Taste Test: McDonald's New Chicken McGriddle

Tyler Salk

It still may sound a little strange to some, but there’s a popular food climbing towards sitting with bacon at the top of the breakfast food chain. It’s not one of those trendy fake imitation meats. It’s something from the gods themselves.

Fried chicken.

Two words, when paired together, can make anybody’s mouth water.

In the south, fried chicken is a breakfast staple, something that the people of Rhode Island have come to know with the addition of Chick-fil-A. And combing the delicacy with maple syrup has become mainstream. So one of the “restaurant” world’s biggest players took center stage, with the initiative to add it to their breakfast menu.

Released at the beginning of February, McDonald’s Chicken McGriddle combines two fan favorites. The chicken part explains itself, but for those unfamilar, a mcgriddle is a sandwich on two pancake-like buns that are infused (not drenched with) maple syrup. In theory, a perfect pairing.

But what would make a perfect sandwich?

On my first bite, I was analyzing a few factors. Would the chicken be crispy? Would a pancake on each side of the meat overpower the taste of the chicken? Would it be worth getting again?

The first thing I noticed was the bread. I had some concerns going into it that the mild syrupy flavor would cover up too much of the chicken, and it seemed like I was right. But then after chewing a few more times, it hit.

The sweetness of the syrup was met with the savory and salty tastes of the chicken. The unqiue taste that is maple blended with the crust of fried greatness jumped out. If you’ve ever had chicken and waffles, you’re familiar with what I’m talking about. While Mickey D’s defintiely isn’t gormet, if I was doing a blind taste test, I’d have no clue that this was any different than the standard chicken and waffles type of dish.

It’s worth noting that I ate this sandwich right away. I didn’t let it sit and get soggy for fifteen minutes. The chicken was slightly crispy, which noticably provided two different textures to the sandwich when the fluffiness of the pancake is considered. 

At only $2 per sandwich, I’d definitely say it was worth it’s value. My only criticism, which is present in all of the McGriddles, is that a little more syrup would’ve gone a long way.

Verdict: Savory, sweet, and worth the eat
Grade: A-

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