Last week brought some exciting news for McDonald's fans, as the fast-food chain announced another major menu revamp that includes a variety of new items.
It means that fans can tuck into six delicious new items including the Grand Big Mac, the Grand Big Mac with bacon, Garlic Cheese Bites and two Flake McFlurries, raspberry and chocolate.
That's not all. The food giant also revealed that one of its hottest burgers would be added back onto the menu - the McSpicy chicken burger.
Fans will know that this fiery burger isn't a new option from the golden arches, as it was a huge hit with foodies when it arrived on menus last summer.
However, it has been off the menu for quite some time. Available for a limited-time only, the McDonald's McSpicy chicken burger costs just £4.29 on its own, or £5.79 as a regular meal with a drink of your choice.
Since its grand return to menus across the country, the spice level of the red-hot burger has been the subject of debate. Some have argued it is either too hot or not spicy enough.
Naturally, I decided to put it to the taste to see if it was worth being the subject of debate.
Would the McSpicy be live up to its name? Well, there was only one way to find that out.
I popped into my local branch at the Kittbrewster Retail Park in Aberdeen where I picked up one McSpicy Chicken Burger and headed home to tuck into the hotly debated item.
The presentation
First things first, let's talk about the presentation of the burger shall we?
It might not sound like a huge thing but - let's all be honest here - one of the first things that can either give a good or bad first impression is the presentation of the burger itself.
The first thing I noticed when I took the burger out of the standard McDonald's paper bag was that it comes in a sleek new orange box with the word "McSpicy" on it.
While the crispy chicken fillet is fairly chunky, I will admit that I was pleasantly surprised at the overall presentation. While it's not as pretty or neat as the adverts (when is it ever?), the filling was all inside the actual burger buns for once and the sauce was not dripping out of the side.
I also noticed that this burger was one of the few times were there wasn't a whole variety of extra's added in. There was just mayonnaise and lettuce, which I think helped the overall presentation and made it looks that bit more aesthetically pleasing.
The burger
Lets get to the main part, the very thing that you are all here for and want to know about...
Is the McSpicy chicken burger actually worth it?
Well we'll start with the spice level because, let's face it, that's the main thing we are all wondering about this burger. I will admit, after my first bite I didn't really get that tingling sensation that comes with spice. However, like a slow-burner, the heat slowly crept in with each passing bite as I continued to tuck in.
Within a couple of bites my tongue had started to tingle and I was thankful for the coolness of the dollop of mayonnaise that comes with the burger.
As someone who loves a bit of spice in their food I must admit that this was never 'too hot to handle'. We're not talking Nando's level of heat here, but it certainly had a pleasant kick to it that initially took me by surprise.
Heat aside, I enjoyed the generous-sized chicken fillet that featured a nice crispy coating as it gave that bit of crunch to the burger. There was also the right amount of lettuce and mayonnaise to give that bit extra flavour with each bite. Honestly, the minimal extra ingredients never overpowered the star of the show.
Overall thoughts
In summary; the McSpicy is certainly spicier than I initially imaged and it was surprising. With debate on the spice level being down the middle, I was surprised to find that I do agree with those that think the burger is definitely worth its name sake.
Is it ever too spicy to finish? Well, I guess that depends on your tolerance for spicy food and heat. For me, I personally found that it had the right level of tingle to make my taste buds sing.
Unlike other burgers from the fast-food chain, I found that this one benefitted from the 'less is more' attitude as the mayo and lettuce gave the right amount of added flavour. It also never felt like you were holding a whole meal in your hand and the chicken didn't slide right out the burger, so that was a plus.
All in all, I enjoyed the McSpicy and its just right level of heat to give your taste-buds that heat boost.
Heat rating: 4/5
Presentation rating: 4/5
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