I Took The Plunge And Tried The Chicken Big Mac
I took the plunge and tried McDonald's Chicken Big Mac. Here's what I thought about McDonald's latest creation.
McDonald's Chicken Big Mac consists of two chicken patties, lettuce, pickles, Big Mac Sauce, and a three-piece sesame seed bun. When I opened the box, my first impression was, "Wow, this is a big sandwich." It's undoubtedly worthy of the name Big Mac, maybe more so than their signature burger, which often doesn't look that impressive out of the box.
I ordered mine without the lettuce and pickles, the same way I order my traditional Big Mac.
The chicken patties were great. When I bit through the breading on the patties, there was a bit of a crunch. That's not something I notice when I'm eating a regular McChicken sandwich.
My first taste of the Big Mac sauce with the chicken was a little off-putting. My first thought was, "Not a winning combination." However, as I continued to eat the sandwich, the sauce and chicken combination became more palatable. I kept wondering how much better the sandwich would taste with a slice of cheese and marinara sauce—or even something like Ken's Honey Mustard.
It's a substantial sandwich, not overly messy, at least without the pickles and lettuce. It takes two hands to hold, and the three-piece bun and breaded chicken is incredibly filling.
I found the Chicken Big Mac to be a little bit more of a miss than a hit. I'm not sold on combining Big Mac Sauce and the chicken. It goes perfectly with their burgers but is less of a perfect match with the chicken. Second, that middle signature Big Mac bun is not needed with the breaded chicken. It's a substantial sandwich, period. That extra bun almost makes it overkill.
I like the idea of a substantial chicken sandwich with more chicken than usual. A two-pattie creation like the Chicken Big Mac could be the solution, yet I think McDonald's needs to come up with a different sauce. They could also lose the middle bun if the chicken is breaded and sold as a combo with their fries and a drink.
One last thought: the Chicken Big Mac was a bold move. If only because the sandwich looks like it deserves the Big Mac label, more so than the iconic burger does today.
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Gallery Credit: Paul Feinstein