Wendy's Cajun Crunch Spicy Chicken Sandwich Review

These days we get so wrapped up in our favorite digital advertisements on our phones, computers, tablets, televisions, and kitchen appliances, that sometimes we forget to go outside and receive advertising the old fashioned way. I know the kids don't believe in legacy media, but sometimes it just feels good to remind yourself that "We live in a society world!" and go outside to touch grass view print advertising!

Recently, while doing my second favorite activity--driving car / creating traffic--I was blessed with a vision sent from above. Approximately 20 feet above. When I espied the glorious 672 square feet of prime location billboard proclaiming: "NEW CAJUN CRUNCH" at Wendy's. I almost puked from excitement.

The blue to red gradient (while not quite bi-sexual lighting) reminds you that this is sandwich for everyone, no matter your favorite sports team or political views. Or maybe it's supposed to be evocative of the French Flag, honoring their influence in Creole cuisine.

(Can we talk about how irresponsible it is to put a sign like this in a place where people drive? I'm not saying it's anyone's fault, but you shouldn't drive your car at 50mph into the back of my someone else's car causing a six car pile-up just because I someone hard stopped in the middle of the road to bask in the glory of a 32 foot wide perfectly crisp golden battered spicy chicken sandwich topped with pepper jack cheese, Cajun crispy onions, lettuce, pickles, and a spicy mustard spread).

After faking a pretty bad neck injury for insurance reasons and calling the police, I started texting (not while driving! #X) everyone I know to share the good news. Finding out about this new fast food sandwich has been the most exciting thing to happen to me since discovering Rap Snacks.

Make 'em say "uuuunnnghhhabhalbhpbbbbff"

However, instead of driving straight to Wendy's for instant gratification (I wasn't hungry, sorry, sue me!) I pulled off into a parking lot and used my smart phone to find out more information immediately. I guess that's a different type of instant gratification, if you think about it--except I wasn't gratificationalized with what I discovered! 

[Suspense filled pause as the reader wonders what the author has discovered]

What I read, which deflated my expectations significantly, is that the sandwich was a standard spicy chicken filet. They did not develop a new Cajun spice blend for the chicken! Nor even a powder to sprinkle on top; which could also be used to create Cajun fries--which they do not offer (a huge missed opportunity IMHO)! I mean, why shouldn't I just go to Popeye's at this point? 

You already got a sneak peak of the special ingredients in the text above. This is a standard Wendy's Spicy Chicken sandwich but it also has:

• Pepper Jack cheese (spicy, but not Cajun)
• Cajun crispy onions (the only "Cajun" ingredient)
• Lettuce (standard sandwich ingredient (do I need to link to a Woke Article about Wendy's labor practices when it comes to their produce?))
• Pickles (arguably "Southern" in theme, but also fairly ubiquitous in sandwiches)
• Spicy mustard spread (I don't have any additional info about this topping)

(I don't read below this part, it's usually just a bunch of random websites)

 

 

Well so the air is out of my balloon, but I'm still curious to try this new sandwich offering from my girlfriend's restaurant (the anime mascot, not the real woman whom I respect as an autonomous person with every right to live free from unsolicited impositions, implied or otherwise, made by handsome blog authors (redundant)).

Getting The Food (Wendy's Cajun Crunch Spicy Chicken Sandwich Combo Meal (<--SEO Robots Crawl This))

It's a few or more days later and I'm starting to become nervous about how long this Limited Time Special Edition sandwich will stick around. Probably all summer, or until Mr. Beast announces a competing Cajun chicken sandwich and re-ignites the Great Chicken Sandwich Wars of 2019. So one evening while I'm driving around to test out the new gasoline I just put into my car (I had to use a new gas station because they tore "mine" down, and I wanted to make sure they had good gas at this new one too (and luckily it was one of the gas stations that plays loud video advertisements at the pump so I could continue learning about products and services while waiting for the fuel to dispense (would people be interested in reading gas and/or gas station reviews?))).

Yeah and I'm driving, gee whiz isn't it great to be a nation of automobiles? And I think, tonight is the night for Wendy's CCSCS. Now I'm in a bit of a Wendy's desert ever since the scourge arm of the Plandemic swept across our fair city. In many ways the world changed forever (citation needed). It might be healthier to speculate or write about this topic in a separate, non-public forum. Unless...No, so I'm driving MILES!! (2.4mi) to the nearest Wendy's so that I can finally taste the BIG EASY BIG SPICY (not my words, that's how Wendy's is tagging it). 

It's a little late in the evening for dinner. Think 7:30-8PM range (Europeans, that's 19.30-20.00). And I only mention this because sometimes food quality can suffer during a restaurant's off-peak hours. Like, do you ever go to a Chipotle during not-lunch (12-1) or not-dinner (5:30-6:30) and they're just scraping crusty or soggy scraps out of their buckets, and they're out of a couple of the meats, and the cheese, and the guac, and they're down to 2 employees in the whole building for the shift? And you look at the situation and either resign yourself to a subpar meal because hey you're already there, or shake your head and leave while mumbling and cussing under your breath and just go home and eat a slice of bread or two and go to bed early? That ever happen to you?

The Drive-Thru

There's only one car in front of me. You guessed it, it's a beautiful champagne colored mid-2000's era Honda Civic with a loose part in the exhaust system making a noise that a car enthusiast might describe as a rattle. I'm not car-shaming this guy, I'm world-building. For I, too, am in a post-prime vehicle (but the new gasoline seems to be combusting wonderfully if you happen to care).

Sometimes it's nice to have a couple cars in front of you, so you have time to study the menu. In the age of apps it's a wonder they still have one at all. I should have majored in Drive Thru Theory in college, it's such an interesting topic. They don't want you looking at it (the menu board), they want you to feel rushed so that you just order the big thing they're promoting up front. It's why they put it around a bend, so you can't see it until it's time to make a decision. And then, not wanting to hold up the line, you stammer "uh um yeah um just gimme the uh crunchy Cajun combo, make it medium, and uh with a Sprite please."

And then you realize that no one is listening. The friendly voice that just said "Welcome to Wendy's may I take your order" was just a recording and the lone woman inside the store is frantically trying to fulfill the previous guest's order and run the cash register and work the drive thru radio. And she's got to take her gloves off to handle the money and put new ones on to handle the food. And, no one wants to work these days, she thinks (she's a little older, and the problem is these youths, she thinks) but really it's so the store can save a few bucks on staff. "You're management track," the district manager lies to Cheryl to make her feel better about the amount of responsibility they heap upon her without an equal increase in pay. 

"Ho'd on a minnit! I be right with youu" (how do you type this in a Kentucky style accent?) Cheryl interrupts the pre-recorded voice of the market-tested Platonic ideal of a Wendy's cashier that I already ignored. Then a mysterious third voice tells me to go ahead with my order and is also cut off mid-sentence as Cheryl comes back on to verify "you said with a Sprite?"

"Yes please" (Oh dangit, I forgot they also have special limited edition Tangerine Twist Lemonade right now, should I cancel the Sprite and get that instead? No it's too late just stick with the Sprite) 

"Anythang else?"

"No thanks" (I should have asked for napkins and ketchup. They never give those to you anymore, though, even when you specifically ask for them. I'd only use maybe 2 ketchup packs anyways, then put the rest in a drawer or plastic storage container with the rest of the soy sauce and salsa packets, and then throw them away in a couple years, but that's not the point)

"$10.48, pull around"

My brain: TEN DOLLARS FOR A MEDIUM COMBO MEAL AT WENDY'S??

You don't have to read this part. It's just that contrary to appearances from what you might read on here, I don't actually go get fast food that much. And so every time I go, I'm shocked about how much has changed. Namely, it's a worse product for more money. Just like everything else these days, amirite? And this has been compounded through the dynamic synergies between inflation, corporate greed, and all of these rare once-in-a-lifetime events that seem to keep happening and which change the world forever (do we have a source for this claim yet?).  

I pull around to the only window and hand Cheryl my magic plastic card, she hands it back after a moment (no receipt given so that I cannot prove this visit, or complain to the number at the bottom if it is unsatisfactory). Cheryl hands me what appears to be a very large Sprite. I don't need this much soda pop, I barely want any. I just ordered Medium size combo to get the larger size of french fries. (I think if I had used the app, or the indoors self-serve touchscreens I could have customized my order to be a bigger fries without a bigger drink). Cheryl passes me the bag, and it feels suspiciously light. Not like anything is missing, but I expected it to weigh more based on the size of the sandwich on the billboard. Yeah, no, I'm not that dumb; I don't think it's a 32ft sandwich in the bag. It just doesn't have the heft that you'd expect to feel in a Premium Limited Edition Sandwich.

Bag Fries

Do Zoomers even know what bag fries are? You see, kids, back in the day, the apathetic underpaid teenage, uh, kids like yourself, uhh wage laborers highly valued associates at fast food restaurants used to heap mounds of extra fries into the container and let all of the overflow fall into your food bag. So you'd get all these bonus French fries at the bottom of your bag, it was awesome! But then they stopped doing that, and stopped giving you an inch of napkins, and a fistful of condiment packets. Because, hey, The Mackenzie Group pointed out that our company was losing millions of dollars per year. We need to protect our profits. We have C-Suite bonuses to consider, after all. 

"That sounds like over-consumption. Why would you expect more than you pay for anyways, check your privilege. Don't you know those oils are bad for you? I actually focus on ingredient based meals at home so I don't know about that kind of stuff" -- A Zoomer, probably.

So alas no bag fries, but nothing hits quite like a fresh hot French fry. Potatoes didn't have to go this hard! (You're right, that feels shoe-horned. Would it be better if I said fresh hot fries slap?) I'm sneaking fries is what I'm saying. I'm not waiting until I get home. You can't not sneak some fries. The quality deteriorates so rapidly if allowed to cool too much. You have to value the temperature of the food and eat it when it's at its peak.

This is the first sign of trouble--a harbinger of inevitable disappointment.

The French Fries are not quite right. There's something off about them. Too starchy? Too...something. Je ne sais quois. (Wendy's Marketing Executive: Come try fresh hot Wendy's French fries--the indescribable taste that will leave you speechless!). 

I think it might have something to do with their French fry technology restructuring that occurred as a result of the "Door-Dashification" of American dining habits. (caused by a once in a lifetime event that forever left it's mark upon this world). I might be misremembering and am unable to "do my own research" at the moment (lazy, deadlines), but didn't Wendy's start spraying their fries with a special SAFE TO CONSUME FOOD BASED ADDITIVE so that the fries endured more enduringly in the bag to survive longer car trips in the UberEats passenger seat? Because people were complaining more about the fries being bad when the GrubHub arrived? That is, if the Postmates driver didn't already help themselves to 20% of the fries on the drive over (consider it a tip!). [Editor's note: More info about Wendy's French fries changes here]

Sandwich Time

This is what we're all here for. How is the dang sandwich? Is it Cajun? Is it Crunch? Is it Spicy? Is it Chicken? Is it Sandwich?

Let me begin with a few photographic images unveiling this masterpiece of creation:

The official press release photo of W'sCCSCS, for comparison

First unwrapping

Bird's eye view

Under the hood

The Bite cross-section

As you can see in the high quality, well-lit, mobile phone photographs, the actual sandwich is nearly identical to the promotional image published by Wendy's. I'm just kidding around of course. This looks terrible. And let me remind you, it's TINY! (**extremely gentle voice** Hey buddy, tiny for a Premium Sandwich, and it's okay some women like smaller sandwiches and don't mind if they look kinda nasty)

Ingredients

It looks like they're all there in some respect. You got the Spicy Chicken filet. Melted PJ Cheese. Generous to call that lettuce. A couple pickles. There's a sauce on it. And the star of the show, some crispy onions, supposedly Cajun in flavor. Bun of course. So I am confident to say: Yes, this is Sandwich. And reasonably well assured that also: Yes, this is Chicken.

Flavor

Is it Spicy? About as much as a standard Spicy Chicken Sandwich from Wendy's. Which can be hit or miss, but trend on the lower end of the Scoville scale. So, compared to un-breaded un-seasoned plain  boiled chicken: Yes, this is Spicy. And I think most of that comes from the chicken breading. I should have individually tested the mustard and onion straws to see if either had spice. Alas.

Amazingly, some of the onion straws retain their crunch amidst the surrounding soggy ingredients. And there's a bit of crunch inherent to the fried chicken filet. I will say: Yes, this is Crunch, not much, but as appropriate for a sandwich. If you desire more crunch then maybe you are better off eating a snack item like corn nuts.

Cajun?

Sadly there is nothing particularly Cajun flavored about this. Maybe I don't even know what Cajun flavor really means, it's more of a vibe. Let me look it up.

According to allrecipes-dot-com the spices involved in a Cajun blend are "black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika. For different flavors, some Cajun spice mixes include salt, mustard powder, chile peppers, or cumin."

Cajun ingredients according to ALL RECIPES

The spices in the Cajun Crispy Onions

I just want to take a moment aside to acknowledge how terrible "blogger.com" is as a blogging platform. Does Google even still support this arm of their business? Composing, formatting, and editing are all very janky.

The seasoning listed for Wendy's Cajun Crispy onions are: Salt, Paprika [Color], Chili Pepper, Garlic Powder, Spices (what??? this could be anything!!!), Onion Powder. 

So there are some overlapping ingredients between these Cajun spices. Enough that I'm willing to say that: Yes, the Onion Straws are Cajun. BUT! I don't think it's enough of a flavor profile to call the whole sandwich Cajun!

Adjuncts

Cheese. Yes yes, the pepper jack cheese adds some spice. I forgot to mention that earlier. Cheese on chicken is a little strange as a concept, but it seems to work in sandwich form. Pepper jack is probably the most appropriate choice for this sandwich. Any mild melty cheese would have worked to round out the mouthfeel and flavor profile.

Lettuce. My sandwich had the whitest limpest shreds of lettuce you could imagine. And you gotta think that it's pretty standard. Look at how green the lettuce is in the promo image, it's so green it might even be a different variety than iceberg. 

Pickles. Pretty good. Nice flavor and crunch. It's very Southern Chicken Sandwich coded. Again, I don't know if it's particularly Cajun in nature to have dill pickles on a chicken sandwich. Not inappropriate here, however.

Mustard/Sauce. I dunno. Like mentioned earlier, I should have tried to taste a dab alone. I can't tell that it did much heavy lifting for flavor, but it did make the sandwich wetter creamier.

Bun. Pretty standard seeming bun, no surprises here. Slightly sweet bread, plenty soft.

The Wendy's Cajun Crunch Spicy Chicken Sandwich

Looking back at each individual component, you might think that this sandwich delivers on the promise of the premise. It's checking boxes. It's presenting. So I may as well just get right to it (finally):

The Wendy's Cajun Crunch Spicy Chicken Sandwich is BAD!

Wendy should be ashamed of herself! A pathetic attempt at a Premium Sandwich! Unfulfilling! Just a tiny weak un-special option. Not only does it fail to deliver on the hype, it makes me not trust any future hype. Wendy's X (formerly Twitter) account should do their trademark sassy slapback replies against themselves! It's been so hard for me to hold this back all review. 

Rarely have I ever been so disappointed in a fast food sandwich. Seriously, just go to Popeyes. Their chicken is better, their Cajun spice is better, more varieties of sides from which to select. 

You see I keep referencing this being a Premium Sandwich, a Limited Edition Special Menu Option. And that is part of the disappointment. I would rank this MUCH HIGHER if it were offered as part of a special $5 Biggie Bag, because it's about on par with a Jr Bacon Cheeseburger. Certainly not bad in its own right, but definitely not a prestige burger. The W'sCCSCS is completely over-hyped and mis-valued. This isn't bad because it's "disgusting" or anything. It's just truly pathetic to the point of being embarrassing for them.

Big Easy. Big Spicy. Big WHIFF! 

Whenever I review Wendy's specifically, I am careful to not be too overly harsh because there is a narrow chance that I could one day have a corporate position with the company. (In fact, Hire Me, I can HELP you! I can FIX this!) And maybe it's just the world we live in now, forever changed by that rare freak event five years ago; where it's converging with late stage capitalism in new mind-boggling ways that are deteriorating the structures of American living that we know, love, and depend upon. But I mean this when I say: Wendy's, do better. 

"Sorry for this" --TWSS