{"id":18387,"date":"2015-04-24T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-04-24T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/?p=18387"},"modified":"2023-08-25T20:36:00","modified_gmt":"2023-08-26T06:36:00","slug":"review-wendys-jalapeno-fresco-chicken-sandwich","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2015\/04\/24\/review-wendys-jalapeno-fresco-chicken-sandwich\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: Wendy’s Jalape\u00f1o Fresco Chicken Sandwich"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Wendy's<\/a><\/p>\n

My first experience with a Wendy\u2019s was, surprisingly, only a few years ago.<\/p>\n

I would have tried it earlier – hell, I would have been inhaling Dave’s delicious cheeseburgers through a straw, if the laws of physics allowed – if not for my mother\u2019s utter disdain of the establishment.<\/p>\n

Whenever I asked if we could eat there, she never failed to go off on the familiar rant – flashback to her adolescent years. A new Wendy\u2019s was opening up within bus distance of her house, and she was ecstatic to finally try their fabled burgers. She walked in and out within a minute, food in hand.<\/p>\n

Immediately she knew that something was up – if it wasn\u2019t her burger\u2019s pungent smell, it was perhaps the meat, with its usual square shape, as well as a not-as-usual green hue, that threw her off. Regardless, she plunged in for a bite, curiosity getting the best of her.<\/p>\n

This is where she likes to conclude her story, glossing over the (presumably) nauseating aftermath of her outing. Needless to say, she wasn\u2019t exactly keen on ever going back to a Wendy\u2018s again, and she simply refused to subject me to their inherent misdoings as a company. For years, I was physically barred from ever trying Wendy\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, since I no longer need my mom to take me to places, I was able to try out Wendy’s new Jalape\u00f1o Fresco Chicken Sandwich!<\/p>\n

Look, I love Wendy\u2019s – their aforementioned cheeseburgers, their Frostys (or Frosties? Both spellings look weird to my eyes. Let\u2018s just go with Frostteez), and everything in between. Few nationwide fast food joints have earned my undying admiration and respect (Shoutout to Carl\u2019s Jr.\/Hardee\u2018s, despite their goofy mascot) and Wendy\u2019s is definitely at the top of the heap.<\/p>\n

And I love a good, hot kick to my foods, so I was more than happy to tackle this unholy chicken sandwich.<\/p>\n

\"Wendy's<\/a><\/p>\n

When I opened up the little cardboard box, the first thing I noticed was an angry, saucy smell – reminiscent of nacho cheese, but not as artificial. This, it turned out, was the bright-orange ghost pepper sauce, which drowned the chicken breast with its oozing essence. <\/p>\n

That’s good news for me, because the sauce was delicious and one of the most interesting additions to a fast food sandwich I\u2019ve ever had. <\/p>\n

It was fascinating because it seemed to both heat, then immediately cool down my mouth. I don\u2019t know what the flavor scientists at Wendy\u2019s were doing when they stumbled upon this one, but their creation is one that complements the surrounding ingredients.<\/p>\n

\"Wendy's<\/a><\/p>\n

And speaking of those surrounding ingredients, the diced jalape\u00f1os were another standout. They added a nice textural contrast, while providing a different sort of flavor and heat in comparison to the ghost pepper sauce.<\/p>\n

The sliced onions were firm and crisp. And of course, there’s the breaded chicken breast, which was huge, crispy, juicy, spicy in its own right (comparatively spicier than most \u201cspicy\u201d chicken fillets I\u2019ve had at other fast food places), and gets no complaints from this guy.<\/p>\n

According to the Wendy\u2019s website, this sandwich also contains \u201cColby pepper jack cheese\u201d, which…really? I\u2019m normally a pretty avid cheese aficionado, but there was absolutely no need for it here. It added nothing to this sandwich. What a waste of cheese!<\/p>\n

\"Wendy's<\/a><\/p>\n

Lastly, there’s the red jalape\u00f1o bun. I took a nibble of it and it definitely had a light kick, but when eaten with the rest of the sandwich, its flavor got lost among the other spicy parts of the sandwich. I understand Wendy\u2019s intentions – when they say spicy, they MEAN spicy – but the bun was a bit of a disappointment.<\/p>\n

Nitpicking aside, this was perhaps my favorite Wendy\u2019s sandwich since their pretzel bun stuff a while back. God, I miss those pretzel buns. I’m so impressed with it that I\u2019ll definitely be going back for seconds.<\/p>\n

Take that, Mom!<\/p>\n

(Nutrition Facts – 580 calories, 29 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 90 milligrams of cholesterol, 1390 milligrams of sodium, 51 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of sugar, 3 grams of fiber, and 32 grams of protein..)<\/small><\/p>\n

Item:<\/b> Wendy’s Jalape\u00f1o Fresco Chicken Sandwich
\nPurchased Price:<\/b> $5.49
\nSize:<\/b> N\/A
\nPurchased at:<\/b> Wendy’s
\nRating:<\/b> 8 out of 10
\nPros:<\/b> Ghost pepper sauce is the delicious star of this thing. Balance of different flavors and textures. Carl’s Jr.
\nCons:<\/b> I’m still pissed about the uselessness of the cheese. Mothers banning their children from eating tasty hamburgers. Seriously, what kind of mascot is a star with sunglasses?!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My first experience with a Wendy\u2019s was, surprisingly, only a few years ago. I would have tried it earlier – hell, I would have been inhaling Dave’s delicious cheeseburgers through a straw, if the laws of physics allowed – if not for my mother\u2019s utter disdain of the establishment. Whenever I asked if we could […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1440],"tags":[1477,1526],"class_list":["post-18387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-fast-food","tag-wendys"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13526,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2012\/09\/25\/news-wendys-to-roll-out-bacon-portabella-melt-in-october\/","url_meta":{"origin":18387,"position":0},"title":"NEWS: Wendy’s To Roll Out Bacon Portabella Melt in October","author":"Marvo","date":"September 25, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Wendy's is on a roll! And that roll is coming up with new sandwiches that are new, but kind of not new. For example, a couple of months ago, Wendy's introduced the Son of Baconator, which was just a smaller Baconator. And now Wendy's will soon offer the Bacon Portabella\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fast Food News"","block_context":{"text":"Fast Food News","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/fast-food-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Wendy's: Bag Logo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm3.staticflickr.com\/2760\/4161578554_eb8edbfe10.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":17994,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2015\/01\/27\/fast-food-news-wendys-bacon-and-blue-on-brioche\/","url_meta":{"origin":18387,"position":1},"title":"FAST FOOD NEWS: Wendy’s Bacon and Blue on Brioche","author":"Marvo","date":"January 27, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Some of you are probably looking at Wendy's Bacon and Blue on Brioche and thinking to yourself, \"Hey! Didn't Wendy's already have a Bacon and Blue Burger?\" Yes, knowledgeable fast food fan, you are correct. In 2010, Wendy's offered their Bacon and Blue Burger that featured a beef patty topped\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fast Food News"","block_context":{"text":"Fast Food News","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/fast-food-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Wendy s Bacon and Blue on Brioche","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Wendys-Bacon-and-Blue-on-Brioche.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Wendys-Bacon-and-Blue-on-Brioche.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Wendys-Bacon-and-Blue-on-Brioche.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":20945,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2016\/12\/07\/fast-food-news-daves-cherry-cream-soda-only-at-wendys\/","url_meta":{"origin":18387,"position":2},"title":"FAST FOOD NEWS: Dave’s Cherry Cream Soda Only at Wendy’s","author":"Marvo","date":"December 7, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Long time Impulsive Buy reader Rich sent us this photo of a Coca-Cola Freestyle machine offering regular and diet versions of Dave's Cherry Cream Soda at a Wendy's location in Cincinnati. As you can see on the screen, the flavor is a Wendy's exclusive. There currently isn't any information about\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fast Food News"","block_context":{"text":"Fast Food News","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/fast-food-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dave's Cherry Cream Soda Only at Wendy's","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5717\/31478300995_677ffa6c6b_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":17041,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2014\/06\/13\/review-wendys-steakhouse-jr-cheeseburger-deluxe\/","url_meta":{"origin":18387,"position":3},"title":"REVIEW: Wendy\u2019s Steakhouse Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe","author":"Matt","date":"June 13, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"When it comes to burgers, Wendy\u2019s can be rather unorthodox. We\u2019ve seen pretzels for buns, burgers topped with foie gras, even \u201crenegade\u201d burgers named after dinosaurs. With their latest twist on the hamburger, Wendy\u2019s hopes to bring down the house. The steak house. For a limited time only, Wendy\u2019s restaurants\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Wendy's Steakhouse Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3908\/14224843150_6339439b19.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":32064,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2018\/10\/09\/fast-food-news-wendys-sawesome-bacon-classic\/","url_meta":{"origin":18387,"position":4},"title":"FAST FOOD NEWS: Wendy’s S’Awesome Bacon Classic","author":"Marvo","date":"October 9, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"This time last year, Wendy's rolled out a new dipping sauce to go with its revamped chicken tenders. That sauce, a Side of S'Awesome, is now a condiment on Wendy's newest burger. Wendy's S'Awesome Bacon Classic comes with a 1\/4 lb. beef patty, three strips of Applewood-smoked bacon, American cheese,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fast Food News"","block_context":{"text":"Fast Food News","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/fast-food-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/S_Awesome_Wendys.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/S_Awesome_Wendys.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/S_Awesome_Wendys.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":44197,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2020\/06\/11\/spotted-pringles-baconator\/","url_meta":{"origin":18387,"position":5},"title":"SPOTTED: Pringles Baconator","author":"Marvo","date":"June 11, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Update: We tried it! Click here to read our review. Pringles and Wendy's have teamed up to create the new limited edition Pringles Baconator. If you're not familiar with the burger that's been on the Wendy's menu board since 2007, it's a 1\/2 pound of beef, American cheese, six pieces\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Spotted on Shelves"","block_context":{"text":"Spotted on Shelves","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/spotted-on-shelves\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/News-Pringles-Baconator.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/News-Pringles-Baconator.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/News-Pringles-Baconator.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/News-Pringles-Baconator.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/News-Pringles-Baconator.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18387"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18387\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}