McDonald’s Chicken Big Mac
McDonald’s Chicken Big Mac Review:
Price: £4.09/£5.39/£5.89 subject to variation.
Calories: 544 kcal.
The Chicken Big Mac has finally arrived at McDonald’s UK in 2022 and for its debut, it is joined by the returning Double Big Mac.
I can’t recall the first time I was aware of its existence in overseas markets but I would estimate it was around 2011/2012 when I started an unhealthy obsession of what was on menus in other countries.
There have been countless nations across the globe which have had the Chicken Big Mac available – almost too many to list. Primarily, it has featured permanently on the menu in countries where the general population do not eat beef.
You have also been able to sample it in Europe, Australia and The Far East – it seems the UK was pretty much last to get it…
The smartest McDonald’s fans in the UK (YES YOU!!!) will have known about the CBM landing on our shores since our tweet/post on 22/12 and we have discussed its impending arrival on your favourite fast food podcast.
If you haven’t listened to the McPlant and/or Official History of the Burger Lad Website episodes, I implore you to give them a listen RIGHT NOW!!
First things to mention regarding the Chicken Big Mac is that it is actually priced approx. 50p more than the standard Big Mac.
Note the prices above are from one of the restaurants at the higher end of the pricing scale.
The other thing I noted is that the calorie count is more than that of its beefy counterpart (508 vs. 544) which surprised me.
Does the CBM live up to the juggernaut of hype behind it?
Well…. the simple answer is no – but hey, that’s just my opinion and I’m sure there will be a varied response to this latest LTO.
The Chicken Big Mac looks decent enough but it is strangely disappointing… maybe the prolonged wait and years of expectation led to such a build-up that it was destined to fail.
Again, in my opinion and I am under no disbelief they will sell a staggering amount of units – the UK does like a Macdonalds after all.
Let’s focus on the positives first:
The new Tempura Chicken Patty is an upgrade from the previous budget burgers used on the Mayo/Bacon Mayo Chicken.
They look a bit smaller than before but have got a satisfying crispiness to them.
I just don’t think chicken works as well as it does with beef. Here’s why.
The Chicken Big Mac feels like something you could whip up at home using frozen store-bought ingredients (minus the Big Mac Sauce) and even the most famous fast food sauce on the planet struggles to rescue it. Such a shame…
I wonder if this could lead to a Chicken Big Tasty in the future as that has also featured around the world but has yet to make an appearance in the UK. EDIT: Sorry I forgot it was out before. What I probably meant was using these new chicken patties instead of 2 x Chicken Selects. SORRY!!
Joining me on this mission, before our local was invaded by the Midday Maccies Marauders, was Captain QP.
He is potentially a bigger McDonald’s fan than me and found his “very dry and tasteless” but it had a “decent crispiness” to it.
I couldn’t bear to see his sad little face as he finished his CBM. Luckily he had some other items to cheer him up.
Today, I also had a regular Big Mac (99p) via an offer on the app and a Double Cheeseburger (no ketchup, extra mustard, extra onions). Oh the onions…
No dinner for me tonight. Piggy.
I have to agree with the crispiness comment from QP. My Chicken Big Mac didn’t feel too dry, but then you’re talking to a guy who grew up on plain Cheeseburgers…
Is it a strange decision to omit the onions from the CBM?
I certainly would love to know why Development went via this route, especially as all the other countries that have had it on their menu leave them on.
And… as predicted on the podcast, you cannot add any extra ingredients (other than the ones already on the build i.e. extra lettuce, sauce, pickles, not chicken before you ask) and you can obviously remove.
I joked recently (hilarious that I am) that I was tempted to order the Chicken Big Mac and a Hamburger but remove everything apart from the onions and manually add them. But I am not that bothered.
IMO the CBM misses the onions found on its beefy big brother and I found it to predominantly taste of cheesy chicken… even the Big Mac sauce fizzles out and the pickles seemed flavourless and almost out of place on the build.
All very odd.
This is going to be controversial, but I even said I would get a McPlant ahead of this – you should have seen QP’s boat!!!
For me, after waiting approximately ten years to see the Chicken Big Mac in the UK (excluding our previous menu hacks and April Fools posts) it has turned into a mild disappointment.
Will I lose any sleep over it? Certainly not.
Will I try it again? Definitely not.
If I had the choice between the beef and chicken versions again in the future, I would probably pick the original 9 or even 10 times out of 10.
I would be interested to hear what you have to say.
We are scheduled to record our next episode of the podcast on Sunday 06/02 so please give us a listen as we talk more in-depth about this latest LTO from McDonald’s.
Once again I can’t thank all our readers, followers and listeners enough and if you joined me on my Instagram livestream last night then I hope it was fun. The party has only just started…
Chicken Big Mac – I was dubious when I heard about the lack of onions. The chicken patties/burgers are decent enough but for me it is a thumbs down on this occasion.
Agree? Disagree?
Let us know in the comments section below or via the usual BURGER LAD® channels.
It’s a great time to be… in The Empire!
Burger Lad®
Website: https://www.mcdonalds.com/gb/en-gb.html
