory-smoked bacon, another beef patty, and another cheddar slice.

Fin.

So this review will be about the larger one. Thanks for the upgrade, Fast Food Gods…and the person who made my burger!

Since it sticks out the most, let’s start with that cheddar bun. There’s obviously cheese baked into it, so it looks the part. But when I tried the bun on its own and as part of the sandwich, I couldn’t taste the cheese with most bites. That was also the case with the cheddar slices.

Despite three different cheddar vessels, it’s not a cheesy-tasting cheeseburger. The only times I really got any really noticeable cheesiness was whenever my mouth pulled in a decent glob of the cheddar ranch sauce, which was slathered on both buns.

But most of the time, it was a slightly juicy meat fest in my mouth with those two patties taking center stage and the bacon in the background as a porky hype man coming in every so often. And the lettuce and tomato weren’t any help. They’re just there to add some color to the party and distract you from the sweating cheddar slices.

The Bacon Cheddar Loaded Cheeseburger isn’t loaded with cheddar flavor like this review is loaded with the words “cheddar” and “cheese.” Maybe if I got what I originally ordered, the less loaded Cheddar Loaded Cheeseburger, I might’ve tasted an intense cheesiness since there’s one less patty to get in the way.

Purchased Price: $6.99*
Size: Small combo
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 910 calories, 37 grams of fat, 25 grams of saturated fat, 3 grams of trans fat, 165 milligrams of cholesterol, 1190 milligrams of sodium, 31 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 56 grams of protein.

*Price is for the regular Cheddar Loaded Cheeseburger combo, which I ordered. But as I mentioned at the beginning, I received a Bacon Cheddar Loaded Cheeseburger. Also, 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.

What is the Jack in the Box BBQ Cluck Deluxe Sandwich?

I’ll let Jack in the Box’s website explain. “If the cluck’s not enough, you gotta go deluxe. The BBQ Cluck Deluxe Sandwich comes with our new 100% all white meat chicken fillet that is bigger, crispier and better than ever, crispy bacon, panko onion rings, American cheese and topped with BBQ sauce on a brioche bun. Don’t go hungry, go deluxe.”

So it’s basically the chicken version of the BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger Jack offered for a limited time before this limited-time offering.

How is it?

Despite both bun pieces having a decent layer of BBQ sauce, I wish more of it was in this sandwich I received. I didn’t taste any BBQ sauce at all with several bites, even though I’m 100 percent sure I got some in every bite. Without the sweet and tangy flavors, the chicken and bacon’s saltiness comes through a lot more. Perhaps, too much. I’ve had the original Cluck Sandwich several times, and I don’t remember the chicken ever being this salty.

But when I could taste the BBQ sauce, which cut through that saltiness, I was somewhat content with the sandwich. Although even then, I wish the sauce’s flavor stood out a bit more. It’s as if there’s too much between the two sauce layers.

The chicken has a decent crunchy coating, although the meat inside it was a bit dry. The onion rings’ golden brown exterior adds a bit more texture, and the onions within also help cut through the saltiness. Finally, I’m not sure what the cheese is doing there besides preventing the salty, smoky bacon from falling out. Even when I couldn’t taste the BBQ sauce, I still couldn’t notice the cheese.

Anything else you need to know?

I also ordered the regular BBQ Cluck Sandwich, but the one I got wasn’t made properly, so I’m just focusing on the Deluxe version. Instead of pickles and BBQ sauce, the sandwich I got had cheese, bacon, BBQ sauce, and no pickles. So basically, it appears the person making the sandwich started to make a Deluxe version but realized it was supposed to be the regular one a bit too late.

Conclusion:

Jack’s BBQ Cluck Deluxe Sandwich is just okay. If you plan on ordering it, I’d highly recommend asking for extra BBQ sauce.

Purchased Price: $7.39*
Size: N/A
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 770 calories, 33 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 95 milligrams of cholesterol, 2450 milligrams of sodium, 79 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 20 grams of sugar, and 41 grams of protein.

*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.

Don’t let the red color fool you into thinking the shells used for Jack in the Box’s Spicy Tiny Tacos are spicy. I assure you those ominous Lucifer eyelid-shaped shells bring no heat whatsoever. There isn’t any seasoning on or in them unless you count red food coloring.

But their color, along with the somewhat surprising look of the filling inside them, have got me thinking about elves, hung stockings, and decorated Christmas trees.

Wait. What? Christmas?

When I reveal to you what’s in every Spicy Tiny Taco, you’ll understand my fast food friends.

Yup, it’s green. Actually, it’s more so in real life than what my iPhone’s camera shows. The familiar shiny dark green pieces make it safe to assume that the filling is a combination of ground pickled jalapeños and, like the original Tiny Tacos, ground chicken and spices.

The peppers bring more heat than flavor, but I didn’t mind that because the simple combo that makes up the filling is tasty enough that I’m happy eating them by themselves. But I’m even more content when I dip the red Tiny Tacos into the ranch dipping sauce that came with my order. The tangy accoutrement tempers the spiciness but adds another level of flavor on top of the seasoned meat and jalapeño. What I got is probably the default, but I imagine you could enhance your tacos with any sauce Jack offers, even his Mystery Sauce.

As for spiciness, after eating all 15 Spicy Tiny Tacos in one sitting, my nose did start running a little. But I didn’t need a cold beverage to soothe my mouth. Of course, mouths vary. But if you’ve had other Jack in the Box items that feature jalapeños, you’ll have an idea of the heat level.

There’s also a Loaded version that comes topped with lettuce, cheese, and taco sauce, which I also ordered. But mine didn’t come with cheese, so I won’t give it a rating here. However, I imagine, just like with the original Tiny Tacos, the toppings do enhance them, especially the taco sauce, which gives the side an additional kick and peppery flavor. So if you do decide to get the regular Spicy Tiny Tacos, I’d recommend grabbing a taco sauce packet or two to enhance them, which is what I’ll be doing when I order them again.

Jack’s Spicy Tiny Tacos are a great sequel to the original Tiny Tacos. In fact, I think they’re better. Ho! Ho! Ho!

Purchased Price: $4.99*
Size: N/A
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 360 calories, 13 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 670 milligrams of sodium, 52 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 12 grams of protein.

*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.