Review: Carl's Jr. - Bacon Swiss Crispy Chicken Tender Sandwich

Carl's Jr.'s new Bacon Swiss Crispy Hand-Breaded Chicken Tender Sandwich is a bit of a mouthful to say and features two hand-breaded chicken tenders accompanied by lettuce, a slice of tomato (or two), Ranch dressing, a slice of Swiss, and two strips of bacon.

It's normally $3.79 for a sandwich but a coupon scored me two for $5 (I shared!).

I actually walked about mile to my local Carl's Jr. to try this new sandwich out. Gotta get my exercise in somewhere.

I've had pretty good experiences with Carl's Jr. Chicken Tenders and this time was no exception. The tenders were crisp with a light breading and remained juicy and tender inside.

I didn't care for the bacon, Swiss, and Ranch pairing last I tried it at Carl's (but with a hamburger patty), but it worked well with the chicken tenders. The cheese was melted and creamy and as a bonus, it also helped keep the sandwich together (more on this later). The bacon wasn't the best; it was the standard razor-thin fast food bacon but at least a little crispy. The Ranch went well with the chicken.

The tomatoes and lettuce were standard but fresh.

There were a lot of different textures going on and the flavors meshed fittingly together. You do pay a buck more for the bacon and cheese over the other versions but that's pretty standard for fast food chains.

I mentioned above that the cheese played a part in holding the sandwich together for two reasons: one, with two chicken tenders instead of one chicken breast, there's a lot more shifting of ingredients while eating; and two, the regular bun used is pretty flimsy and felt like it might fall apart.

Now, I never eat in my car but I know some people do so I'll give this warning: this is not the sandwich to eat in your car. If you hold it with one hand, stuff will probably fall out onto your lap.

Still, despite the rather fragile bun (the sesame bun would have worked much better), the Bacon Swiss Crispy Chicken Tender Sandwich comes together well with a satisfying crunch and enjoyable flavor.

Nutritional Info - Carl's Jr Bacon Swiss Crispy Hand-Breaded Chicken Tender Sandwich (242g)
Calories - 570 (from Fat - 290)
Fat - 32g (Saturated Fat - 8g)
Sodium - 1410mg
Carbs - 42g (Sugar - 7g)
Protein - 29g