We Tried That: Wendy's Saucy Nuggs Are Full of Flavor and Maybe Even a Little Crunch

Chicken nuggets might not be what Wendy's is known for, but thanks to the fast food chain's saucy chicken nuggets, or Saucy Nuggs, thank you very much, it might soon be. After rolling out seven flavors for sauced chicken nuggets, Wendy's threw its hat into the chicken nugget game beyond its previous standard offerings, and we tried the saucy nuggets to see if they live up to the hype. Spoiler alert, though — you may have to have an affinity for spiciness if you're going to try all seven flavors.

Unlike other fast food restaurants that serve spicy chicken nuggets that are made with heat in the batter or breading, Wendy's saucy nuggets are tossed in one of the different flavors to make sure each nugg and each bite is bursting with flavor. But could they actually replace your other favorite tossed chicken carryout option? Let us be the judge of that for you.

Not every Saucy Nugg is created equal at Wendy's. The seven flavors are: honey bbq, spicy honey bbq, garlic parm, spicy garlic parm, buffalo, spicy buffalo, and ghost pepper. Let's get one thing straight right away, though. The ghost pepper leaves much to be desired. The nuggets themselves have a different consistency than the other nuggets, and the flavor is all heat and not much, well, flavor beyond that.

The best flavors of the bunch, however, are the honey bbq, the garlic parm, and the spicy garlic parm. For the spicy garlic parm, it tastes like Wendy's used the standard spicy chicken nuggets and tossed them in the sauce. As a result, there is still some crunch to them when you bite into each nugget, and that's important with chicken nuggets that are tossed in sauce.

Sometimes, nuggets like these can lose some of their luster after being drenched in sauce. Luckily, Wendy's doesn't overdo it with the sauce. But if you want more, you can always get some barbeque sauce on the side or order a side of the ghost pepper ranch sauce too. But, like we said, as far as the Saucy Nuggs go, you may want to leave the ghost pepper one off your order.

It's not totally clear if all or any of the Saucy Nuggs flavors are permanent at Wendy's. In time, the menu could narrow the nuggets down to a select few flavors to choose from. But it doesn't seem like a difficult feat to gussy up the chicken nuggets that the restaurant already has plenty of at each location.

"Wendy's chicken nugget fandom is truly unrivaled, so it was only natural for us to level up our iconic Nuggs with even more flavor for our fans," Lindsay Radkoski, U.S. Chief Marketing Officer for The Wendy's Company said in a press release. "Saucy Nuggs unlock even more opportunities for our brand to meet the needs of new and existing Wendy's fans."

Wendy's Saucy Nuggs come in a four, six, 10, or 20-piece order.