The Big Mac is arguably the world’s most famous burger.
With its classic combination of a three-tiered bun, two beef patties, shredded lettuce, American cheese, dill pickles, diced onion and secret sauce, it’s McDonald’s flagship product and a burger which holds a special place in my heart.
Don’t get me wrong, I prefer Cardiff’s gourmet burger options with their thick and juicy patties and bespoke buns, but every so often nothing hits the spot like a Big Mac.
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So, I most certainly raised an eyebrow when I heard the news that McDonald’s were launching a limited edition Chicken Big Mac.
Available from Wednesday, February 2, until Tuesday, March 15, it’s apparently been one of McDonald’s most requested menu items and has previously had a successful run in Australia.
In the name of research, I thought it would be a good idea to put the Chicken Big Mac and the Big Mac up against each other in a head to head taste test.
Here’s how I got on.
Big Mac
The price - £3.49
The appearance - This was one ugly looking burger which certainly bore no resemblance to the art direct pictures on the restaurant’s menu.
A higgledy-piggledy stack with a split bread bun, it looked like it had been practically thrown together. The patties were dry in appearance and a slightly darker shade of brown from how I remember them the last time I had one.
The merest hint of cheese poked out from the side of the bun whilst a solitary and sad looking piece of gherkin was all that was on show. Thankfully, it looked slightly better under the lid with a good dollop of special sauce and extra gherkins but I think there was more chopped lettuce scattered in the box than there was in the bun.
The taste - Thankfully, it tasted a heck of a lot better than it looked. Everything worked so well together and it really was greater than the sum of its parts.
Despite the patties being fairly dry, the hit of beef combined nicely with the creamy burger sauce, melty golden cheese, crisp lettuce and cleansing gherkins.
Interestingly, diced white onion is one ingredient which doesn’t feature in the Chicken Big Mac and it certainly adds an extra intensity of flavour.
Chicken Big Mac
The price - £3.99. It’s 50p more expensive than the beef Big Mac which I find a little unusual. Naively perhaps, I normally consider beef to be a more premium ingredient than chicken.
The appearance - Slightly taller in stature than the beef Big Mac it was an appetising looking riot of beige. The golden battered chicken fillets appeared crisp and grease free, a melted cheese slice hung out of the side of the bun, there was a hint of secret sauce and the lettuce was well distributed.
Compared to the beef Big Mac, it was definitely a much tastier looking burger.
The taste - It tasted pretty much as expected and I think that was ultimately its downfall. Everything was present and correct from the soft sweet bun and the creamy and tangy burger sauce to the fragrant dill pickles and ooze of American-style cheese.
However, the chicken patties whilst tender and crisp were seriously lacking in flavour and didn’t really bring anything to the sandwich.
It’s perhaps stating the obvious but this was a burger which could have done with a good hit of beef to make it sing. Also, as I worked my way through it, the crisp coating on the chicken became increasingly claggy and stodgy.
The final verdict:
The Big Mac is a global icon for a reason and it’s far superior to the Chicken Big Mac in my opinion and that’s even with a pair of fairly dry beef patties in the burger I ate.
I think it's quite telling that the Chicken Big Mac hasn’t launched until now. Whilst the beef Big Mac has been available for almost 50 years, it’s taken until 2022 for the Chicken Big Mac to arrive on the scene. Surely if it was that much of a winner it would have launched sooner.
I certainly won’t be shedding any tears when this limited edition departs next month. I’d suggest giving it a miss and just sticking to the original.
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