Another new dawn for McDonald's fans has arisen as the famous golden arches has introduced a host of new items onto its menu to tuck into.
While some of them sound delicious (mini potato waffles, I am looking at you), let's face it, there was only one item that we were all really looking forward to trying out - the brand new McCrispy Burger.
Described by McDonald's as "game-changing", the new chicken burger is the fast-food chain's first permanent chicken burger in 15 years following their Flame Grilled Chicken in 2007, so, it's been a long wait for fans who have been calling for another to be added to the menu.
And, that's not the only reason it has gained attention, as the global food brand recently announced the McCrispy would be replacing the popular Chicken Legend in a move that left fans "crying" and "devastated."
I'll be quite honest, I may have been one of them. As a self-confessed fan of the Chicken Legend, the idea that it would no longer be available hurt my feelings - especially as McDonald's rarely caters towards chicken fans, with the last two options being Chicken Selects and McNuggets.
So, I decided to wipe my metaphorical tears and open my mind to trying out new things, which naturally meant popping into my local McDonald's to see if the McCrispy was a worthy successor to the recently axed Chicken Legend.
Visiting the McDonald's branch located in the Kittybrewster Retail Park in Aberdeen, here is how I got on...
After heading into my local branch during my lunch break at work, I waltzed right over to the touch screen to place an order for the new McCrispy and, yes, it was still sad to see the Chicken Legend no longer there. The burger costs £6.30 for an Extra-Value Meal, which comes with a side of fries and a drink. By comparison, a Chicken Legend Extra-Value Meal would have cost around £5.29, so it was slightly dearer.
But was it worth the extra money and the hype? That really is the main question and what I wanted to answer once my food was popped on a tray and I had sat down to tuck into.
Described by McDonald's as the "crispiest and crunchiest chicken burger ever", I was immediately excited to give it a go and see if it lived up to the chain's own hype. Add on the fact that it was made with a 100% chicken breast marinated in black pepper and cayenne. It is then served with iceberg lettuce, a dollop of mayo and served in a 4" artisan glazed bun.
It all sounds like good stuff, right?
Well it was...sort of. As soon as I opened the package to the shiny new burger, it definitely looked appetising and not dry and drab like some burgers can look. The bun looked pillow-y and toasty and it wasn't overpacked, except for the lettuce pouring out of the sides.
As soon as I took a bite, it was a bit of a mess, mainly due to the fact that the chicken fillet was larger than the round burger bun itself, and there was mayo packed into the sides of the chicken.
As for the chicken itself, which really is expected to be the star of the show...and it was just alright. First things first, I'll say that I did not hate this burger, I have definitely ate worse, but I did find that McDonald's had gone a bit far on the "crispiest and crunchiest chicken" tagline here.
I really enjoy crispy chicken, but one bite of the new McCrispy was like biting into chicken that was slightly overdone, leading to that dry and tough in the mouth. Which really is a shame, as it looks like it was going to have that nice crunch with a juicy chicken in the middle, but, alas, that was not to be. Luckily, there were lots of mayo to moisten the whole thing up a bit.
On the plus side, one thing that I did enjoy, was that you can definitely tell the chicken breast has been marinated in spices, as there is quite a powerful punch of cayenne and black pepper, which you get even more with each mouthful. It's never spicy, but it does give the burger that added flavour, compared to eating dry chicken and mayonnaise.
As for the bun itself, I did like the glazed sourdough texture, as it was never too greasy, which can often be the case with a glazed bun. It was a little on the softer side, meaning that it did start to break apart when you were tucking into it, and I didn't get the "sweet, nutty, toasted flavour" that was promised , but overall it was not a bad bun and still edible.
Overall, I'd say my experience with McDonald's new McCrispy burger was a bit of a mixed affair as there were certainly positive and negatives. The bun was decent and there was a powerful punch of flavour, but the chicken was overcooked and dry, and the bun didn't deliver on its promised flavour either.
It's probably the most split I have ever been on a new item at McDonald's, as I have fairly enjoyed trying out some of the new menu items recently, and they rarely get it wrong.
Is it still worth trying out? Absolutely. Especially if, like me, you are a chicken burger fan and want to give something new a try. You never know, this might be the one for you.
As for me? Well, I felt like it was a little underwhelming, especially after McDonald's promised a "game-changing" burger which was a promise I felt that it didn't fully live up to. I'll take the Chicken Big Mac, or even the Chicken Legend back at any rate.
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