New Thing #218: Bacon Ranch Chicken Sandwich

At long last, I've tried the new chicken sandwich at Dunkin' Donuts. And, I'm sure you're not surprised to learn, I loved it.

I had the Bacon Ranch Chicken Sandwich - there's also a barbecue one that I have not yet tried.

Despite my love of all things Dunkin', I kind of had low expectations for this chicken sandwich.

Needless to say, it far exceeded what I expected - it was really good.

But I have some other things to tell you about this as well.

First of all, I find franchises like Dunkin' Donuts interesting.

I did a Google search to try to figure out if it was called a 'Bacon Ranch Chicken Sandwich' or a 'Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwich'. (Now that I think about it the latter sounds kind of ridiculous, but I thought that's what it was called.) The search turned up lots of different regional Dunkin' menus, including one from Alaska, where they have a chicken tikka sandwich. It's interesting to me that different regions have different types of sandwiches.

Also worth mentioning - this particular Dunkin' Donuts I went to has undergone a renovation - instead of the tables with chairs you're used to seeing at Dunkin' Donuts, there are different-looking tables and chairs, booths, and comfy couch-type chairs. Almost like a lounge. Almost like, dare I say it, a Starbucks. I wonder if this is a chain-wide change or just this particular location. (They also changed the menu at this location to one of those videoboard menus, which I've seen at newer locations. But the seating was totally different than what I've seen.)

Finally, as you can see in the top picture, I had an iced tea with my sandwich. Nine times out of 10, when I go to Dunkin' Donuts, I have a coffee. That tenth time is usually a coolata or something. Rarely do I get the iced tea...but whenever I do, it's the best iced tea I've ever had. That's not a New Thing...it's just a fact.

For what it's worth, the Bacon Ranch Chicken Sandwich, according to Dunkin' Donuts' website, when ordered with a French roll (its default), is just 250 calories. Which seems really reasonable to me for a fast food sandwich. But the other thing is it's not all that filling...so inevitably it's only part of a lunch for me. But, as with most everything else from Dunkin' Donuts - I really recommend it.

New Thing #159: Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich

You've probably heard by now that Dunkin' Donuts debuted a new sandwich this week. It's a glazed donut breakfast sandwich - a pepper fried egg and strips of bacon sandwiched between a glazed donut.

I have to admit - as much as I love all things Dunkin' Donuts, this did not sound appealing to me.

But I had to try it.

And today I did.

Here's the story of when I first heard about the new sandwich:

My wife told me about it. I said that does not sound very good. She said, "Kevin will love that!" I clarified, "I think you mean that he will like that I don't like a New Thing [he's been trying to get me to write about a week of New Things I don't like, because apparently I like most things], but you should also know he'll probably also like the sandwich." (Kevin likes Dunkin' Donuts sandwiches. For some reason I thought he'd like this.)

When I texted Kevin to tell him of this exchange he wrote, "I think that sounds amazing!"

I understand the appeal - what's not to like about a glazed donut (love glazed donuts!) and a bacon and egg sandwich (love bacon and egg sandwiches!)?

Well, I'll be honest - to me, they're not the best mix.

The sandwich was fine - it's not that I didn't enjoy it. I liked it well enough. But if I'm getting a bacon and egg sandwich, I'll get it on a bagel. And if I'm getting a glazed donut, well, I'll get it without the bacon and egg in the middle.

The most amazing thing about this sandwich to me is that I'm told it has less calories than the turkey sausage sandwich, which I wrote about in January. My wife suggests that's partly because this one doesn't have cheese.

There's some more new stuff to try at Dunkin' Donuts this summer - they have a new line of chicken sandwiches out. I enjoyed their chicken salad sandwich, so I'm  looking forward to trying one of the breaded chicken sandwiches.

I've mentioned this before, but all things being equal I prefer Dunkin' to Starbucks. (Here's why 'all things being equal' makes sense as a saying there: Starbucks has the hazelnut macchiato I like. Dunkin' has the sandwiches I like. But if it came down to plain coffee - all things being equal - I give the edge to Dunkin'.) So I like that Dunkin' Donuts keeps adding options - they're working to keep themselves fresh, and I like that. And I like living in an area where there are plenty of options to get Dunkin' Donuts.

Last Sunday in the Boston Globe, they mapped out in Massachusetts a town-by-town breakdown of Starbucks versus Dunkin' Donuts. And on Boston.com they lit up the United States with orange dots and green dots to show where the two shops are located.

Which leads me to believe that if I was President of the United States, one of my first priorities would be getting some more Dunkin' Donuts down in the D.C. area.

But it wouldn't necessarily be because they have a glazed donut breakfast sandwich.

New Thing #155: Orange Coolatta

It was so hot on Sunday. We were at an outdoor event from noon to 2pm or so - the hottest part of the day.

We were parched.

On the way to our next event, we stopped by Dunkin' Donuts for a quick drink - we needed something cool and refreshing.

I was all set to get an iced coffee when I pulled into the lot and came face-to-face with the sign you see at left.

And boy am I glad I made that decision.

I'm pretty sure I've had a coolatta before - but I think I've only ever had a coffee coolatta.

This one was an orange coolatta - although my wife tells me that the proper name is a 'Minute Maid Orange Coolatta'.

And after Sunday, I'll call it whatever the heck they want me to call it.

It was so refreshing. So refreshing. I can not stress this enough. Look at this thing - tell me it doesn't just look refreshing:

It hit the spot.

The only drawback?

A little bit of brainfreeze.

But that's because I just couldn't get enough and downed the thing.

I can't wait for the next really hot day.

'Minute Maid Orange Coolatta' for me.

New Thing #86: Chicken Salad On A Croissant

It's time for a little Dunkin' Donuts love. For a little over a year now (I think) they've had some lunch sandwiches to go along with their breakfast sandwiches.

I think at some point I had the ham and cheese and the grilled cheese.

I figured those weren't such a huge leap for a breakfast place that offers similar sandwiches on the breakfast menu.

I love chicken salad, though, and I was always curious how it would be at Dunkin' Donuts.

So on Saturday, I tried it.

Unless otherwise specified, the chicken salad comes on a croissant.

So there's two levels here of what I enjoyed - first of all, the chicken salad was great. It was the right consistency - not too thin, not too thick.

Then, the combo with the croissant was really tasty.

I never really think of croissants as bread for sandwiches - now, I've decided, it's worth considering.

Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast is a once-a-week deal at my house. (It used to be much more often for me, but I've really come to value getting up early enough to have my eggs in the morning...it really sets me up to have a good day. If I don't, I get a headache and start to lose steam earlier in the day than the days I do have a good breakfast.)

Dunkin' Donuts for lunch is definitely not going to get the once-a-week treatment.

But it is nice to know that when I'm in a bind, which happens sometimes in the summer, I have an alternative to pizza for a quick lunch that I'll enjoy.

And I can get a coffee to boot.

New Thing #38: Brownie Batter Donut

I'll try most new sandwiches at Dunkin' Donuts - they're usually appealing to me. The donuts, though? Not all of them.

I don't have the biggest sweet tooth, so something like strawberry frosting just doesn't do it for me.

But brownie batter filling? Yes please.

I saw the Brownie Batter Donut for the first time last week, on a stop-at-Dunkin'-on-the-way-to-school Dunkin' Donuts appearance with my daughter.

I try to set a good example on these (rare) mid-week Dunkin' stops. I try to convince her a bagel is a better option before school than a chocolatey donut, and I model for her by getting a bagel myself.

But when I saw that there was such a thing as a Brownie Batter Donut, believe me when I tell you that it took every ounce of self-restraint not just to settle on a bagel that morning, but to not sell Dunkin' Donuts my first-born right then and there for lifetime access to these donuts. (OK, don't believe me. It's not really true.)

I just love brownie batter. The literal brownie batter, in the bowl after you put the brownies in the oven? I'll lick that bowl clean. Any variation of fudge brownie ice cream? I'm all over it - it's a somewhat rare offering around here but I know the ice cream shops that carry it. And now a brownie batter donut - and it tastes as good as you'd expect.

It's like a chocolate frosted on the outside, and then in the middle (though not enough for me) there's brownie batter filling.

I'm sure it's so unhealthy. But I don't care. It's so good.

As you can tell by the picture above, it's shaped like a heart. Part of me dreads that's because it's a limited-time offering only through Valentine's Day, meaning there's only a couple of weeks to enjoy this delicious donut.

But the part of me that cares about my health is grateful that at least I know I'll have to stop eating them when they take them off the shelves somewhere around February 14th.

New Thing #13: Turkey Sausage Sandwich

Sundays tend to be Dunkin' Donuts days around here. I'll usually partake in a breakfast sandwich and a donut.

I have a few "go-to"'s that I rotate through, but I'll usually try one of their new sandwiches when those come out.

Hence, the turkey sausage sandwich.

The default bread for the turkey sausage sandwich is an English muffin. I might try it out on a bagel or something in the future.

It's fine.

But I don't know why it's any different from a regular sausage sandwich. It might be a little spicier. Is turkey sausage healthier?

I don't really know what sets it apart.

But I'll tell you what I do know: a few years ago Dunkin' Donuts had a maple sausage sandwich on a bagel that might very well have been the greatest sandwich to ever grace this earth. I feel like it's a fall sandwich...but it hasn't been seen since.

I hope they bring that back.

It's better than the turkey sausage sandwich.