Every Burger King Chicken Item, Ranked Worst To Best

It's all in the name: Burger King is most known for its burgers. The company was founded in 1954 and has been serving up hamburgers for over 70 years. And now there are thousands of locations spread throughout the United States and around 19,000 in total worldwide. But I wanted to try some of its other menu items, specifically its entire lineup of chicken products. 

There aren't a ton of them, but there's an interesting range from sandwiches to wraps and other little tidbits. I tried them all and ranked them based on their overall flavor, texture, value, and whether they delivered what their listed ingredients promised. Some were good, while others left me wholly disappointed. Sit tight because I will give you my brutally honest thoughts on the 10 things I tried, but by the end, you'll have a clear idea of which items to purchase and which ones to skip.

To find the best, we must work our way from the bottom, and the chicken fries are easily the worst of everything I tried from this chicken lineup. They taste dry and bland, with a somewhat hard texture that makes them feel like they've been sitting around for a few days — and maybe that's the case. Perhaps I got a bad batch, because it was deemed an iconic fast-food item by another writer. 

Because of said ranking, I was very interested in trying them, but they totally let me down. Not only are the flavor and texture subpar, but the price is also very high. I got the 8-piece, and it costs almost a dollar per little unsatisfying stick, which seems absurd given the price of another item I will talk about later. Granted, the value gets a little better if you buy the 12-piece, but the 4-piece is over a dollar per "fry." This is also supposed to come with a dipping sauce, but nobody asked me about it, and I didn't receive one. I'm sure it'd be more flavorful and moist with a sauce, but I wasn't judging any of the items based on sauces. Therefore, this gets 10th place.

I'm a little torn about where to place this Royal Crispy Wrap, since it has some value going for it, but overall, I feel like some minor problems are holding it back. First, I found the flavor boring. The item includes a white meat breast fillet, Royal sauce, tomato, lettuce, and a tortilla. These ingredients are all fine, and I have no major issues. It's just a bit basic and not something I'd go out of my way to get at Burger King. 

The chicken piece is thick yet too small for the wrap; the tortilla mainly swamps it. There's a good amount of lettuce, but it ultimately isn't filling or enticing enough for me to recommend it. The Royal Crispy Wrap is leagues better than the chicken fries, but I wouldn't feel inspired to order it again. The wrap didn't fare too well in a fast food wrap ranking either. I'd prefer a different wrap flavor instead (which I'll mention shortly). This wrap is small, but I can understand that, given the price. 

Next up, we have the Original Chicken Sandwich. This includes a long, thin-ish piece of breaded chicken, lettuce, and mayonnaise housed inside a sesame seed bun. The price is jarring for something so basic; not to mention, it seems closer in texture to a chicken nugget than a whole breast, which further makes the price seem high. Then the seeded bun feels slightly old. 

There's nothing in here that tastes or appears compelling. Unfortunately, prices are rising across the board at the time of writing, so I can't blame this solely on Burger King, but the flavor and value aren't there. If this were an amazing product, I could justify shelling out the dough. But as it is, this is a bit drab and needs a dipping sauce or something to give it some life. 

There's a reason it ranked so low among other fast-food chicken sandwiches: I wouldn't recommend it. I think the proportions are a bit better, and the rich mayo adds some flavor and textural intrigue, giving it the edge over the Royal Crispy Wrap. A McChicken from McDonald's is a better deal if you want a similar product, though. You could attempt a DIY chicken parm (one of BK's secret menu items) by ordering mozzarella fries and getting some marinara dip.

Let's bounce back to the wraps. The Fiery Buffalo Royal Crispy Wrap has everything the previous wrap had, but this time we get a triple pepper spicy glaze. This glaze provides a lick of heat, kind of like you sprinkled on a dusting of chili powder, but I wouldn't call it fiery. What's in the "spicy" glaze, you may ask? It has pepper, paprika, and natural flavor. The latter of which I have to assume is part of the "triple pepper" flavor since nothing else seems to fit the bill. 

And, respectively, none of these is very spicy. That said, the light spices of the pepper and paprika offer the most flavorful dimension of anything I've talked about so far, which helps it rank above the Original Chicken Sandwich. I'd like to see more of the glaze on the chicken, but it wouldn't rank much higher even if it had it. Sorry, BK, but black pepper isn't enough to call a dish spicy — ah, sorry, "fiery."

I think the honey mustard sauce is more effective at offering flavor than the fiery glaze in the wraps. It's a bit wetter, yes, which isn't great for the texture, but the flavor is more noticeable. You can visibly see the amount of sauce pooling onto the tortilla, whereas nothing else so far had much that one could spot with the naked eye. 

 It has a complex, sweet, and tangy flavor that you can taste in every bite. This makes all the difference and is more effective overall than the fiery glaze. Other than that, the components are the same, so I can't tell you anything new that I haven't said before. I like that the honey mustard provides a dressing-like touch, so it feels like a chicken salad wrap. I could see myself stopping by Burger King for one of these, given the flavor and price. If it were any more expensive, though, I would opt not to get it again.

You can't go wrong with chicken nuggets, and Burger King's are surprisingly pretty tasty. Would I venture out just to grab them? It depends, but they're effectively the best out of anything so far. The breading is crisp, while the chicken interior has a slight chewiness that makes it compelling to eat. The flavor alone is good enough to rank highly, and, of course, you can enhance it with sauces, which I chose not to do.

The value is compelling, and since it's the same price as the honey mustard wrap, I'd prefer to buy the nuggets over it. BK's chicken nuggets aren't fast food's best, but they aren't at the bottom of the barrel either. I can safely say they're mid-tier, and this sentiment is reiterated in our chicken nugget ranking. I like the comfort factor and general familiar flavor of chicken nuggets, so I could see myself ordering it over the wrap based purely on that. Plus, given that these are similar to the chicken fries, the price, flavor, and execution are much better. An 8-piece chicken nuggets costs around half the price of the chicken fries. If you're torn between the two or any other item so far, get the nuggets.

The Royal Crispy Chicken is easily the most gourmet offering out of anything so far. It looks nice and has the best chicken base. Here, we get actual white meat chicken breast rather than a ground chicken-like substance that comes with a chewy texture. The chicken remains at the center of the flavor, particularly since it's so thick and hefty. The crispiness wanes after a minute or two, and I notice the breading fully peeling off due to the moisture sticking to the bun. 

The bare bones savory sauce, tomato, and lettuce give it some dimension. The lettuce is particularly crisp and slightly wet, which might also contribute to the moisture levels. However, the Royal Crispy Chicken has the highest price out of all the previous items, so that's the biggest qualm. Other than that, it delivers a solid chicken sandwich experience. Perhaps jalapeños could jazz it up — asking for them is one of many BK ordering hacks customers should be aware of.

Now we have the Chicken Jr., which is basically a breaded chicken sandwich with lettuce, mayo, and a sesame bun. It doesn't offer anything we haven't seen in the previous options, but somehow it has a comforting taste and a fantastic price to boot. It's the same price as the nuggets and wraps, so I'd consider it the best-value item on this list. It seems familiar and doesn't try to be fancy.

The chicken has more of a ground chicken texture than a full-on breast, unlike the Royal Crispy Chicken offering. Even so, the ground chicken works because the price supports it. Yes, it's smaller than the Original Chicken Sandwich, but it comes at a fraction of the price. This would be ideal when you need a quick bite to eat but don't want to pay chain-restaurant prices. As you might gather, I'm not incredibly impressed with BK's chicken offerings, but we're definitely making some progress.

The Spicy Royal Crispy Chicken is one of the better-tasting and looking options I tried from Burger King. This has a white meat breast with a crispy breading, a fiery triple pepper glaze (we meet again), a savory sauce, lettuce, tomato, and a toasted potato bun. The elements work nicely and create a thick, filling sandwich, and the flavors and textures are the best yet. The chicken is hefty with a crispy, peppery exterior, while the soft, scrumptious bun creates a textural contrast. 

Again, it's not too spicy, but enough to distinguish itself from the classic Royal Crispy Chicken. All those positives aside, Popeyes offers a similar product at around half the price. You can get a full-on combo with a drink and fries for 50 cents more than Burger King's standalone sando. Therefore, I would easily go to Popeyes instead; plus, I think its breading is much more appealing and flavorful. However, I can admit that BK's chicken is quite pleasant, with a nice, thick, breaded piece — certainly better than the plain Royal Crispy or the Chicken Jr.

At the top of the list is the best-tasting of the bunch: Bacon and Swiss Royal Crispy Chicken. The reason it reaches the highest spot is that it has the most flavor — regardless of price, appearances, or any other qualities. After consuming all 10 items one after another, they all started to blend, so the slightly tangy, nutty notes of Swiss cheese and the salty, smoky bacon really stand out from a sea of mayo-only offerings. That said, it's kind of light on the bacon. So, yes, it's the best. But ... I'll be honest, I'm not too pleased with the price. 

It's the most expensive out of everything. I doubt I'd run to Burger King just to get this either, since there are other chicken chains and options out there (like the aforementioned Popeyes), or even Carl's Jr. has a cheaper spicy chicken sandwich option. I don't think flavor alone justifies driving to BK (with expensive gas, mind you) just to get it. But hey, the fact is that the flavor truly trumps anything on this list. I tried it fresh, and about half an hour later, it still had the most depth. Again, I like the bun and the chicken, but the added titular ingredients make all the difference without any additional sauce or condiments. If I had to recommend one chicken item to you, it'd be this one. Out of everything I tried, I ate the most of this one and enjoyed it the most, too.

I purchased everything in one visit and tried each item one after the other, taking a couple of bites of each, working my way through, and then doing it again. I didn't use any dipping sauce to avoid altering the flavor, but I'm sure it would be more satisfactory. To rank these, I critiqued them on their overall flavor, which includes the overarching flavor, the freshness of the ingredients, how the ingredients work together, etc., and if it was balanced or if something was overpowering. 

As far as texture, I was looking for crisp breaded chicken, fresh ingredients, soft bun, etc. Value initially wasn't going to factor in, but as I started eating and looking at the receipt, it seemed like a vital component. I don't include exact pricing because it may vary by location. Still, I added insights and comparisons only where they're helpful or where they compare to similar offerings. If anything had a major issue, it ranks lower. Higher-ranking items were more pleasant and balanced. 

Generally, I wasn't too impressed; even some of the higher-ranking items seemed expensive for what I received. I doubt I'd go to BK just to pick one of these up unless there was some offer. I prefer the flame-grilled burgers (although the brand's cheeseburger didn't rank very high in my fast food chain cheeseburger ranking either).