Dunkin' Donuts Part 2: New Chicken Sandwiches: BBQ and Bacon Ranch!

.....aaaaaand part 2 of Hey-Dunkin-Donuts-actually-has-new-stuff week!

This time, I tried both of their new chicken sandwiches, BBQ and Bacon Ranch. 

I ordered the Bacon Ranch on one day, and it looked about like what I thought it would, although they were out of the white cheddar that's supposed to go on it. I got AMURICAN:

Upon dissection, I saw that the chicken looked pretty solid, and they hadn't skimped on the bacon, even though their placement wasn't entirely feng shui and left something to be desired.

BUT, It still looked good. I decided to check out the other side. 

Ouch. 

Seriously Dunks, should you even be allowed to list ranch as an ingredient in this? This looks like someone just dropped the top roll on the floor and there just happened to be half a packet of ranch still there from when someone spilled it a week ago. Should have been called a diet bacon ranch chicken sandwich. 

DIP CITY

But after fixing the problem (always have ranch on hand- ALWAYS), this was pretty good. It wasn't anything amazing though, for a few reasons. First, there was an odd spice to it- not hot, just like someone got excited when making the recipe and thought paprika would be fun to include in the recipe (it's not paprika, that was just the first spice I thought of that would be bad). Secondly, there needed to be more ranch (duh). Third, there needed to be more cheese. And fourth, the biggest one- there needed to be less bread. This bread is good with a slight crunch on the outside and a soft flavorful inside, but there's just entirely too much of it. There shouldn't be more bread than filling, especially in this case. I generally enjoyed this sandwich, but I was also very hungry and can be swayed easily when something is dipped in ranch. Without my extra ranch, it ended up seeming mostly like a chicken and bread sandwich with a little bit of bacon. And that gets you a C-

I wasn't planning on getting the BBQ one, but I decided I had to step up and try both, so I went back the next day. It was a little beat up, but the roll was nicely toasted and I could already see that the white cheddar was going to make quite a difference.

How was the BBQ coverage?

Am I crazy? Do normal people want just a hint of sauce on their food? "Hey, when you make my sandwich, I want just a DOT of sauce. Don't worry, I'll spread it around. No, no, that's too much. I want to have to really struggle to taste it. No, that's too much. Yes, I know it's called a BBQ chicken sandwich, but can't the BBQ sauce just be assumed or something? I really don't want to taste it too much."

What truly sucks is that most people who buy these sandwiches will get them on the road and not have the ability to have a dip puddle like I had since I was eating it at home. I feel bad for those people. Or who knows, maybe this is the correct amount and I'm a LUNATIC for actually wanting sauce on my sandwiches. Am I crazy?

After making a solid puddle and smushing down the 2 inches of bread, this was more enjoyable. The cheddar was waaay better than the american on the other sandwich- better to the point that if they don't have the cheddar, pass on the sandwich. The sauce (although barely there) was very good- very tangy and sweet. And the chicken tasted and felt like real chicken. BUT, that weird off-spice from the other sandwich was there again. I had thought it might be the ranch before, but it definitely is something in the spice on the chicken. Oh well, it's weird but it doesn't really ruin the sandwich, so whatever. 

Still though, I can't give this anything better than a C either. And I'll up the other sandwich to a C since I know it would have been better with cheddar cheese. 

What they should have done is combined these. There are few sauces better than a mix of ranch and BBQ together. And this sandwich should have 2 pieces of cheese. AND, seriously, a BBQ chicken sandwich with no bacon? Come on. 

So if I ever try to get one of these again, even though they each cost 4 bucks (ouch), I'm gonna be THAT guy: "Can I get a Bacon Ranch chicken sandwich with 2 pieces of cheese and BBQ sauce on one side and ranch on the other? Oh, and extra on both? Thanks. Actually, make it 3 pieces of cheese."

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I also did as promised in the last post- got a donut sandwich with cheese. And yup, it's way better. Mine suffered a bit by getting too cold (I ate the BBQ chicken sandwich first), but it was CLEARLY better with cheese. I was able to taste it when I wanted to, and ignore it when I wanted to taste donut or bacon more. Why they don't have cheese on these normally is a mystery for the ages. Perhaps the person who said not to put cheese on this was the same person who decided how much sauce should be on the chicken sandwiches... It's all becoming clear...

The short version:

Bacon Ranch Chicken Sandwich: Tasty but order extra ranch and prepare to still feel a bit underwhelmed. This should have been better, but it's still not bad, especially for a company that doesn't normally make chicken sandwiches. C.

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches: Pretty much the same. OK but needs more sauce, more cheese, and bacon. C

Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich: Should have cheese. Better with cheese. Order with cheese. Still probably a B+, maybe an A-.

-review by Mike