Burger King's Ghost Pepper Chicken Fries + Whopper Review: Are These Spicy Menu Items Tricks Or Treats?

Burger King is celebrating Halloween this year with two menu items featuring a ghost that is sure to spice things up -- beware the Ghost Pepper Chicken Fries and the Ghost Pepper Whopper. The Whopper was first introduced in 2022 for a limited time, and for this year's follow-up, Burger King asked its customers to decide its next ghost pepper menu item: Shall it be the return of the king, the Ghost Pepper Whopper, or should its line of Chicken Fries get a similar treatment? The results were split down the middle, so Burger King decided to give the people what they wanted — both! Pat O'Toole, chief marketing officer of Burger King North America, said in a statement, "We're adding both products to our menus nationwide this Halloween season, giving guests multiple ways to enjoy the perfect combination of flavor and heat."

Are the Ghost Pepper Chicken Fries and Ghost Pepper Whopper wicked treats that scare up new fun tastes, or are they slick tricks that will turn out to haunt stomachs well beyond the smashing of Halloween's pumpkins? We hit up our local BK haunt to see if the only thing we had to fear about these new Ghost Pepper items was fear itself. Here's our chew and review.

Read more: The Ultimate American Fast Food Restaurants Ranked

What Do Burger King's Ghost Pepper Chicken Fries Taste Like?

As the new kid on the ghost pepper block, this new take on Chicken Fries has more to prove than the Ghost Pepper Whopper does, which has been there, done that, and has been raised from the dead for a victory lap. Spicy Chicken Fries isn't exactly a revelation for Burger King, as we've seen them in multiple forms including Buffalo and jalapeño flavors, and the ghost pepper is finally joining that esteemed list.

How the Ghost Pepper Chicken Fries stack up against those spicy Chicken Fries that came before is hard to say, but as the new and current only alternative to standard Chicken Fries, they are a nice option for a change of pace. Chicken Fries are essentially elongated chicken nuggets with a thicker coating more like that of a chicken finger. This ensures that no matter how long they've been sitting around, they will remain crunchy. While there's only a small amount of chicken with each fry, it stays mostly moist, offering a nice counter to the crispy exterior. The Ghost Pepper Chicken Fries are slightly more orange and feature prominent black flecks that let you know the heat is coming. They have a bit of a spicy kick that is more peppy than it is engulfing. While it brings a flash of heat, it doesn't linger or require quick sips of soda.

What Does Burger King's Ghost Pepper Whopper Taste Like?

Burger King's Ghost Pepper Whopper features an unnaturally bright neon orange hamburger bun with a batty amount of black seeds. It looks like a Halloween joke engineered by Dr. Frankenstein and sold on a shelf at Spirit Halloween. And yet, once you look past its appearance, this gimmick becomes a delicious reality.

The bun shares similar DNA to the usual Whopper bun, which means it's soft and spongy, and a perfect pair of pillows to comfort everything within. What's inside is a lot, which ranges from hot to tangy, crunchy to munchy, and adds up to being 100% delicious. The standard Whopper patty here is covered in its wickedly double helping of soft cheeses -- one being a gooey but not runny queso, and the other a congealed ghost pepper cheese that looks like Velveeta gone mad. On separate tastings, the queso seemed to be the spicier of the two cheeses. Also in on the fun are some truly crispy strips of bacon and some delightful crunchy jalapeños chips, both of which are in generous supply.

After the first few nibbles, we thought, "Oh, this isn't so hot. These ghost peppers aren't anything to be scared of." But as we neared the end of this Whopper, we learned it has a secret dual purpose. While the ghost pepper had been slowly slinking its way to enliven our taste buds, it had also been working to clear our sinuses. The heat from this item was more intense and had more of a linger that surprised us, yet we wanted more.

What Are Burger King's Ghost Pepper Items Made Of?

The Ghost Pepper Chicken Fries feature white meat chicken. A four-piece order nets 140 calories, 9 grams of fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 390 milligrams of sodium, 9 grams of carbohydrates, and 6 grams of protein.

The Ghost Pepper Whopper includes a ¼-pound flame-broiled beef hamburger patty, crispy bacon, crispy jalapeños, melty ghost pepper cheese, and queso sauce. The toasted bun is infused with paprika to achieve a bright orange color and is covered with black sesame seeds. The sandwich has 850 calories, 48 grams of fat, 18 grams of saturated fat, 115 milligrams of cholesterol, 1,670 milligrams of sodium, 63 grams of carbohydrates, 11.4 grams of sugar, and 44 grams of protein.

When, Where, And How To Order Burger King's Ghost Pepper Menu Items

Burger King's Ghost Pepper Chicken Fries and Whopper were released on October 12 at participating locations nationwide. They are available for a limited time only during lunch and dinner hours. Orders can be placed in-store at the counter, drive-thru, and in advance online and through the app. Delivery is also available in many locations.

The Ghost Pepper Chicken Fries are available in packs of four, eight, or 12, and include your choice of dipping sauce. Unlike regular Whoppers, you can't add patties to the Ghost Pepper edition to make it a double or triple. It also doesn't include tomatoes, onions, pickles, lettuce, ketchup, mayo, or mustard, however, you can customize it by adding or removing items. Additional fees may apply for extras.

Both items can be ordered a la carte or in a combo, and for this Halloween season, Burger King has frighteningly gone the extra mile. From Friday the 13th through Halloween, the Digital Exclusive Trick or Heat Meal Bundles can be scared up on the BK website or app. The Bundles include a Ghost Pepper Whopper, four-piece Ghost Pepper Chicken Fry, small french fries, a small beverage, AND a Hershey Sundae Pie for the suggested price of $13. Don't fret ghost pepper haters, the same deal is available for the regular Whopper and Chicken fries. A purchase also entitles you to headgear to show off your sovereign love of these new items: a ghostly, limited-edition Burger King crown.

The Final Verdict

Halloween will be here before we know it, so there's no time to waste if you want to see for yourself if Burger King's Ghost Pepper Chicken Fries and Whopper are scary or not. While candy might be the typical treat for the spooky season, Burger King's new and old ghost-inspired menu items can now be added to the festive feast.

The Ghost Pepper Chicken Fries are a nice entry-level option for those who want a ghost pepper experience they can actually enjoy without breaking any kind of sweat. The Ghost Pepper Whopper is for more advanced sweaters who are ready to blow off some steam and take on a really inventive burger. They are worth ordering as a pair, but to really get into the ghost pepper spirit, we recommend putting a Chicken Fry or two into the Whopper for a third, spine-tingling taste sensation. Forget the candy, we want to go trick-or-treating for Ghost Pepper Whoppers and Chicken Fries this year!

Read the original article on Daily Meal.