The Worst Jack In The Box Menu Item Flops In The Face Of Its Competitors

If you've lived on the West Coast, there's a decent chance you've visited Jack in the Box for one of its much-loved tacos. In fact, when a Chowhound reviewer set about ranking 11 of Jack in the Box's most notable menu items, it was the tacos that came out on top. While they might not look terribly appealing, with a filling that can be described as a clump of meat, our reviewer found them undoubtedly tasty. But in last place at the other end of our ranking was a menu item that you're just better off ordering at another chain: the spicy chicken sandwich.

It's not that Jack's Spicy Chicken is actively horrible, it's more that it's lackluster. Its biggest crime is that it doesn't live up to its name: It's not very spicy at all, except for a slight kick in its aftertaste. There aren't any other elements that really rescue it from taste oblivion, either: The lettuce is a bit limp, and sauce-wise, it just has plain old mayonnaise. (For comparison, better fast food chicken sandwiches often have tangy pickles or spicy mayo to add some pizzazz.) It probably doesn't help that the cut of chicken used for this sandwich is always white meat, which is often considered not as flavorful as its dark counterpart for a chicken sandwich. While our reviewer would totally accept this sandwich if it was given to her for free, it's not something she'd want to fork over $6.49 for — hardly a ringing endorsement.

People don't appear to flock to Jack in the Box for chicken sandwiches. Rankings of fast food chicken sandwiches rarely mention Jack's Spicy Chicken or its counterparts, like the Cluck Sandwich (which skips mayo, lettuce, and tomato in favor of pickles and the chain's Good Good sauce, a mix of mayo, ketchup, and other seasonings). Chains specializing in chicken like Chick-fil-A and Popeyes generally get more praise — although to be fair, they have restaurants across the country, while Jack in the Box is based primarily in the Western United States. Yet in any case, Jack in the Box's spicy chicken sandwich doesn't usually register as a standout menu item. Other reviews and rankings of the fast food chain's menu items don't rate it highly (if they rate it at all), typically recommending tacos and burgers, although it draws occasional praise.

It's not that people typically find the sandwich unpleasant to eat: Rather, it's just that it doesn't stand out. Beyond the lack of flavor, some common complaints are that it's too dry, either in terms of the chicken being overcooked or the sandwich lacking toppings that would add extra moisture. Those issues carry over to Jack in the Box's other chicken offerings, including the Cluck Sandwich. (Chowhound's reviewer skipped that one, but did try the popcorn chicken and nuggets, placing them both in the bottom half of the ranking.) So realistically, you're probably better off skipping Jack in the Box's chicken.