Always been curious about a Big Mac but just not a burger kind of customer? You're in luck — well, only if you're a chicken kind of customer instead.
Starting Oct. 10, McDonald's is offering a twist on its mainstay menu item for a limited time in the U.S., and it'll give McChicken lovers the chance to try out their ideal version of a Big Mac.
The Chicken Big Mac offers the same ingredients and toppings as its beef counterpart, just minus the beef. That means instead of two beef patties, customers can enjoy two chicken patties, sandwiched between a sesame seed bun, pickles, lettuce, onion, American cheese and — of course — the signature Big Mac sauce.
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Though the menu item was only announced Thursday in the U.S., it's already been making its rounds in certain regions, including in Miami in 2022. Earlier that year, its introduction to the United Kingdom became the chain's "most popular launch ever" and led to the sandwich being sold out almost everywhere around 10 days later.
It also made a surprise appearance in Los Angeles last weekend at a one-day-only pop-up dining experience by a chain called McDonnell's (McDonald's was secretly behind the whole thing). The restaurant offered a signature menu item named "The Chicken Sandwich," which was actually the real Chicken Big Mac.
The sandwich now comes at a time when the Golden Arches has introduced a slew of other new menu options and deals amid a slump in sales due to inflation-weary customers. It seemingly kicked off over the summer with its $5 value box, which then started a so-called "value wars" within the fast food industry. Chains from Taco Bell to Subway began offering their versions of the deal, all aimed at winning over the dwindling expendable dollar from their demographic.
In September, McDonald's announced it would be extending the $5 value meal until December in most stores, though it was initially only supposed to last a month. This is likely a result of the success it's seen so far. Data from Placer.ai in July showed McDonald's saw a massive boost in foot traffic in the first week of its $5 deal, from 5.4% to 7.9% year over year for the four days following its launch.
