Review: Sonic - Crispy Chicken Hickory Flatmelt Sandwich

Sonic's Crispy Chicken Hickory Flatmelt Sandwich is a limited-time offering that features crispy fried chicken breast strips, hickory BBQ sauce, bacon, cheddar cheese, and grilled onions folded instead a warm flatbread.

I got mine for free courtesy of Sonic, but they regularly go for $3.99.

Sonic's Hickory Flatmelt Sandwiches are pretty much barbecue bacon burgers, but with a round of flatbread rather than a bun. I like flatbreads in general and think they're better than flour tortillas for burger bun replacement since they hug the ingredients a little better (less messy). They also have a nice, pillowy texture that I enjoy and the ones Sonic uses are no exception.

Inside, the sandwich, I found two fairly standard chicken strips that were only notable for a fabulous crunchiness due to the thick, fried batter.

Cheese coverage was a bit uneven and if you're going to call something a "melt," it really should be oozing. I think maybe a shredded cheddar might work better for melting and coverage.

The onions and barbecue sauce were pretty good. The onion provide a slight sweet crunch and I was particularly impressed by the barbecue sauce distribution, which was just enough to ensure barbecue flavor in every bite.

The weakest link was probably the bacon. Sonic's bacon is cut wide and I've had some that have been crispy, but that wasn't the case this time around. Instead, it was a bit chewy and lacking in flavor. I was hoping for crunch and smokiness.

Overall, Sonic's Crispy Chicken Hickory Flatmelt is a solid concept that stumbles a bit in the execution. Still, it's good, but not great.

Nutritional Info - Sonic Crispy Chicken Hickory Flatmelt (226g)
Calories - 650 (from Fat - 290)
Fat - 32g (Saturated Fat - 8g)
Sodium - 1620mg
Carbs - 58g (Sugar - 6g)
Protein - 33g