Wendy’s Flatbread Chicken Sandwich

Wendy’s debuts two new Flatbread Chicken Sandwiches nationally today, but they were already available early in select areas including San Diego, so I was able to buy some this weekend.

I actually first previewed the sandwiches along with some other items when Wendy’s hosted a blogger event, giving a few bloggers an insider look at their facilities, test kitchens, super tasters, and preview new menu items. I will be blogging about the fun highlights of that experience later, but this post is going to concentrate on the flatbread chicken sandwiches I purchased this weekend.

Of course, I know many people are wary of what is fed at media events. I, too, was curious as to whether the sandwich I would buy at my local Wendy’s would resemble the ones that were carefully made for me during the blogger event.

I will say, I was impressed. The sandwiches I got at my local Wendy’s looked just as good and tasted just like the ones I had previously sampled and loved.

Honey Mustard Chicken Flatbread (370 calories, ~$3.49)

Out of the two chicken sandwiches, honey mustard was my favorite. It’s not as pretty as the other offering, but its simpleness let’s all the flavors shine. It consists of sliced grilled chicken, spring salad mix, honey mustard dressing, held together inside a 5 grain flatbread (millet, flax seed, sesame seed, rolled oats, cracked wheat). It’s low in calories, healthy and tasty.

One of my biggest regrets after the blog event was not finishing my honey mustard sandwich. We had been told to pace ourselves because we had a lot of food we would be sampling. The honey mustard was the very first offering, so in order to pace myself, I only ate half. I kept thinking about it after, wishing I had devoured the entire thing. I was so excited when I saw it already available at my local Wendy’s that we actually stopped in for one even though we just had lunch.

Here is a photo of the test one I sampled. This one appears to be stuffed with a little more greens and isn’t as flat, but they tasted pretty much the same.

Normally I don’t like honey mustard dressing, but I really enjoy Wendy’s version. They recently tweaked the recipe, giving it an added smoky flavor, which I really like. Every bite had a good amount of honey mustard. It was just the right amount to add flavor to the chicken and the mixed greens, without getting messy.

During the blog event, the executives really emphasized the flatbread. There’s a range of flatbread textures out there. Wendy’s is on the thicker side, which I prefer. It’s made of five grains, which add both texture and the good feeling that you’re eating something healthy. After all the hype the Wendy’s executives put in about the bread, I went in with some high expectations. I ended up really enjoying it and it paired perfectly with the chicken and greens and honey mustard dressing.

The sandwich feels like you’re eating a grilled chicken salad with just enough bread to curb those carb cravings.

Asiago Ranch Chicken Flatbread (530 calories, ~$3.99)

On paper, this sandwich definitely appealed to me. Bacon, cheese, ranch dressing. Some of my favorites. The sandwich itself is also quite visually appealing, stuffed to the brim with ingredients, and the grilled chicken pieces prominently displayed instead of hidden inside the flatbread like with the honey mustard version.

I was actually impressed at how pretty this one was. It actually looked nicer than the test sample version I had:

I didn’t enjoy this sandwich as much as the honey mustard when I previewed it at the blog event, and I felt the same the second time around. I mainly bought it out of curiosity and so DH could sample it.

Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with the sandwich per se. I just felt like there was too much going on.

For one thing, the amount of ingredients makes the sandwich quite a bit messier. All the flavors also distract from the flatbread. While the flatbread had clearly shined in the honey mustard version, I barely notice it in the Asiago version. Given that the sandwich costs slightly more and has more calories and fat, I’d rather get the Honey Mustard.

Both sandwiches are supposed to be available nationwide starting today, March 26, 2013. It’s a limited time offer item, likely to run through May. Since sandwiches are made to order, you can customize them to your liking. You could even replace the grilled chicken with one of Wendy’s breaded chicken or spicy chicken patties.

One of the fun facts I learned during the blog event is that it took two years of work for Wendy’s to be ready to debut the grilled chicken flatbread. It’s always fascinating to me to find out how much goes on behind the scenes  before the final product. I was really pleased with my local Wendy’s versions of the flatbread sandwiches and I definitely plan on getting more before the campaign is over.

While there, we couldn’t resist some of our other favorite Wendy’s offerings:

Natural Cut Fries

Chicken Nuggets (original)

Chicken Nuggets (spicy)

Chili

You can learn more about the nutrition facts of the new flatbreads here. Wendy’s is also doing a twitter contest. Beginning April 2nd, customers are encouraged to tweet a photo of their Flatbread Grilled Chicken sandwich @Wendys using the hashtag #twEATfor1K for a chance to win $1,000 that day.