Ordered a 'spicy' chicken sandwich that was basically a ghost pepper bomb

So last Friday, I was at a drive-thru and saw they had a new 'Nashville Hot' chicken sandwich. I like spicy food, so I figured why not. What I got was a whole different story. The first bite was fine, but by the third, my mouth was on fire in a way that wasn't fun at all. It felt like they just dumped a bottle of pure capsaicin extract on it. I had to pull over and drink like half my water bottle. The heat was so intense it made my eyes water, and I couldn't even taste the chicken. I learned that 'spicy' on a fast food menu can sometimes mean 'chemical weapon.' Has anyone else had a sandwich that was just punishingly hot for no good reason?

4 comments

4 Comments

mia_baker1mo ago

Chemical weapon" is a bit much, but yeah, some places just use extract for heat, not flavor.

mark_green1mo ago

Saw a whole article about this. They said some chains use pure capsaicin extract. Just for brutal heat, like @mia_baker said. It's cheap and easy to control. But it misses all the real pepper flavor. Ends up tasting like a punishment, not food. That's where the chemical weapon jokes come from.

barbara_jenkins661mo ago

That Nashville Hot one wrecked me too.

wood.uma1mo ago

Come on, it's just chicken. People talk about it like it's a lab experiment. It's hot sauce on fried food, not a war crime. Some places make it too hot on purpose because that's their whole thing. If you don't like heat, maybe don't order the thing literally called "Nashville Hot.