Burger King's Mexican Chicken Sandwich Is Turning Heads In All The Wrong Ways

Mexican restaurants are doing very well in the U.S. According to data collated by IBISWorld, this specific industry has grown by an average of 3.4% per year, with the total market value estimated to be upwards of $70 billion. Wouldn't it be nice to get a slice of that enormous pie?

Burger King certainly believes it would. The company offers a cultural alternative to its fairly famous Original Chicken Sandwich in the form of the Mexican Original Chicken Sandwich. This differs from the traditional chicken sandwich because it swaps lettuce and mayonnaise for jalapeños and queso. The price is also different, costing $7.69 compared to $7.39 at Burger King's New York Liberty Street restaurant.

Despite Burger King's attempt to capitalize on the success of Mexican cuisine, the slightly altered sandwich has received mixed feedback from food critics. Although there is some enthusiasm for the specialized sandwich, reviewers have also dished out scathing criticisms of the burger brand's Mexican chicken sandwich.

Some companies are trying to take advantage of the national interest in Mexican cooking by focusing their product lines on items that are distinctive and, crucially, of good quality. Meat and Poultry reports how businesses source ingredients from Mexican farms and create tasty meals by following traditional family recipes.

There are conflicting views about the quality of Burger King's Original Mexican Chicken Sandwich, however. The Impulsive Buy rates the meal highly, claiming it to be spicy but a little overwhelmed by the normal chicken — causing it to lack Mexican pizazz. Spicy Food Reviews, on the other hand, concludes that the sandwich would be worthwhile if it packed more spice and was created using fresher ingredients. Impressiveness also fails to form for The Takeout, which notes that more spice and better quality chicken could be used. The Mexican aspect is questioned again too — Burger King staff even scrawled "Mexican" on top of a normal chicken sandwich wrapper to serve it, which hardly displays the utmost professionalism.

Burger King's Mexican chicken sandwich can probably be fairly summed up as being bland and something that is unlikely to create waves in the Mexican food market. The Mexican sandwich may not bode well for Burger King's other regional offerings either, the American and Italian chicken sandwiches.