Wendy’s is typically not the fast food place that comes to mind when I think of Italian food, but with its new Italian Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich, it must be trying to change that. I was pleasantly surprised by its heft. That’s because it consists of essentially two patties – the to-be-expected breaded chicken breast and a circular slab of fried mozzarella that is just as substantial as the meat. A slathering of marinara coats the top of the fried mozzarella, while clinging to its bottom is an additional slice of cheese (Asiago, to quote Wendy’s website, though mine was so melted that I assumed it was just surplus mozzarella oozing out from the fried hunk, and its taste didn’t do anything to make me question that assumption). Of course, there’s the bread, which, thanks again to the site, I know to describe as a “garlic knot bun.”
Unfortunately, that bun did not work for me. Flecked with ambiguous dark splotches and appearing a little jaundiced, it read more “multigrain” than “garlic.” Of course, we’ve all been taught not to judge a book by its cover, so I was willing to put my preconceived notions aside… until one bite showed me that my preconceived notions were a lot kinder than my post-conceived ones. The bun tasted stale and had an unpleasant gritty texture; the outside was as dry and flaky as it looked, and the inside was disappointingly airy. It felt like eating cardboard and tasted like, well, eating seasoned cardboard.
Tackling this sandwich from the top down brings me to some more bad news -– the sauce, about which my first thought was, “Did they accidentally give me buffalo sauce?” It was simply nothing like the rich, tomatoey red sauce I know, love, and was (quite reasonably!) expecting. This was something much harsher, tangy and vinegary, and plain weird. At least there wasn’t THAT much of it.
Thankfully, I can take off my Debbie Downer hat to talk about the fried mozzarella. The cheese was mild and melty, and while I must admit it had a strange, slightly sour aftertaste, since this is fried mozzarella, I must also add plenty of points for the perfect crunch with which the crisp breading gave way to the satisfyingly soft, luscious center.
The chicken gets a rave review from me as well. Joyously juicy, thoroughly thick, and fully flavorful, it looked, tasted, and felt like a giant chicken nugget, and I consider that to be a massive compliment.
Taking into consideration all the ingredients together, chowing down on this tall tower of meat and mozzarella felt pretty epic, mostly because the tastes of the chicken and cheese held their own admirably against the less lovely elements. There’s a lot going on with this sandwich, and I wish that all of it was equally good, but with the bummer bun and sad sauce, it’s only the hearty fillings that win my chomp of approval.
But then I thought that maybe this would be better eaten like a high school cafeteria chicken parmesan, ditching the bun and digging into chicken patty topped with the fried mozzarella and a smattering of sauce with a fork and knife. But then I realized that even a smattering of sauce would still be too unappealing. Maybe next time I’ll just order nuggets, find some other takeout joint offering a side of mozzarella sticks, and mash them together in peace. Maybe you should too.
Purchased Price: $7.19
Size: N/A
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 780 calories, 31 grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 105 milligrams of cholesterol, 2310 milligrams of sodium, 81 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of sugar, 4 grams of fiber, and 45 grams of protein.
I definitely didn’t like the tomato sauce, it wasn’t what I was expecting either. I might order it again without the sauce, then put my own choice of tomato sauce on it after I get it
Chick fila has Wendy’s beat hands down the mozzarella chick sandwich is bad nothing like it says on t v I told my daughter never order it again they really screwed up on that
They better put their heads together
An think of something else
Oh wow, it seems gross. And this is coming from someone who loved BK’s old version of that. I was back & forth about ordering the Italian Mozzarella from Wendy’s for lunch today (hadn’t seen your review yet), but ended up going with a local Mexican restaurant instead. Thank goodness for small favors.
I got both the burger and the chicken versions. The chicken version was a bit rough and I wouldn’t get it again, but the burger was actually amazing with the pairing. The chicken I’ll pass on getting again, but I’ll definitely miss it for the burger when it’s gone.
Is the chicken an actual chicken filet (like in their full size Classic Chicken Sandwich), or just a chicken “patty” like they use in their Crispy Chicken Sandwich? The smaller chicken “patty” is like nugget meat, whereas the full size chicken filet is actual chicken breast (not as processed as chicken nuggets). Sorry if this is a stupid question, and thanks for any insight!
Not a stupid question. 🙂 The reviewer didn’t word it well to make it clear which it was! It is a filet.
Thanks for the reply! I’m not a fan of the nugget-like patties, so I’m glad this is an actual chicken filet! I may have to try it now! 🙂
You’re welcome and I agree about the patties! It’s worth giving it a shot! It’s a fun sandwich and pretty decent. I personally prefer BK’s “chicken parm” like sandwich just by a hair. Try them both and see what you think!
Are you referring to the current BK Italian Royal Crispy Chicken that they have as a special? I see it in the app, looks like their chicken sandwich (with an actual filet, not their long chicken patty) with mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce. The fried mozzarella patty of the Wendy’s version seemed more unique to me, which is what interested me. But if you think the BK version is good, I might sample that as well. What do you prefer about it?
That’s actually what I was wondering too..I just ordered the combo I’m spicy so imwill let you know which kind of chicken… because the picture of the chicken right here on the !emu looks the the dad said patty lol
My husband and I tried this sandwich. They were awful. I think they put sweet & sour sauce on them instead of marinara. Yuck!!!
I JUST GOT THIS SANDWICH AS MY DINNER. IT WAS POSITIVELY AWFUL IN ALL WAYS. I TOOK 3 BITES AND THREW THE REST AWAY. THERE WAS NO MOZZARELLA IN THAT “FRIED PATTY” THING; THERE WAS NO MARINARA SAUCE OR ANY OTHER KIND OF SAUCE ON THE SANDWICH. IT WAS TOTALLY DRY. I THOUGHT OF PUTTING RANCH DRESSING OR SOMETHING ELSE ON IT SO IT WOULDN’T BE DRY, BUT I RESENT PAYING OVER SEVEN DOLLARS FOR A SANDWICH AND THEN HAVING TO MAKE IT EDIBLE MYSELF! ALSO, THE STAFF WAS RUDE TO ME. I USED TO BE A REGULAR WENDY’S CUSTOMER, BUT I WILL NEVER BE BACK TO WENDY’S AGAIN.
The chicken is the filet. I ordered mine yesterday with spicy chicken and it was really good. I didn’t get much marinara so I had to come home and add sauce, but pretty good for a fast food restaurant. I also liked burger kings yrs ago. I feel like it might be a little weird with a burger but I may try it before it leaves.
I pretty much agree with you on all points! The bun was extremely dry and that is so disappointing because if they had executed the bun well or tweaked it then they really could have had something special and unique! It sounds like across the board both Wendy’s and BK’s sandwiches are both lacking sauce from all of the reviews I’ve read.
Honestly the best part was the breaded mozzarella. Hoping that they keep that around in some iteration!
Idk where y’all got your Chicken Mozarella
but mine was very very good .hot juicy.crispy .cheesy and just the right amount of mozzarella sauce!! Tasted like it was from a upscale italian restaurant! ?
Mozzarella is cheese, not sauce. I’m Italian and pretty sure you have never been to an Italian restaurant must less a fancy one smh
thanks for the review – based on the weird bun and non tomato-y sauce I’m going to save my seven bucks and do something else.
Well, the location I went to was pretty jacked up. It was a new location but I think they had their inventory off because I didn’t have the garlic bread but a regular bun, and they gave me spicy chicken because they told me I had to wait 15 minutes for a classic chicken. The mozzarella look like it was fried twice and overall the burger just seemed like a clump of arterialsclerosis to me. Won’t be getting it again. Hate to be a negative commenter just the truth.
This sandwich was nothing like it appeared on the commercial. Very disappointing. Little sauce, dry mozzarella burger and the chicken tasted too processed. Stop with the false advertising l. Burger King had a much better similar sandwich. Terrible!!!
Tried this and the Italian Mozzarella Burger earlier this week. and based on how mine looked compared to Jenna’s pictures I get the feeling that Jenna’s Wendy’s gave her a seriously messed-up version. My marinara sauce was red and not orange, and my garlic roll bun wasn’t nearly as dark as yours, either. Both tasted really good, too! I was surprised how well the fried mozarella and marinara worked with the burger, as I expected them to pair well with the chicken but not beef.
I had one and it was horrible! Sounded good tasted terrible.!!!
I Soo Agree!
I wasn’t impressed at ALL with this one. Actually mad at myself for spending $8 on it. I could have gotten a large sub of choice at a local pizzeria for $2 more.
Worst sandwich ever. I thought the sauce tasted like BBQ sauce, not marinara. The chicken patty had more breading than chicken. Took a few bites and threw it out. Just now reading the reviews realize the one layer was burnt cheese, not good.