I Tried 7 Fast Food Chicken Snack Wraps and This Is the One I'd Order Again

It's the perfect on-the-go snack.

In the never-ending quest to make fast food even more convenient, snack wraps came around in the early aughts to offer a one-handed meal—or more aptly, road snack. The tortilla entered restaurants that had never stocked them before, just to provide the portable vehicle tacos and burritos have relied on for centuries.

The snack wrap was originally a McDonald's innovation, but the fast food restaurant discontinued its classic version in 2016 (much to the dismay of fans, including AllRecipes editor Bailey Fink). Now, the snack wrap has become so beloved that most chains offer a convenient, rolled-up meal for diners on the go, but not everything works in snack wrap form. So who should continue this snack train and who shouldn’t have left the station?

How I Chose and Tested the Snack Wraps

For this experiment, I sampled chicken wraps (or whatever is the closest to “classic”) at each place. A proper snack wrap would be, well, snack sized—for clarity’s sake, let’s say six inches or less (which disqualified McD's full-sized wraps). Anything more than that is a meal, or likely meant to be. That said, being appropriately snack-sized didn’t exactly guarantee a higher ranking, but it definitely helped. Size aside, other important factors I took into consideration: the chicken must taste good, the fillings should be fresh, and it should be nicely assembled. Here’s how the ranking rolled up.

6th Place: Wendy's

It's clear from the signage that Wendy’s is excited about its Grilled Chicken Ranch Wrap. But sadly, no amount of ad budget can cover a disappointing bite. In the pictures, this wrap looks resplendent, featuring plump bits of chicken mingling with fresh, crisp lettuce and cheese with a delicate drizzle of sauce. The one I received, however, was none of these things. It even fails on the basic task of being a wrap, one that you can hold and eat without it falling apart.

The tortilla is soggy, causing it to limp over in various places, and the chicken (which had an almost sour, leftover taste) kept falling out. It would be impossible to eat while driving, unless you enjoy pieces of poultry bouncing along for the ride. Eating this really brings to light how much I prefer the chicken in a wrap to be a single tender. It’s just neater and easier to eat when the meat is flat, enveloped by other toppings and snuggled in the tortilla.

This is the wrap you make when you need to eat something and all you have are scraps in your fridge. Leftover chicken from dinner? A few pieces of romaine from salad night? Bagged cheese from some chili or quesadilla situation? Throw some ranch on it all, toss it in a wrap, and you've got something akin to what Wendy's served me. That type of throw-together meal is fine for home, but I’m not looking to pay someone to do it.

5th Place: Burger King

If the King seems sad, I firmly believe the Royal Crispy Wrap is the reason. Burger King's Royal sauce is a combination of tomato and mayo with pickles, basil, onion, and garlic, but I’d bet good money that what was in my wrap was straight mayo. But even if it had been more interesting, I’m not sure the sauce alone could have saved it. The wrap was the proper snack size, but it also unfolded immediately upon opening into its original flat circle. With a front-row seat to its contents, I noted that Burger King cuts a crispy chicken patty from their sandwich menu in half to throw in there (cross-utilization by the fast-food restaurant at its finest), along with a sad, lifeless, and juiceless tomato, a sprinkling of iceberg lettuce, and a dollop of sauce. The bite was flavorless and, to be honest, nothing about this was my way. 

4th Place: Arby's

Part of Arby’s “Market Fresh” menu, the Crispy Chicken Club Wrap could arguably come from a deli rather than a fast-food joint. It’s plump with fillings and cut nicely on the bias, revealing a pretty impressive-looking inside. The ingredients are clearly and neatly layered, the lettuce is vibrant, the cheese feels off-the-block, and the bacon is a nice touch.

The downsides include the wrap being quite chewy (I think it’s wheat?), the sauce being too sweet, and the chicken, though crispy, a bit tough to bite off. Another minor ding: The wrap is clearly too large to be a snack. Overall, it tastes pretty good and the freshness is a welcome surprise. I’m just not scrambling to go back.

3rd Place: Sonic

Sonic delivers on the “snack” part. The delightful little Cheesy Baja Crispy Tender Wraps are about six inches long, a proper snack size. Inside is a very crispy piece of chicken, which is nice at first, until you realize just how solid that makes the chicken. But listen, it needs to be because it is completely doused in cheese sauce. If it wasn’t, you’d have a soggy mess.

Did you ever attend a birthday party at a skating rink as a kid? Or go to a baseball game? The taste of this brings back memories of the many nachos that were feverishly consumed. For that reason alone, I can’t hate it.

There is nothing about this wrap that makes me feel good about putting it in my body, which is why it tastes good. Don’t make it your regular happy hour choice, but if you were starving on a road trip and you pulled in and got that warm, comforting nacho cheese sauce snuggling some breaded chicken in a tender, yet messy embrace? I’d put down three to four, easy. And with a cherry limeade? Sold.

2nd Place: KFC

KFC just made a giant improvement to their wraps. The previous version (that I originally sampled for this article) ranked 4th and prompted the phrase “I could eat that, but I wouldn’t enjoy eating that” from my co-taste tester husband. Put simply, it was a long, flat pancake containing a hammered piece of chicken and about a quarter cup of mayonnaise.

The Original Twister Wrap, apparently answering the near decade-long outcry from KFC fanatics everywhere begging for its return, is everything you’d want in a fast-food wrap. The tangy, peppery sauce plays lithely off the tomatoes and famous seasoning in the chicken breading. Simply put, it dances on the tongue.

The only problem? We have no idea how long they’ll be around. The employee in the window didn’t know, so grab one while you can.

1st Place: Jack in the Box

I cannot figure out what kind of restaurant Jack in the Box is. Maybe that’s the point? It just goes along with the flow, whether that's biscuits, tacos, boba tea, or a top-notch snack wrap.

Like the one at Sonic, the Classic Crispy Jack Wrap is the proper snack size. It is bulbous, yet neatly houses a flat, fried chicken tender, two sauces, lettuce, and cheese. The chicken is hot and crispy, the sauces are flavorful without overwhelming each mouthful, and that pop of pickle is *chef’s kiss.* One bite and I exclaimed “Well, that wins!” as I pulled out of the parking lot to head home. It’s just everything you could want in a classic chicken snack wrap.

Honorable Mention: Chick-fil-A

As its name suggests, Chick-fil-A’s Cool Wrap is the only one to arrive cold. That, plus the absence of sauce until it’s dipped in your choice of ranch or avocado lime ranch (get the latter, which adds a needed and compelling pop of flavor), made it hard to drop into this ranking. How do you compare a completely different experience than the rest?

All I can say is that this is the wrap to order if you are trying to get something healthy. It arrives chock-full of shaved, smoky grilled chicken and fluffy lettuce, enveloped in deli paper, and cut in half on the bias to show off the goods. The deli-meat style chicken is an interesting choice for what's normally a fried chicken powerhouse. This wrap feels like it was purchased at a deli counter or sub shop rather than in a fast-food drive-through. So, if that’s your preference, Chick-fil-A is for you.

Read the original article on All Recipes.