Chicago’s iconic Big Mac has been around since 1968. More than 50 years later, the chain announced a big twist on the traditional menu item.
But what exactly does it taste like?
The Chicken Big Mac, which had already been available in international markets including the UK and Australia, made its U.S. debut in McDonald’s restaurants nationwide beginning Thursday, to much fanfare across social media. Leading up to the launch, McDonald’s posed the question of whether or not the sandwich could even be classified as the famed “Big Mac” if it didn’t include all the same exact ingredients.
As the song goes, the original Big Mac consists of two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun. The Chicken Big Mac comes with nearly all the same fixings, save for the onions. And of course, the beef.
In place of the meat are two chicken patties, whose flavors and textures were developed by in-house food scientists and chefs, specifically for the new version of the Big Mac, McDonald’s said.
But they taste strangely familiar.
According to the chain, the patties in the Chicken Big Mac are unlike the McChicken, which uses a blend of muscle meat. They’re are different than the McCrispy, which is a thick, breast filet.
What kind of chicken does McDonald’s Chicken Big Mac use?
The Chicken Big Mac, McDonald’s said, uses tempura-battered, 100 percent white meat. And while shaped a bit flatter — more like the chain’s famous hash brown — the patties look, smell, and taste like another iconic meal from McDonalds: Chicken McNuggets.
The similarities were discovered during a sneak peak taste test at McDonald’s modern headquarters in the West Loop, where NBC Chicago’s Francie Swidler and DS Shin tried the sandwich for the first time.
“It’s a big chicken nugget,” Swidler said, after a first bite. “This is like, if I were to put chicken nuggets on a burger,” “Two big chicken nuggets.”
“It’s like a chicken nugget burger basically,” Shin added.
Both Shin and Swidler noted the sandwich was heavy on the sauce. Still, it felt lighter than the beef version, Shin said.
Overall, both Shin and Swidler found it tasty. But it left Swidler needing a tangier twist — something in the form of tartar sauce, or even a Chicken McNugget dip cup.
McDonald’s did not immediately respond to NBC Chicago’s request for comment on whether chefs considered one of the chain’s popular dipping sauces — like barbecue, honey mustard or sweet ‘n’ sour — in lieu of the “secret” sauce thats squirted onto the sandwich.
So, is the Chicken Big Mac ultimately a Big Mac?
Yes and no. If you measure a Big Mac only by the sauce, then sure.
But if the question is whether or not it tastes like a Chicken McNugget, that would be a resounding yes.
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