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McDonald’s Spicy Chicken Winter Melt

McDonald's Spicy Chicken Winter Melt

Review of McDonald’s Spicy Chicken Winter Melt

Website: http://www.mcdonalds.co.uk/ukhome/product_nutrition.chicken.1673.spicy-chicken-winter-melt.html

What they say:

Succulent chicken breast fillet in a crispy coating with a cheese slice made with Emmental, spicy fire-roasted pepper sauce, slivered onions, cool mayo and Batavia lettuce in a toasted sesame seed topped bun.

Price: £3.89 for the burger only.

Calories: 540 kcal.

Another November day, another Christmas burger, this time from the biggest chain of all, McDonald’s.

You’ll have already seen Burger Lad’s review of the beef offering on McDonald’s festive menu and I’m here to tell you about its chicken sidekick – the Spicy Chicken Winter Melt.

Lovely promotional box for this one…

This was also my very first experience with McDonald’s touch screen ordering (first look brought to you by Burger Lad®) which caused me to have a salad instead of fries (not paying enough attention) but that was rapidly swapped quibble-free, with a smile.

After reading Burger Lad’s review, I had quite high hopes for this. I tend to enjoy McDonald’s crispy chicken in most of its guises and this was going to prove no exception.

Unlike Burger Lad®, I was given a near-perfect build, which of course doesn’t alter the taste of the burger but definitely enhances the experience.

In reality, they are never going to meet the exacting standards of the marketing photography shots but like I said this one really wasn’t far off. It did look very inviting.

The Spicy Chicken Winter Melt – a mouthful of words…

As for the name of it, there was definitely “spicy” although “melt” was a stretch. It certainly wasn’t dry, thanks to the mayo and sauce but the cheese wasn’t melted.

And that cheese is described as “made with Emmental” which is nice, but does beg the question “and what else…?” It was a welcome addition though – not all the chicken offerings get cheese – to a fairly uncomplicated but well thought-out build.

The sesame seed bun looked the part – a good dark shade punctuated by these white seeds – it’s a classic look and very inviting.

Inside, this special included McDonald’s crispy chicken breast which is nearly always good. A piece on its own to check – yep, good. I was enjoying this burger.

Ingredients all present and correct…

The lettuce was Batavia but it could have been any other type for all it added to the taste (an issue at every burger joint – lettuce in my view adds nothing).

Like the bun though, its dark green hues do add considerably to the aesthetics of the thing. Again, I pulled some out and was pleased with its freshness.

Not everyone is keen on mayo on a burger. Pre-BL that was me but I am now, for the most part although there are definitely exceptions.

The cool mayo, as opposed to the black pepper variant BL encountered, worked really well with the spicy sauce and neither was slopped on in great quantities. Subtlety seemed to be the name of the game here and it worked.

Inside the Christmas chicken burger…

It’s not really a major departure from chicken items we’ve seen before – tweaking ingredients seems to be the plan but calls for outrageous creations at McDonald’s are simply unrealistic.

What it is however, as a whole, is a completely new item and a very enjoyable one at that and I haven’t even got to the best bits yet.

These best bits are of course that spicy sauce and the onion. I’m over the moon that they opted not to include tomato here – would’ve ruined it.

McDonald’s crispy chicken is nearly always good…

Described respectively as “spicy fire-roasted pepper sauce” and “slivered onion” they gave a slight warmth and that sharp tang that fresh onions give. Again, provided in sufficient but generous proportions, these two ingredients gave the warmth you’d expect from a festive special.

As ever, the spiciness wasn’t food-challenge stuff. It was light and built steadily, being kept in considerable check by the mayo. A pretty classic combination that McDonald’s use to great effect.

The onions were brilliant and were probably most responsible for the taste of this burger lingering beyond the final bite.

When the marketing blurb says “let your taste buds sing”, maybe this is what they mean.

It’s only November so this and its beef counterpart are going to be around for quite a few weeks. Go and get one, and tweet Burger Lad® with your views.

I enjoyed this and that of course means it’s two out of two for McDonald’s this Christmas.

Last look at this year’s promotion…

Admiral Burgerbar

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