The Best Chicken Item On Wendy's Menu According To 29% Of People

What's the first thing you think of when someone mentions Wendy's? You may think of old-fashioned hamburgers or those new "hot and crispy fries" you saw on TV the other day. Or maybe it's the chicken. Although the chain is not exactly joining the likes of KFC, Popeyes, or Chick-fil-A in terms of being the number-one spot to snag a chicken sandwich, they do have a great selection of poultry perfection, from sandwiches to nuggets.

And Wendy's chicken items are quite popular. Business Insider's Irene Jiang rated Wendy's nuggets as the top restaurant for the bite-sized eats in terms of texture, flavor, and price — even putting them above renowned classics like McNuggets or Chick-fil-A's version. But, if you take out the competitors and focus solely on Wendy's, it might be surprising to learn what the most popular chicken item is that you can get at this chain. According to more than 29% of Mashed readers in a recent poll, it comes with some heat.

A recent Mashed survey polled 609 U.S.-based readers to get their take on their preferred chicken item from the Wendy's menu. While 19.87% preferred the traditional Crispy Chicken BLT, the majority of people — 29.39% of those polled — said they preferred the Spicy Chicken Sandwich. 

Although some might think the Spicy Chicken Sandwich is a recent invention, inspired by the chicken sandwich craze in recent years, Wendy's actually introduced this item back in 1995. It wasn't even meant to be a menu staple at first, but rather a limited-time offer designed to attract a crowd desperate to try an exclusive new menu item before anyone else. Much to the company's surprise, the Spicy Chicken Sandwich was far more popular than execs expected, even for a limited-time item. So, in 1996, the chain made it an official part of their lineup. Wendy's VP of marketing, Liz Geraghty, would later boast that, "Once people taste Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich, they fall under its hot and spicy spell" (via PR Newswire). What sets it apart from the rest of Wendy's chicken products? It offers a unique blend of seasoning and spices that give the sandwich that extra spicy, crispy kick. 

As for how the other chicken items fared in the poll, the Crispy Chicken Nuggets fared well with 14.29% saying they're the best, and the Spicy Nuggets came in just behind them with 13.46% of the vote. Coming in last were the Classic Big Bacon Cheddar Chicken with 13.14% of the share of votes and the Classic Jalapeno Popper Sandwich that was deemed the least favorite by 9.85% of people.