- McDonald's just released its latest contender in the Chicken Wars: a spicy BBQ chicken sandwich and spicy BBQ glazed tenders.
- I tried both the sandwich and the tenders, and neither justified their existence on McDonald's menu.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .
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McDonald's new spicy chicken sandwich is a wimpy response to Popeyes' chicken sandwich triumph (MCD)
Chicken sandwiches are the new battlefield for fast-food titans like Popeyes and Chick-fil-A.
McDonald's Spicy BBQ Chicken Sandwich
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On Wednesday, McDonald's entered into the Chicken Wars with a new spicy BBQ chicken sandwich.
McDonald's sent its contestant into battle on the heels of the release of Popeyes' chicken sandwich, which ignited a massive Twitter war and caused no shortage of real-world chaos when it ran out.
Spicy chicken is all the rage these days Wendy's spicy chicken nuggets returned to a resounding fan welcome so I went to McDonald's to try its new peppery poultry. But, I wasn't lovin' it.
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McDonald's spicy BBQ chicken sandwich should have stayed in the test kitchen where it belongs. Its accompanying spicy BBQ chicken tenders were even more disappointing.
Here's why:
I went to the McDonalds across the street from Business Insiders Manhattan office. I ordered a four-piece spicy BBQ glazed tenders and a spicy BBQ chicken sandwich.
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Irene Jiang / Business Insider
The spicy chicken sandwich came on a sesame bun, which I thought was an odd choice for a chicken sandwich. Its non-spicy counterpart, the buttermilk crispy chicken, comes on a lovely potato brioche.
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Irene Jiang / Business Insider
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Upon opening up the sandwich, I was faced with even more confusion. The sandwich had not one, but two pieces of fried chicken not spicy. In addition to two flaccid pickle rounds, there was a smattering of onion slices.
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Irene Jiang / Business Insider
The BBQ sauce on top was less than generous, which made me nervous because its the only thing giving this sandwich any flavor.
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Irene Jiang / Business Insider
This odd combination of ingredients made me wonder what exactly McDonalds was going for with this sandwich.
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Irene Jiang / Business Insider
The chicken was nice and crispy, but the continental shift between the two pieces was annoying. It was also nowhere near as juicy, fresh, and flavorful as Popeyes chicken.
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Irene Jiang / Business Insider
The pickles were sadly imperceptible, and the presence of the onions was just confusing. What were onions doing on a chicken sandwich? Moreover, this simply wasnt spicy. At all. It just tasted weakly of BBQ sauce.
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Irene Jiang / Business Insider
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It was like McDonalds slapped two chicken tenders on a bun with some onion slivers and BBQ sauce. I wondered why McDonalds had even bothered to release it.
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Irene Jiang / Business Insider
So many fans have been clamoring for the return of the Spicy McChicken. Why not just answer their call? Or at least put the spice in the chicken batter like Chick-fil-A does?
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Irene Jiang / Business Insider
The new spicy BBQ glazed tenders told a similarly sad story.
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Irene Jiang / Business Insider
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They emitted a strong, alluring smell while in the bag, but when I took them out, they looked less than appetizing.
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Irene Jiang / Business Insider
These were essentially McDonalds buttermilk crispy tenders drenched in what can only be described as "plain ol barbecue sauce."
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Irene Jiang / Business Insider
I was suspicious that all this sauce wouldnt bode well for the crispiness of the tenders.
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Irene Jiang / Business Insider
And I was right. This tender didnt have the texture of something thats been fried even though it had indeed been fried. I tasted nothing but sauce and lean white meat.
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Irene Jiang / Business Insider
These mild, middling tenders are no threat to anyone, much less to Popeyes. I still have hope that McDonalds will come out with a better kind of spicy chicken, one where the spice is in the batter or the marinade. Until then, Im getting my spicy fix elsewhere.
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Irene Jiang / Business Insider
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See Also:
- More than 8,200 stores are closing in 2019 as the retail apocalypse drags on here's the full list
- Wendy's is making a $20 million push into breakfast with menu items like a coffee-infused Frosty and a Breakfast Baconator
- Nordstrom is growing its fleet of stores that sell hardly anything at all here's what they're like to visit
SEE ALSO: I tried chicken sandwiches from 8 major chains, and Popeyes' was a major standout for several reasons
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