COURTESY MCDONALD’S
COURTESY MCDONALD’S
Published on May 05, 2025
Will McCrispy Strips dethrone Chicken McNuggets? I had to find out.
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McDonald’s is no stranger to chicken. Between the iconic McChicken and McNuggets, and more recent endeavors like the Chicken Big Mac, poultry has established a place on the menu. Even discontinued McDonald’s items like the Mighty Wings and Chicken Fajitas prove that Ronald himself is coming for Chick-fil-A and Popeyes.
If you remember, McDonald’s had Chicken Selects on its menu for 10 years before discontinuing them in 2013. The next iteration, Buttermilk Crispy Tenders, was around from 2017 until 2020. I’ve tried all of McDonald’s previous chicken tenders in my lifetime, and the fast-food critic in me needed an honest taste of the new McCrispy Strips.
What do the McCrispy Strips taste like?
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To be transparent, the strips were lackluster. The chicken itself tasted fine, so that wasn’t my problem. McDonald’s promised that the chicken strips would be “made with juicy, 100% white meat, coated with crispy golden-brown breading and bursting with a bold, new black pepper flavor.”
My stomach yearned for a thick, crunchy coating that would have me visiting McDonald’s constantly like the Snack Wraps used to. That’s not what I got.
The breading was way darker than I expected, and it wasn’t so much crispy as it was a single, homogeneous layer of peppered flour. Crunchy? Not that I could tell. It had the same consistency as a McChicken, and that’s not what I thought I was buying into. The breading softened by the second as I picked up each piece to dip into the new Creamy Chili Dip.
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For some good news, the Creamy Chili Dip is an objective win. It has a rich, creamy pepper flavor with a masterfully measured amount of kick. I considered grabbing an order of McNuggets just to give them a blank canvas to paint upon!
McDonald’s has always been reliable when it comes to its lineup of sauces. I’m definitely going to grab a few of the Creamy Chili flavor for my emergency Mickey D’s sauce stash.
How long will McCrispy Strips be at McDonald’s?
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The McCrispy Strips are the first permanent new menu item in over four years, so don’t worry about having to rush. You can grab a three-count for $5.29 or a four-count for $5.99. McDonald’s plans to roll out the strips nationwide by May 5, 2025. Check your McDonald’s app or a kiosk inside the restaurant for details!
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