All points
2833 words
- Two food reviewers set out to find America's best-tasting and spiciest fast-food item. They visited major fast-food chains, asked employees for their spiciest menu options, and compared the products through a series of tastings.
- Spiciness and overall food quality were scored separately on 10-point scales. Heat ratings reflected how spicy each item felt, while overall ratings considered flavor, seasoning, salt, texture, crispiness, juiciness, and enjoyment. The reviewers sometimes disagreed because their individual portions differed.
- The reviewers considered balanced heat more valuable than extreme heat alone. Their preferred spicy food delivered enough heat to excite the palate without overwhelming the flavor or discouraging another bite.
- The tastings took place around Austin, Texas. The reviewers traveled between restaurants throughout the day, generally ordering two portions so each could evaluate the food independently.
- McDonald's Hot 'n Spicy chicken sandwich received heat scores of 5/10 and 4/10. Despite flame imagery on its packaging, its heat was moderate, with cayenne-like pepperiness that lingered briefly.
- McDonald's delivered a surprisingly good chicken sandwich in one reviewer's experience. His portion was freshly cooked, crispy outside, juicy inside, and properly salted, while the other reviewer gave an overall score of 5.7/10. The stronger supporter believed McDonald's food had improved noticeably over recent visits.
- Chicken Express served spicy chicken tenders with additional Serendipity hot seasoning. The seasoning increased the heat without making the chicken excessively salty, and one reviewer detected a slight tongue-numbing sensation resembling Sichuan peppercorn.
- Chicken Express produced moderate heat and acceptable flavor but inconsistent texture. Heat impressions ranged from roughly 3.5/10 to 5.5/10, with some warmth developing at the back of the throat. One reviewer raised his overall rating from 5 to 5.5 after reconsidering the crunch; the other scored it 6.
- Zaxby's Nuclear sauce failed to deliver the extreme heat its name suggested. The reviewers estimated its heat at approximately 2–3/10, describing the sauce as acidic and similar to poor-quality barbecue sauce.
- Zaxby's chicken tenders were among the worst foods sampled. The meat was dry, chewy, and unpleasant in texture. One reviewer considered it among his three worst experiences eating fried chicken, giving it 1/10, while the other rated it 2.5/10.
- KFC's spiciest available sandwich featured hot honey Sriracha sauce. Its heat received scores of 5/10 and 4/10, with the honey's sweetness reducing the perceived spiciness.
- KFC received matching overall scores of 7/10. The sandwich was generously sauced, appropriately salted, and pleasantly seasoned, although its chicken was somewhat stringy and chewy. The reviewers concluded that the sauce contributed more to its success than the underlying chicken.
- A&W's spicy double burger contained jalapeños and spicy sauce but delivered almost no heat. It received spiciness scores of 1.5/10 and 1/10.
- A&W was criticized for exceptionally bland beef and weak overall flavor. Its overall scores were 2.5/10 and 2/10, making it one of the lowest-rated items.
- Five Guys charged almost $9 for a medium order of seasoned fries. The reviewers contrasted this price with competing fast-food promotions offering a burger, fries, and drink for approximately $8–$9.
- Five Guys' seasoned fries were neither convincingly spicy nor particularly enjoyable. Despite their heavy visible seasoning and cayenne aroma, they had virtually no spicy heat, receiving 1/10 from both reviewers.
- Five Guys received overall scores of 2/10 and 3/10 for its fries. The fries were oily, soft, insufficiently crispy, and less flavorful than their appearance suggested. The reviewers questioned whether the product justified its premium price.
- Burger King's Fiery Chicken Sandwich became an early leader in spiciness. Both reviewers assessed its hotter bites at about 5/10, although the heat varied considerably between different parts of the sandwich.
- Burger King's fiery sauce tasted notably sweet, while the chicken itself disappointed. The breast meat was dry, the breading lacked crunch and appeared fused to the meat, and the bun had not been toasted.
- Burger King received identical overall scores of 3.8/10. Its respectable heat could not compensate for the poor cooking and texture of the sandwich.
- Dave's Hot Chicken required the reviewers to sign a waiver before trying its Reaper chicken. One reviewer had previously appeared on Hot Ones, but both were apprehensive about the extreme heat.
- Dave's Hot Chicken Reaper received heat scores of 9/10 and 9.5/10. The Carolina Reaper seasoning produced powerful, overwhelming heat that continued burning after the initial bite.
- Dave's Hot Chicken was judged extremely spicy but badly prepared. Its coating was hard, tough, and chewy rather than pleasantly crispy. The reviewers also found the chicken insufficiently salted, lacking juiciness, and almost completely without flavor beyond the pepper's heat.
- Dave's Hot Chicken finished at the bottom of the overall-quality leaderboard despite leading on heat. The reviewers emphasized that their poor ratings were not punishment for excessive spiciness; they believed the chicken itself was fundamentally disappointing. One said previous visits had produced similar dissatisfaction.
- Arby's was excluded after two locations could not supply the requested spicy sauce. The reviewers attempted to order quarter-pound smoked brisket sandwiches with the spicy option, but availability prevented a tasting. They noted that Austin had relatively few Arby's locations.
- Wendy's served its Cajun Crunch Spicy Chicken Sandwich, but the two portions appeared different. One reviewer's chicken was visibly red while the other's was not, raising doubts about whether both received the correct spicy chicken.
- Wendy's heat scores were 5/10 and 4/10. One portion produced a peppery sting followed by a brief warming aftertaste, while the other reviewer's heat seemed to come mainly from the crispy Cajun onions.
- Wendy's received substantially different overall scores of 4.5/10 and 2.9/10. The reviewers considered the sandwich adequately salted but otherwise lacking flavor. One particularly disliked that his portion seemed to contain the wrong chicken, while the crispy onions were its main redeeming feature.
- Chick-fil-A's Spicy Chicken Sandwich delivered stronger heat than the reviewers remembered. Both estimated its spiciness at approximately 5.8/10, placing it among the hotter mainstream fast-food sandwiches sampled.
- Chick-fil-A was praised for achieving an effective balance between heat and flavor. Its spice was noticeable and satisfying without overwhelming the chicken or requiring additional sauce. One reviewer normally preferred sauce with Chick-fil-A sandwiches but found this version good without it.
- Chick-fil-A received overall ratings of 7.9/10 and 8/10. Both reviewers enjoyed the sandwich, and one wanted to finish the entire portion.
- Chick-fil-A lost points because its breading was inconsistent. One sandwich had good crispiness while the other's center had insufficient coating, producing stringy, chewy chicken. A reviewer explained that breading helps protect the meat from direct exposure to hot frying oil, and better coating could have pushed his rating above 8/10.
- Pollo Campero's spicy chicken sandwich produced very little actual heat. The reviewers assigned scores of 1/10 and 1.5/10, finding that the bread-and-butter pickles quickly masked the limited heat from the sauce.
- Pollo Campero's sandwich was considered excessively sweet and underseasoned. The sauce, pickles, and bun all contributed sweetness, while one reviewer estimated the chicken needed roughly 25% more seasoning. Overall scores were 5/10 and 4.3/10.
- Pollo Campero's chicken was acceptable despite the unbalanced sandwich. One reviewer appreciated the sweet pickles and considered the meat good enough for an average rating. The other found the combined sweetness excessive, continuing a pattern of mixed experiences with the chain.
- Culver's served a Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mayonnaise. The sandwich looked somewhat overfried, and one reviewer received only a single pickle.
- Culver's produced respectable pepper-based heat but lacked strong flavor. The reviewers rated its spiciness approximately 5.8/10 and 4.9/10, comparing its pepperiness to country-fried steak.
- Culver's overall scores were 4/10 and 3.9/10. Although the chicken had some agreeable texture, the reviewers disliked the weak seasoning, bread, lettuce, tomato, and sparse pickles. They considered it edible but unremarkable.
- Whataburger offered a Pico de Gallo Burger as its spiciest option. This provided a change from the repeated chicken sandwiches, but it delivered essentially no heat, receiving scores of roughly 1/10 and 0/10.
- Whataburger's creamy jalapeño-style sauce was its strongest feature. The reviewers enjoyed its peppery, mayonnaise-like creaminess more than the pico de gallo itself. They found the beef underseasoned, the cheese barely noticeable, and the burger dominated by bread and buttery flavors.
- Whataburger received overall scores of 3.8/10 and 4.6/10. One reviewer estimated the burger had only about half the salt he wanted. The other acknowledged that relief from eating chicken sandwiches may have influenced his comparatively generous rating.
- Carl's Jr. served its El Diablo Burger with jalapeño poppers and additional jalapeños. The combination provided genuine heat, with the reviewers settling on approximately 4.5/10 for spiciness.
- Carl's Jr. demonstrated that a spicy burger could produce noticeable heat without becoming extreme. The reviewers suggested that major fast-food brands might deliberately limit heat to avoid alienating customers or generating complaints.
- Carl's Jr.'s burger patty was exceptionally dry, undermining an otherwise enjoyable combination of ingredients. The reviewers liked the jalapeños, bacon, and bread but believed the sandwich might actually improve without the beef. They suggested its ingredients would work better in a grilled cheese sandwich.
- Carl's Jr. received overall scores of 4/10 and 5.2/10. One reviewer appreciated the supporting flavors enough to place it slightly above average, while the other objected that the burger patty was the weakest part of a product sold as a burger.
- Church's Chicken returned after performing strongly in an earlier fried-chicken comparison. The reviewers wanted to determine whether that positive experience was repeatable.
- Church's spiciest chicken delivered mild, slowly developing pepper heat. The reviewers scored it 2.5/10 and 3/10, describing black-pepper warmth rather than sharp cayenne heat.
- Church's chicken had good salt seasoning and a savory flavor resembling chicken, salt, and MSG. It lacked a broader range of noticeable spices, but the underlying chicken tasted good.
- Church's received overall scores of 6.8/10 and 8.3/10. One reviewer found the crispy coating somewhat oily and tempura-like, while the other enjoyed a particularly juicy, well-seasoned piece with a satisfying, shattering crunch. The different portions helped explain the substantial scoring gap.
- Freddy's was removed from the competition because employees said it had no spicy menu items. The reviewers decided not to order a non-spicy substitute after spending much of the day traveling between restaurants.
- Shake Shack's only available spicy item was seasoned fries. The fries were heavily coated with cayenne-like seasoning and initially delivered a moderate warming sensation.
- Shake Shack's fries developed more noticeable heat after eating. The reviewers compared the lingering sensation to spicy Cheetos and eventually settled near 6/10 for heat, putting the fries among the spicier options tested.
- Shake Shack received mediocre overall scores of 5/10 and 4.9/10. The fries lacked sufficient crispiness and salt despite their prominent spicy seasoning. Both reviewers were disappointed, particularly because they otherwise liked the chain.
- Taco Bell's listed spicy option was a Spicy Potato Taco, which the reviewers supplemented with Diablo sauce. Even with the additional sauce, they recorded sharply different heat scores of 3.5/10 and 0.5/10.
- Taco Bell received overall scores of 2.5/10 and 2/10. Both reviewers disliked the tacos enough to abandon further discussion and move on.
- Jollibee's Spicy Chickenjoy entered the comparison with high expectations. The reviewers had enjoyed Jollibee on previous visits, although they acknowledged that the current chicken could still disappoint.
- Jollibee's Spicy Chickenjoy received matching heat scores of 5.5/10. The spicy coating was noticeably hotter than the underlying meat, and the heat lingered longer than McDonald's. One reviewer said the spice level would be too intense for his mother.
- Jollibee stood out for its seasoning, juiciness, and tenderness. The reviewers praised its umami flavor, balanced salt, and thorough cooking, noting that the meat was tender enough to fall from the bone.
- Jollibee received a rating of 9/10 from one reviewer and became the leading candidate for best overall item. The reviewers were impressed by how consistently the restaurant delivered satisfying fried chicken across visits.
- Jack in the Box served a spicy chicken sandwich with approximately 4/10 heat. The reviewers compared its seasoning to Louisiana-style dry cayenne pepper, finding a noticeable but manageable sting.
- Jack in the Box produced moist chicken with reasonable crunch, salt, and flavor. However, one reviewer detected an unpleasant bitter oil flavor and suspected that the frying oil had been reused excessively. The transcript offers this as his impression, not proof of the restaurant's oil-handling practices.
- Jack in the Box received overall scores of 6/10 and 5.2/10. The reviewers considered it an ordinary chicken sandwich made somewhat better by its spice, but not a serious contender for the top positions.
- Popeyes was the final restaurant and offered two spicy products for comparison. The reviewers tried its Signature Hot wings and a ghost-pepper chicken sandwich, intending to enter whichever tasted better into the final ranking.
- Popeyes had a history of inconsistent quality in the reviewers' previous experiences. They recalled occasions when its chicken was disappointing and others when its breading and crispiness were outstanding, making the final result difficult to predict.
- Popeyes Signature Hot wings were hotter than its ghost-pepper sandwich. The wings received heat ratings of 6/10 and 6.8/10, while the sandwich received approximately 5/10 and 4.5/10.
- Popeyes employees described the Signature Hot option as hotter than ghost pepper. The reviewers found its heat strongly cayenne-forward, with spicy oil that prolonged the burning sensation.
- Popeyes Signature Hot wings achieved a particularly effective sweet-and-spicy balance. One reviewer normally disliked sweet heat but appreciated how the sweetness moderated the pepper without overwhelming it.
- Popeyes' ghost-pepper sandwich tasted good but was less impressive than the wings. Although flavorful and visually appealing, it lacked the wings' stronger heat and more satisfying overall eating experience. Both reviewers agreed to judge the wings instead.
- Popeyes' wings were praised for crispiness, juiciness, flavor, and their addictive quality. The reviewers considered them a legitimate challenger to Jollibee because they combined strong heat with appealing fried-chicken texture.
- Popeyes lost the final competition largely because its wings were insufficiently salted. One reviewer gave them 8.9/10 and said proper salting could have justified approximately 9.5–9.6/10. The other reviewer independently deducted points for the same shortcoming.
- Jollibee won the overall best spicy fast-food item competition. Its Spicy Chickenjoy delivered the strongest combination of flavor, salt, tenderness, juiciness, and satisfying heat, narrowly defeating Popeyes.
- Popeyes was the closest competitor to Jollibee. Its Signature Hot wings impressed both reviewers enough that they considered returning, but the missing salt prevented a possible victory.
- Dave's Hot Chicken won the separate competition for the spiciest item. Its Reaper chicken was dramatically hotter than every other sampled product, with heat ratings reaching 9.5/10, but its poor texture and flavor prevented it from competing for best overall food.
- The highest heat did not correspond to the highest food-quality rating. Dave's was the clearest example: it delivered extreme spiciness while finishing at the bottom for enjoyment, whereas Jollibee and Popeyes succeeded by combining heat with good cooking.
- The reviewers found that moderate heat could be more enjoyable than excessive heat. Chick-fil-A, Jollibee, and Popeyes demonstrated how seasoning, salt, juiciness, and controlled heat could encourage continued eating rather than overwhelm the palate.
- Crispiness emerged as one of the most important differences between chicken products. The reviewers repeatedly rewarded chicken with a crunchy exterior and juicy center, while penalizing thick, chewy, oily, or insufficiently breaded coatings.
- Inconsistent preparation affected several restaurant scores. Wendy's appeared to serve different chicken portions, Chick-fil-A's breading varied, and Church's produced noticeably different textures. The reviewers acknowledged that individual servings could substantially change the experience.
- Sauces frequently carried otherwise weak fast-food products. KFC benefited from hot honey Sriracha, Whataburger from creamy jalapeño sauce, and Carl's Jr. from its jalapeños and bacon, while the underlying chicken or beef sometimes remained disappointing.
- Excessive sweetness repeatedly weakened perceived spiciness. A&W, KFC, Burger King, and particularly Pollo Campero illustrated how sweet sauces, buns, or pickles could soften heat, sometimes making an advertised spicy product taste predominantly sweet.
- Spicy marketing did not reliably indicate actual heat. Zaxby's Nuclear sauce, Taco Bell's Diablo-enhanced taco, and several jalapeño-containing burgers were considerably milder than their names or presentation suggested.
- Several fast-food restaurants offered little genuine spicy variety. The search repeatedly led to chicken sandwiches, while Shake Shack and Five Guys supplied fries, Taco Bell supplied a potato taco, and Freddy's had no qualifying spicy item.
- The competition ultimately became heavily focused on fried chicken despite its broader fast-food premise. Chicken dominated the available spicy options and produced both the overall winner, Jollibee, and the heat winner, Dave's Hot Chicken.
- The final result established two distinct winners rather than one universal champion. Jollibee was judged the best food to eat, while Dave's Hot Chicken was the most intense heat experience; Popeyes came closest to combining exceptional food quality with stronger spice.