CHRISTMAS CHICKEN SANDWICH!!!

That’s what I would like to call Jack in the Box’s Fajita Ranch Melt.

If you look at the sandwich’s promotional photo, it screams, “CHRISTMAS!” It has red and green bell peppers, white ranch sauce, red taco sauce, white pepper jack cheese, white onions, and seasoned chicken in between a toasted sourdough bun. Seeing those colors together makes me want to sing 80s Christmas songs.

Last Christmas
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away.
This year
To save me from tears
I’ll give it to someone special.

However, in real life, the Fajita Ranch Melt doesn’t look as festive. If Jack in the Box didn’t already have a sandwich called the Hot Mess, I would’ve called this new one a hot mess. Instead, I’m going to have to say it’s messy.

It’s messy mostly because of the sourdough bun, which barely stayed intact as my mouth made its way through the sandwich. Wait. Did I say, “sourdough bun”? I meant to say, “ranch and taco sauce sponge.” Too bad the bun wasn’t also a bell pepper and onion sponge because that would’ve prevented the veggies from falling out.

For those of you familiar with Jack in the Box, you may know they offer a Chicken Fajita Pita, which is one of their “Healthy Dining Choices.” The Fajita Ranch Melt is what I wish the Chicken Fajita Pita would taste like and is nowhere close to being a “Healthy Dining Choice,” which is obvious since it has buttered buns and a creamy ranch sauce.

Speaking of the ranch sauce, it was hard for my taste buds to notice it because they were distracted by the slightly spicy taco sauce, which I didn’t mind. Surprisingly, the sauces were light enough that I could taste the ever-falling, slightly crunchy bell peppers and onions that I had to regularly stuff back into the sandwich. The easy-to-chew seasoned chicken was more like salty chicken, but the veggies, taco sauce, and melted pepper jack cheese did a great job of masking the chicken’s saltiness.

But was the Jack in the Box Fajita Ranch Melt “Clucking Delicious”?

Yes, it clucking was. It made my taste buds happy. But it would’ve been clucking better if it was called the Jack in the Box Christmas Chicken Sandwich.

(Nutrition Facts – 579 calories, 288 calories from fat, 32 grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 88 milligrams of cholesterol, 1658 milligrams of sodium, 357 milligrams of potassium, 47 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 32 grams of protein.)

Item: Jack in the Box Fajita Ranch Melt
Purchased Price: $4.99*
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Jack in the Box
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Great flavor. Taco sauce was a tasty addition. Promotional picture looks like Christmas in a bun. Bell peppers and onions surprisingly provided flavor and texture. 80s Christmas songs.
Cons: Ranch sauce wasn’t noticeable. Salty chicken. Messy sandwich. Only available in California, Idaho, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah. Not as heart healthy as Jack’s Chicken Fajita Pita. It’s not called the Christmas Chicken Sandwich.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay $3.99.