I Tried And Ranked 9 Burger King Chicken Items From Worst To Hands-Down Best

Burger King (BK) is probably most famous for its Whoppers; they're made with a flame-broiled hamburger patty, constructed "your way," as the iconic slogan goes, and were named for their whopping size. But up until a few years ago, the fast food franchise was becoming a little boring in my opinion. Steadily, it started making a comeback, using the "limited time" business model and creating meal tie-ins for blockbuster movies. Although its legacy is based in beef, BK has slowly expanded its chicken offerings. 

I would assert that a fast food restaurant with the word "burger" in its title isn't going to get much chicken traffic. But that's where I come in. I tasted a selection of chicken items on BK's menu; some were hits, and some weren't. For this review, I selected the available chicken items from the "Chicken & Fish" menu at my local franchise in Queen Creek, Arizona. It should be noted that I was going to include the chain's Crown Nuggets, but at the time of this review, they were not available at my location due to limited supply, so I purchased BK's regular nuggets for the tasting. Let's taste each of these items and rank them from worst to best.

Of all the exciting things I tried on the Burger King chicken menu, the Classic Original Chicken Wrap was the blandest of the bunch, but the price is nice. I paid $2.99 at my local restaurant, so that made up for some of the disappointment.

Burger King's chicken is a very good product if you are on a budget and don't want a heavily breaded, big chicken breast with all the bells and whistles like some other chains offer. And yet, I would caution you against ordering this inexpensive item because it's probably the most basic thing BK has on the menu.

I was excited to try this because it's priced nicely and could be a great companion to Burger King's delicious Honey Mustard Chicken Wrap (more on that later). But I don't think I will be doing that. This wrap has nothing going for it. The flavor is bland and is only good for satiating hunger, much like hospital food. I would avoid this option unless you only have a few dollars, and even then, the BK menu is rife with other affordable picks.

I love a good, spicy fast food meal. I think it opens up the taste buds, intensifying other flavors, just as long as it's not too hot. So I got eager to taste the Burger King Spicy Original Chicken Wrap, especially after my underwhelming experience with its Original Chicken Wrap. I got even more excited unwrapping the wax paper it came in because I could see the hot sauce had soaked through the tortilla, which I thought was a sign this was going to be something special at only $2.99.

The good news is that this little wrap has a lot going for it. Unlike the Original Wrap, this has some flair. The oblong chicken patty is tossed in what BK calls a Spicy Glaze and paired with its Savory Royal Sauce. Throw in a cold tomato and lettuce, and you've got yourself what seems like a nice little snack.

The chicken is tender, but the Spicy Glaze is lackluster despite the title. The spice comes through on the back end; I felt it a few seconds after I swallowed. Despite the sauce and spiciness, it lacked piquancy; the heat is there, but there isn't a flavor journey on the way. It was nice, but other BK spicy chicken items scored better. This wrap has a subtle flavor, so it might be too mild for heat seekers like myself.

As with Burger King's Spicy Original Wrap — which I didn't find either spicy or original — its sandwich version suffers from the same missteps. It has the same ingredients: lettuce and Spicy Glaze sauce, but it lacks the Savory Royal sauce and instead uses plain mayo. It cost $5.99 at my local franchise, which I think is reasonable. However, having something affordable but unsatisfying isn't worth it in my opinion. In the wrapper, the sandwich looks and feels hefty, and it is. It has that same elongated BK chicken breast covered in the aforementioned glaze sauce. But overall it feels barren.

I was expecting some kind of heat on my first bite just to see what I was in for. What I got was a mild spice that didn't really develop as I chewed on. The finish is where the heat comes in, but it was only mildly irritating at the back of my throat. Someone with a low heat threshold might get a stronger kick than I did, but overall it's not too bad.

I still love Burger King's chicken patties. They are arguably tender and crispy, and have a well-rounded texture that complements a soft bun. Still, I wasn't impressed with this sandwich. If something says it's "spicy," I want to taste a flavorful ingredient that defines the heat. Since this item's only real appeal is that promise, it fell short of my expectations.

Chicken nuggets are probably the topic of many "best of" fast food conversations. I feel that Burger King often gets overlooked in those quibbles, but don't sell it short. I think the restaurant has some of the cheapest fast food chicken nuggets that are pretty good. I ordered the four-piece nuggets for this taste test. They cost me $2.59 at my drive-thru.

I got BK's signature Zesty dipping sauce and its barbecue sauce to go with the nuggets. I tried one on its own first, and I immediately tasted the chicken; it was soft and crunchy, with an enriched flour coating and a hint of turmeric and onion powder. I immediately thought they tasted different from competitors' nuggets, and I appreciated it. The Zesty sauce isn't anything to write home about. It's more mayo-forward and, to me, tasted a little like tartar sauce. However, the barbecue sauce was a winner. The mix of savory chicken and slightly sweet and smoky dipping sauce made me wish I had gotten more than just four nuggets.

I loved these nuggets. They tasted and felt like chicken in my mouth. They were soft enough, but still gave a satisfying crunch. I don't think they will win any awards for originality, but these are winners as far as road trip snacks.

Sometimes I think fast food chains take risks that don't pay off. If I were a member of a focus group and someone said "chicken fries," I'd probably think the test kitchen was making an unnecessary grand gesture. Fries are made from potatoes!

However, Burger King took a chance on this concept, and I'm glad it did. First, the company knocked it out of the park with the packaging; an anthropomorphic cardboard chicken sleeve is just kawaii enough to make me feel happy. I got eight for $4.99. The fun factor is in full effect here. Unlike regular chicken nuggets, these are long sticks that you can dip like fries. It seems like an original concept, sort of like a modernized, fast-food take on the Indonesian street food, chicken satay.

Burger King's Chicken Fries are crispy snacks that I find not too flavorful, but still taste good. I wish I could have tried BK's ghost pepper chicken fries a few years back. I think I love the texture more than the taste; the crispy outer batter mixed with the soft chicken is a satisfying mix. Throw a dipping sauce into the mix and the novelty is complete. This isn't a gourmet delicacy, but it is fun, tasty, and innovative; everything we look for in a chain fast food restaurant.

If you're like me, you constantly scan the drive-thru menu while waiting to order to see what you can get for under $5. These days it's not much, but Burger King's Honey Mustard Original Chicken Wrap is another of its chicken menu snacks and well worth the price. At $2.99, or your local equivalent, this inexpensive snack is a lot bigger than you would expect. This is what I call an "hor d'rive," or the thing I eat in the car on the way home. It's delicious. Granted, you might need two if you're extra hungry; in the past, I have found that just one wasn't big enough to ease my hunger pain until the main course. I revisited this item specifically for this review. 

I found this to be a bit messy and sticky. The honey mustard sauce was runny and dripped out, so keep some napkins handy. I got it in the webbing of my fingers, which irked my experience. Textural issues aside, this is a great treat overall. The chicken is tender and crisp with a nice balance of savory and sweet. The mustard isn't too strong, and the sweetness of the honey isn't enough to make this feel like a dessert. This makes for a great drive snack; that one thing you eat or drink before you arrive home to feast on the true meal. But be warned, it's a bit messy, so don't attempt to eat it if you're wearing your favorite shirt.

It used to be that if you weren't in the mood for a cheeseburger at BK, you could always order the trusty Original Chicken Sandwich, and today that still holds true. It's a reliable and tasty alternative to the signature Whopper, maybe a bit more underwhelming but delicious nonetheless.

I haven't had one in a few years, so I was excited to see if anything has changed since then other than the bloated price tag. I recall these being about $4 in 2019. I paid $5.79 at my local Burger King. Despite the slightly inflated price, this is still a solid sandwich. Since the patty is deep-fried, it has great ASMR, and the bun is softer than what's served in most places. I really appreciate the simplicity of it all. BK isn't trying to one-up chains like Popeyes or McDonald's by doing gourmet fast food. This is a basic elongated crispy chicken offering with no frills and no pickle, and it all works together nicely.

You've got that aforementioned lightly seasoned chicken patty, some shredded lettuce, and tangy mayo. That's it. There's just something satisfying about the juxtaposition of a soft bun and crispy chicken that fills the soul.

The Burger King Loaded Jalapeño Chicken Sandwich had me at "loaded." I was also excited at the prospect that this treat would have some heat. Please note that this is one of two new sandwiches on Burger King's limited-time menu (the other is the Club Original Chicken Sandwich). It came in at a reasonable $7.49 at my local Burger King drive-thru, but you're getting a hearty sandwich for the price. I wasn't expecting this to be a comfort food, but I think it fits well into that category.

In between the soft sesame seed bun are American cheese, crispy onions and jalapeños, tomato, lettuce, and creamy jalapeño sauce. This is a thick and heavy meal. I was surprised at the amount of effort Burger King put into this sandwich, and I was afraid it tried to do too much. However, my first bite had me rolling my eyes in delicious bliss. This might not be for everyone; there is a lot of heat. It's not too much for my taste, but someone unaccustomed to spicy food might choke a little.

The chicken was crisp, and the bits of fried jalapeños and onions provided a great textural crunch. Mine had big tomatoes, lots of American cheese, and just enough pepper sauce to keep it all interesting. Of course, since Burger King has the "have it your way" motto, you can adjust the ingredients to your liking. The Loaded Jalapeño Chicken Sandwich hit all the right spots for me. I would have liked the chicken to come through more, but that's a mild gripe given the punch the other ingredients provide.

The nuance of all of Burger King's chicken items is subtle, but it's worth a few dollars more to get that extra flavor, in my opinion. This limited-time Club Original Chicken Sandwich contains bacon, Swiss cheese, and double mayo, with tomatoes and lettuce. It cost $7.99 at my location.

Much like the original version, this gets top marks for taste. I bit into it and got a mouthful of everything. The saltiness of the crispy chicken patty came through while the bacon and mayo made for a gooey experience; many napkins were needed. But I think the messiness is worth it, especially if you're on a lunch break and want something substantial to tide you over until supper. Add a side and a beverage, and you might be refueled until the end of your shift. 

This is a delicious fast food choice if you're looking for something a little lighter on a hot summer afternoon. I paired it with a cold beverage, and I was set till dinner.

Tasting Burger King's chicken menu items was a blast. I can remember the '70s and '80s when the chain had its heyday. With the rise of specialty burger chains, BK may not serve the highest-quality fast food burgers anymore. Thankfully, however, there's room for everyone at the dining room table, and Burger King isn't down for the count just yet, especially with its nice chicken menu.

Going into this review, I already knew that Burger King's chicken wasn't as flavorful as some other chain's specialty chicken sandwiches. I wasn't anticipating anything fancy like a heavily brined breast or an abundance of toppings. I was expecting chicken with a little seasoning, a nice crispy crunch, and fillings that complemented the entire sandwich. I ordered my items through DoorDash but used only the prices listed on the restaurant's actual menu. There is a franchise very close to my house, so everything arrived fresh and hot; the grease didn't even have time to stain the bags. I ranked each item based on how it fulfilled the menu description, flavor, and overall texture of the chicken. Given that Burger King uses a chicken patty in its sandwiches, instead of a whole chicken breast, that texture, if done wrong, can sometimes look and feel like budget meat. 

The prices didn't factor into my review; however, I do appreciate a budget item, so I included them for informational purposes, keeping in mind they vary according to which restaurant you visit. Mine is in Queen Creek, Arizona. My husband helped me, and we had some differences of opinion, but all reviews are based on my own experience.