McDonald’s Katsu Curry Chicken McNuggets

McDonald’s Katsu Curry Chicken McNuggets

McDonald’s Katsu Curry Chicken McNuggets Review:

Price: £3.59/£4.99/£5.39.

Calories: 327 kcal.

McDonald’s UK have delivered a worldwide first with the launch of the new Katsu Curry Chicken McNuggets.

They are described as “100% chicken breast meat in a bold Katsu Curry crispy breadcrumb coating” and are available in portions of six (on their own or as an EVM), nine (£3.89) and as a 20 McNugget ShareBox (£5.79). Usual disclaimer – prices are always subject to variation.

McDonald's Chicken Nuggets

Katsu Curry Chicken McNuggets are available from Wednesday 30th December 2020 for six weeks only and you will have seen the announcements of their release (and that of the return of the Big Tasty) in the usual media outlets.

Smart McDonald’s fans (yes YOU!!) will have known about both coming/returning to the menu since our tweet back in November.

We’ve also talked about this promotion and the return of the Grand Big Mac including the rumour of the discontinuation of the Chicken Legend on our new Podcast – available here.

Following on from 2019’s Spicy Chicken McNuggets, this is another new variation of the popular McNugget at McDonald’s and the UK is the first country in the world to get them. WE’RE NOT WORTHY!!!

Katsu Curry Chicken McNuggets

For the uninitiated of you, Katsu is Japanese in origin and is a dish of fried chicken made with panko bread crumbs and is often served with a curry-like sauce called Tonkatsu.

We don’t get a new promotional dipping sauce (like the brilliant Spicy Tomato Dip with the Spicy Nuggs) but instead this comes with the standard Sweet Curry Dip.

In fact, checking the My McDonald’s app this morning, you can actually choose which dip you receive with the Katsu Curry Chicken McNuggets. Exciting stuff.

I wonder if COVID had anything to do with this and it is easier and more cost efficient to bundle these with the Sweet Curry OR that Development were more than happy with their existing sauce to be paired with these new McNuggets.

Katsu Curry Chicken McNuggets

I would wager that most people will have probably been introduced to Katsu Chicken/Curry via YO! Sushi or just YO! as it is called now. It was certainly the first place I sampled it.

It’s a dish/flavour that has become more popular and mainstream in the last 10 years (in the UK), evidently from Walkers recent Taste Icons promotional range featured YO! Katsu Curry flavour potato crisps.

We’re not here to talk about crisps though are we?

We want to know if these new Katsu Curry Chicken McNuggets are decent enough to warrant a purchase or should they be avoided at all costs?

Firstly, I opted for the 9 Nugget option as these offer better value that just 6 on their own (43p per nugg vs. 60p) but for those looking at the best deal, the 20 ShareBox comes in at just 29p per McNugget. Nuggs of joy!

I didn’t want 20 of the things no matter how good they are. And I’m pleased to report back these are pretty excellent.

Katsu Curry Chicken McNuggets

I had placed my order via the app but wasn’t sure if my local McDonald’s were doing Click & Serve yet and as I pulled into the car park, noticed the drive-thru was packed as people scrambled for their last minute McMuffin (or they really have missed the Big Tasty!).

There it was – two Click & Serve spaces (one free) and I quickly shot into bay 5. More of my observations (and correct predictions) regarding Click & Serve follows this review.

The Katsu Curry Chicken McNuggets are immense though.

They look incredible and that crispy breadcrumb coating really makes this stand out from the normal or spicy nuggets.

McDonald's Sweet Curry Dip

As you can see from the pictures, the coating is much thicker than the coating used on the regular McNuggets and you get a satisfying crunch when biting in revealing a “too brilliant white” soft chicken breast meat interior.

There’s a faint hint of spice and the flavour is a decent enough McDonald’s version of Kastu – like a slight hint of curry (pre-sauce dip obviously).

Speaking of dips, the Sweet Curry works well and it is an obvious pairing but if there had been a promo dip (I’m thinking a sauce similar to the one on the Katsu Chicken Curry at Yo!) then this really would have elevated these to a new level. Maybe next time…

Take nothing away, the Katsu Curry Chicken McNuggets are impressive looking with a subtle, curry-spiced flavour which lingers long on the palate.

I thoroughly recommend trying these if Chicken McNuggets are your thing at McDonald’s. I really would say they are worth sampling at least once, if only to try that crispy coating.

McDonald's Sauces

I mentioned Click & Serve above and it is my new favourite method of ordering/collection but as I predicted to Captain QP and observed today, it has the following drawbacks. Mainly due to people being stupid and/or selfish – the shock of it.

1. One car was parked in the other bay while they ate their food meaning others couldn’t use it.
2. A van reversed into one of the designated bays but had just been through the drive-thru so they didn’t need to be in the bay.
3. Multiple orders – I ordered these and when they arrived I did another order (for the rest of the family as I was taking it back to BLHQ) so when that came out, the staff member was calling out my bay number but assuming the food wasn’t for me.

Definitely one for discussion on our next episode of the Podcast (from Friday 1st hopefully).

Overall, a respectable and welcome limited time offer of a popular McDonald’s favourite. If you’re a fan of Chicken McNuggets, the new Katsu ones should not fail in satisfying.

The crunch of the coating is worth the admission fee alone and the slight curry-spiced flavour offers something a bit different as we enter 2021.

Agree? Disagree?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or via the usual BURGER LAD® channels.

Katsu Curry Chicken McNuggets

To all our followers, readers and listeners, we would like to thank you for your amazing support in 2020 and wish you a very Happy New Year.

Burger Lad®

Website: https://www.mcdonalds.com/gb/en-gb.html

Katsu Nuggets

Katsu Curry Chicken McNuggets

£3.59
8.3

Taste

8.0/10

Look

9.0/10

Price

8.0/10

Hot

  • Crispy coating
  • Something new
  • Katsu McDonald's style

Not

  • No promo sauce

6 thoughts on “McDonald’s Katsu Curry Chicken McNuggets

  • 01/01/2021 at 7:40 pm
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    These are lovely

  • 05/01/2021 at 1:05 am
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    Actually Tonkatsu is the name of the usually pork breaded escalope, and Tonkatsu sauce is used as a dip and its fruity but not curry based, more like brown sauce in fact.

  • 27/01/2021 at 8:26 pm
    Permalink

    this is not a burger

  • 30/01/2021 at 8:36 am
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    I was looking forward to enjoying these but was very disappointed, don’t know what I expected. They were hot and fresh just not my cup of tea.

  • 18/02/2021 at 4:09 pm
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    My devastation when these weren’t on the menu anymore… bring them back!

  • 04/03/2021 at 3:10 pm
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    my favorite menu, but now it’s hard to get it in my country.

Comments are closed.