What is Jack in the Box’s Popcorn Chicken?
Well, it’s popcorn chicken from Jack in the Box. They’re bite-sized, breaded pieces of 100% all-white meat chicken that’s available in Classic and Spicy flavors. Every order comes with your choice of dipping sauce, and it comes in a container with a fun design that I’ll be adding to my fast food packaging collection that my son will inherit someday and promptly throw away.
How is it?
My order of Spicy Popcorn Chicken looks either spicy or burnt, but after eating a few, it’s definitely the former.
Its flavor reminds me of Jack’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich, but more intense and, maybe, slightly more heat. It tastes fine sans sauce, but I preferred to dip them into the ranch and honey mustard sauces I asked for.
But if I decided to order Jack’s Popcorn Chicken again, I’d go with the Classic one. Both varieties are good, but my taste buds seem to be drawn more to the golden brown ones.
Its breading is seasoned enough that I ended up mostly eating it without a dipping sauce. The chicken was surprisingly juicy with the meatier pieces, although the ones I ate at the bottom of the container weren’t as much.
Is there anything else you need to know?
Both varieties have a pleasant crunchy exterior that I wish Jack’s Chicken Nuggets had.
The Popcorn Chicken is available a la carte or as part of a combo box with double the chicken, small fries, and a small drink. The box has a suggested price of $4.99, but I bought it a la carte for $5.99 (the combo sells for $7.99 here on this rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean).
Don’t be like me and order it separately. Get the box. It’s worth it since it comes with double the chicken. The container may have a fun design, but it’s on the smallish side.
Conclusion:
I enjoyed Jack in the Box’s Popcorn Chicken more than its nuggets, which I find to be subpar when compared with McDonald’s and Wendy’s offerings. So give it a try, but get the combo box.
Purchased Price: $5.99 each*
Size: N/A
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Classic), 7 out of 10 (Spicy)
Nutrition Facts: Classic – 260 calories, 9 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 1120 milligrams of
sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 17 grams of protein. Spicy – 260 calories, 1 gram of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 3 grams of trans fat**, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 1290 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 18 grams of protein.
*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.
**I’m pretty sure the fat numbers for the Spicy one, taken from Jack in the Box’s website prior to publication, are incorrect.
Jack in the Box's Spicy Popcorn Chicken features pieces of white-meat chicken that are battered and breaded with a spicy seasoning, and then deep-fried.
I paid $3.99 for an order.
The shell on these are of more granular with a light amount of craggy surfaces rather than flaky. There was a decent crunch to it without any of overly hard bits. As with their limited-time Spicy Chicken Strips, there's a lot more seasoned flavor to the breading versus the Classic Popcorn Chicken along with a strong dose of spicy heat. Where the Classic version cries for sauce, these are perfectly enjoyable on their own.
The chicken inside was moist on the larger pieces and, understandably, a little dry on the smaller pieces.
As with the Classic Popcorn Chicken, there was a far amount of variance regarding the size of the pieces where a few big pieces would qualify as boneless "wings," while others would hardly count as chicken at all.
Taken all together, Jack in the Box's Spicy Popcorn Chicken turned out pretty well with a good amount of flavor, a medium amount of heat, and a poppable, bite-sized form factor.
Nutritional Info - Jack in the Box Spicy Popcorn Chicken (130g)
Calories - 260 (from Fat - 90)
Fat - 10g (Saturated Fat - 1.5g)
Sodium - 1290mg
Carbs - 24g (Sugar - 1g)
Protein - 18g