We ate dozens of meals at restaurant chains in 2017 - here are the 9 absolute best things to try right now

• We ate dozens of meals at fast-food restaurants in 2017.
• A couple of the big names came through with strange new menu items that were actually good.
• A few newcomers wowed us, too, and made our list of the best things we've eaten this year.

A lot happened in 2017.

McDonald's ran out of Schezuan sauce, inspiring riots. Taco Bell served fried chicken. Millions retweeted a teen desperate for free Wendy's chicken nuggets. And some other stuff, too.

As two fast-food reporters and superfans, we've eaten dozens upon dozens of meals at chain restaurants across the country this year. From Filipino fast-food to all-American McDonald's, we've traversed the culinary globe of chain dining.

Looking back at the year, we wanted to pay tribute to the menu items whose stars shone the brightest. These aren't all new menu items, but they were new to us. Here's the best of the best, the cream of the crop, the crown jewels of quick service in 2017.