Fast food: No matter where you decide to eat, chicken is on the menu. Nowhere has chicken been more celebrated in this decade (at least) than as a delicious chicken patty between two soft buns. The world's largest fast-food chain is adding something new to the chicken discourse, and this time, it’s a twist on a American classic.
McDonald’s is testing a Big Mac that swaps the beef out for two fried chicken patties. Yes, that’s right: The Chicken Big Mac is on its way to one specific part of the states in a short run. Starting later this month, the Chicken Big Mac will be available for a limited-time at select McDonald’s restaurants in the Miami area, the company confirmed to TODAY Food.
Earlier this year, the Chicken Big Mac was introduced for a limited time at McDonald’s in the U.K. and, according to the company, it got rave reviews from customers. In fact, even the mention of a potential poultry-based Big Mac is causing some people on social media to celebrate.
“Finally, some good news,” tweeted one person.
“Looks good! I would give it a try,” said another Twitter user.
“Mac sauce does go good with mcnuggets,” said yet another. “Makes sense.”
And as a few folks pointed out, a version of the sandwich already exists in India. McDonald's India's Chicken Maharaja Mac features two chicken patties, jalapeño, onion, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and habanero Big Mac sauce.
McDonald's USA already has its own fried chicken sandwich; in fact, it introduced three last year as part of the “Chicken Sandwich Wars” amid Popeye’s uber-viral chicken sandwich release. While these sandwiches are still on the menu, this remix on the original Big Mac has the potential to get the wars raging again.
“We’re always looking to give our fans more ways to enjoy the classic menu items they know and love. And starting later this month, at select Miami restaurants, we’re testing a new twist on an old favorite: the Chicken Big Mac,” a McDonald’s USA spokesperson told TODAY, adding that the sandwich is made with two crispy tempura chicken patties, its iconic Big Mac sauce and topped off with pickles, shredded lettuce and American cheese.
“This sandwich brings some of our fans’ favorite flavors together for the perfect bite,” they continued. “While not everything we test makes it on our U.S. menus, we’ll use this time to gather feedback from both customers and restaurant crew as we consider opportunities to offer more delicious options in the future.”
Additionally, according to McDonald’s USA, chicken remains a business priority for the company as CEO Chris Kempczinski mentioned during a Q2 earnings call:
“Chicken continues to be a significant opportunity for us," he said. "We’ve got some great global equities already in our McNuggets and with McChicken, but we also have some equities in McCrispy and McSpicy that we think we’ve got an opportunity to do more with globally. So that’s going to be a priority area.”
The original Big Mac itself was actually invented in almost this exact same way. In 1968, a single Uniontown, Pennsylvania McDonald’s location was selling the sandwich at its location, and McDonald’s owner at the time Ray Kroc liked it so much, he spread the option onto menus nationwide and the rest is history. Perhaps, with any cluck, the Chicken Big Mac will have the same journey.
