As you may have heard, McDonald’s is giving away free Southern-style chicken sandwiches today, with the purchase of a medium or large drink.
The verdict is in and it’s neither Southern-style, nor particularly chicken-like.
We’ll give Eat Out editor Heather Shouse the first word:
"First, this is not a real chicken breast. If it is, the chicken has been amped up like some Anna Nicole Smith Butterball. It tastes like stringy white meat formed with some gristle for "juice." Beyond that, the bun is sugary and there’s no mayo. Fact: If you serve a chicken-fried-anything south of the Mason Dixon with no mayo, you will be shot on sight. Overall, I really can’t see much difference (aside from having only a lone pickle slice for toppings) between this and their Spicy Chicken sandwich (which, yes, I have tried). Chik-Fil-A is safe, even if their crazy Southern religious ways mean that I am denied their pickle juice–marinated goodness on Sundays."
And lest you think that we’re expecting too much from a lowly McDonald’s sandwich, those of us with less-learned palates didn’t much care for it either:
Scott Smith, Web editor: First of all, the packaging says "Savour your Southern Style Chicken sandwich." I don’t care for being bossed around by my food, for one thing. And for a second, what’s with the British spelling? As Heather points out, there’s no mayo, nor did McD’s offer little packets of it (it appears they melted some butter on the bun though). Also, the bread totally overpowers the sandwich due, in part, to the complete lack of spice in the breading. Chik-Fil-A sandwiches usually leave me with a warm glow. The McD’s sandwich left me feeling the way I do when I walk into a room and forget why I came in there. ("Did I just eat something? Was there food in my mouth just now? Where did I put my keys?")
John Dugan, Clubs editor: They’ve managed to engineer a nice crunch to moistness contrast into the texture of this mass-produced sandwich. But seeing as I hardly ever go to McDonald’s, I doubt I’ll be eating one of these again. Also, three bucks?
Ruth Welte, associate features editor: It doesn’t taste like anything but fried. I’m not saying I didn’t eat the whole thing - I did, because I’d eat a fried sock. Halfway through, though, I got desperate and tried adding A-1 steak sauce on a couple bites, which was totally overpowering. Next, I splashed some hot sauce on there, and that did the trick. No point in ordering a chicken sandwich that is bad for you and needs to doctored to be lunchworthy, though.
Steve Heisler, Comedy and Time In editor: It’s a hefty hunk of chicken, but everything else–smooshed bun, paltry pickles–is pretty sad. As for taste, "hot" is the only flavor trait that comes to mind. And I’m talking temperature here. I guess if you simply need to "refuel," it does the job. And it squashed my hangover, so that’s something.
Brent DiCrescenzo, Music editor: My tongue is numb, hopefully as a reaction to the scalding chicken juices and not some mysterious petrochemical or hormone. Growing up in Atlanta, Chik-Fil-A remains the measuring stick for over-the-counter fried poultry sandwiches, and McDonald’s does a respectable job of approximating the breast meat (though I suspect it was an odd, stringy faux-crab-like lab protein) but fails with its soft, gooey bun and greasy batter exoskeleton. The bun begs to be toasted. Also, every pickle had an odd triangular hole punched in the middle like an exotic Chinese coin. But gross. The big question for me, however, is who will become the mascot of the sandwich? Grimace has shakes; Fry Guys have fries. I suggest a bullfrog with a southern drawl named Greasy.
Kris Vire, Theater writer: As an actual Southerner who makes a point of getting a juicy, delicious Chick-Fil-A sandwich on every visit home, I can say that Mickey D’s version is a poor imitation. The chicken seems dehydrated and the breading is flavorless (Hi, McDonald’s? Allow me to introduce you to spices, since you clearly haven’t met). So bland I can barely remember eating it.
Matthew Lurie, Music writer: It’s a spartan recipe McD’s has cooked up, in dire need of hot sauce. A good, sizable piece of meat, two pickles and a few crumbs of onion. Not to get all white-guy, but I would have appreciated some mayo. Although I NEVER eat at McDonald’s, if I went back, I would strongly consider eating it.
The not-quite-free sandwiches are available until 7pm tonight. After that, it’s back to the regular price.
Complaining about British spelling? Heaven forbid, an English-speaking company using English!
Got anything else to be so pedantic about?
They tried to do a chick-fil-a sandwich and they’ve failed big time.
They are not really chicken at all. They are a lab-created Frankenstein known in the business as Chick’N. This has been the case with McNuggets for a long time. Read more.
http://www.uncoveror.com/mcnuggets.htm
Who cares? It’s McDonald’s… call me when Chic-fil-a decides to make a spicy chicken sandwich a la Wendy’s though.
I am so glad that this is a professional review. You can just hope over to my blog http://bpsy2i.livejournal.com/556146.html. I posted a review Sunday.
Also another shameless plug, Ladies I’m single.
Ironic that you would use pedantic, in a comment about an article dealing with a chicken sandwich in a newspaper from Chicago.
How ostentatious.
Well someone’s upset that we kicked their ass in the revolutionary war.
To the reviewers who seemed to be missing the mayo:
You’ve missed the point as well. This sandwich is a copy of the Chick-fil-a chicken sandwich. The Chick-fil-a sandwich has no mayo; just a buttered bun, the chicken, and pickle slices.
Contrary to what you might have seen on TV, not everything in the south is slathered in mayo, especially items which are chicken fried. Perhaps you could travel down here some time and learn this for yourself.
If you’re going to speak from a position of authority, it would be good for you to actually know what you are talking about.
“Got anything else to be so pedantic about?”
Pedantic? Big word for you, Ben. Did you get the new Reader’s Digest in recently or something?
Try finding something important to gripe about next time, dumbass.
Just wanted to throw this out there to those reviewers that commented about there being no mayo. If you were to get one of the “southern style” sandwiches that they are trying to imitate you will find a buttered bun and a couple of pickles…no mayo. I will agree with the other reviewers that the chicken isn’t quite chicken.
This is why nobody respects critics of any kind
It looks like a huge chicken nugget on a bun…..literally…
First, hi to all the Fark.com folks.
Second, a note that comments on this board are moderated based on the guidelines below the comment box. Thanks.
Dear Sir Flerd Trandle
Been there. Actually, grew up there. Thing is, when I’m back there, I’m usually so busy eating at non-chain restaurants like Stroud’s, Gates and the like that I make it to Chik Fil A only for a drive-thru stomach lining after I’ve already had possibly one too many. So, with that in mind, I apologize for implying that mayo is found on Chik Fil A sandwich, but at any indie chicken-fried-whatever joint I’ve been too, you will typically get mayo. Particularly on pork tenderloins (which, if you need one and you’re anywhere in South KC, Paul’s Big Boy is the shhhhhh).
Ms. Shouse, a.k.a Extra Mayo
I tried the free-but-not-really chicken biscuit this morning. No crunch to the coating, but a peculiar dill flavor throughout. Don’t know about anyone else, but when I bite into a breakfast sandwich, I don’t want the primary flavor being pickle…especially when there’s no pickle. Take away that bizarre dillness, and you’re left with nothing but something that LOOKED vaguely like chicken, but had no chicken flavor or texture to speak of.
Chick-Fil-A is obviously on God’s side, and He returns the favor.
as a true southerner, this sandwich is just plain wrong! no self respecting southerner would EVER put a piece of fried chicken on a bun, buttered or not, and no one i know in arkansas puts mayo on fried chicken. fried chicken is to be eaten on a plate with sliced tomatoes, mashed potatoes and black-eyed peas.
I haven’t and will not try it but assume it is good enough to put on the dollar menu so you can afford to buy one for the dog. Whats with pickle on everything on the menu?
I find it funny that the sandwich doesn’t measure up to Chick-Fil-A, I’ve eaten at Chick-Fil-A and never liked the food there either. Chick-Fil-A is very bland. But I can believe that McD’s is not as good. The best chicken sandwiches in the fast food industry are What-A-Burgers what-a-chickennand the Spicy Chicken breast sandwiche from Wendy’s. At least both of these chains believe that you need more that a few pickle slices and a bland fried chicken breast.
The most important aspect of the chicken-like concoction is how well it holds up in the dumpster.
We must allot a half-hour holding-pattern dumpster period to allow the growing ranks of unemployed to retrieve discarded protein.
Main rating criteria is.. is the product edible without bacteria infestation?
Though the threat of food poisoning via mayonnaise may be overblown; not having the condiment present lessens risk of projectile vomiting from infected food. Good for you, McD. Hopefully you are thinking of loyal ex-customers reduced to sustenance via dumpsters.
Until I have the oppourtunity to root through the dumpster I must rely upon past experience to rate this particular item.
The bread tends to soak up excess grease so it is best to cast it aside and eat only the “meat.” If chawed upon within a couple hours of being cooked the meal is fine with me. It sustains the body and keeps the eater from having to jostle with the decrepit smelly ones down at the shelter.
With minimal condiments this McD offering will not be as messy as most, redcing the need for napkins… a definite plus-on on the “green” score card.
At least god can get one a Mc’d’s on Sundays
I’m pedantic, and I am really getting a kick out of these comments, which is to say that the comments that are being posted are sometimes pithy, other times obtuse, and occasionally quite droll, yes. And at other times there seems to be a certain joie de vivre lacking. But that is not to say that all comments on this board are substandard, nay, some are quite inimitable.
This is by far the most suckiest thing ever to come out of the Mcdonalds test kitchen. A regular bun, two pickle slices and a formed, pressed pile of chicken pieces breaded and fried. yuck!!! Like what was said earlier…at least the price was right. I’ll not be buying one at any time. This needs to quickly go away. Mcdonalds has never been fine dining but in the last few years the quality of the food has been spiraling down. By the way, the breakfast biscuit version sucks worse than the sandwich. My grade: D-
I ate one and was pretty disappointed. Again, the bread was gooey/pastey for lack of a better word. No seasoning of any sort. The chicken piece was of good size as to instill some home when I saw it, but I then began to eat it. The chicken was very stringy to the point I pretty much gave up on it because I got tired of trying to avoid the though, stringy parts.
They need a different, less stringy cut of meat, taosted bread and some actual seasoning of some sort.
As a fan of the chick-fil-a sandwich, I was at first worried that their recipe had been taken. It is obvious that it has not with that first bite.
There is a lot missing from the sandwich and the reviewers who have mentioned the lack of seasoning are right on target. It has taste, but it is not nearly as lip smacking good as Chick-fil-a’s original chicken sandwich.
The bun is also not quite right. The pickles do not seem to have the correct tang about them either.
Is it a good sandwich? I would have to say it is better than any at burger king, but it can’t hold a candle to chick-fil-a or Wendy’s. I have to say that Chich-fil-a does not have much to worry about currently, they are the king of fast food chicken sandwiches.
PS..
Why do they insist on making their pickels in kerosene, or whatever gives them that toxic taste? I really wish they would get pickles that actually taste like pickles. That is all. I have said my peace. :)
Taosted? New Yin-Yang Style Chicken Sammich.
Maybe McDonalds is getting desperate. I just saw an advertisement that today you get the sandwich for free if you buy a drink. Lets see if they can give them away
I had one this morning to try it and it was terrible. The worst chicken sandwich I ever have eaten. The dollar menu chicken has more flavor than this thing. Also there should be no dill taste for breakfast. Who wants dill on their breath in the morning. And where is the white gravy? I know in the midwest whenever we hear southern fried, it usually has white gravy on it.
Intersting take on Southern fried food. I guess in Chicago there is an outreach group trying to make sure mayo is on all fried foods. Living in Atlanta for wuite ahile I have not come across this required mayo. Even Chick-Fil-A that you supposedly like doesn’t automatically heap mayo on the chicken sandwich. Although it is stated that all fried foods are served down here with mayo I don’t ever recall seeing a chicked fried steak in such a state of disrespect either.
Just goes to show the only true Chicago dog is only authentic if slathered in ketchup and some people just don’t know what they are spouting off about.
all the food they sell is a bunch of crap.
Well gosh guys! I didnt think it was that bad at all. I mean yeah the quality of chix at the chic-filet is better! But everyone keeps hollaring mayo, chic filet doesnt come with mayo either, you have to ask, so i am sure if you ask at mcdonalds it would be readily available. Yeah its greasy , but here in Indy, the chic filet right across the street from mcd’s is just as greasy, comes on a soft bun and only has two pickles. Now yes their pickles have a bit more crunch , its basically the same. I tasted some of the same seasonings on it as chic filet just not as strong. Now I am a very very faithfull chic filet eater means how i have a 20 min lunch at work to scarf down anything. But I think you guys are being a little harsh, though not as harsh as the price on the sandwich, I only got it today because it was free with a dollar tea! If I am gonna pay three bucks I will go to the filet! It was lots of fun and laughs reading ur reviews!
I tried the chicken-biscuit thing this morning. I’ve never eaten anything so dry! It felt like all the moisture was being sucked out of my body. And where do they get off charging $3 for this pseudo-southern hockey puck? I’ll give them a dollar to scrap this crap.
a review of mcdonald’s? lets all just lick some ashtrays and describe the taste. it would be faster and better for you. that shite is for bottom dwellers.
[quote]Fact: If you serve a chicken-fried-anything south of the Mason Dixon with no mayo, you will be shot on sight.[/quote]
Fact: I live south of the Mason Dixon Line.
Fact: “Chicken-fried-anything” without mayo is more accepted down here. Southern “chicken-fried-anything”, if done right, taste too good to ruin it with sauce of any kind. It’s an insult to the chef to drown such a tasty treat with mayo. Sure, some below the “line” use mayo, but to claim one will be shot on sight when not useing it, is just plain false.
originally from tx and now living in la. chik-fil-a was my fav fast food and the only one i’ve seen is about 40 mi east of where i live (w today’s gas prices, it’s not worth the trip!). so i was actually pretty happen, when the chicken biscuit showed up on the menu.
funny thing about the mayo comment though - i never realized it was a southern thing, but thought it was funny b/c i have always asked for a packet of mayo whenever i ordered. (i thought we doused everything in ranch?)
nicely spiced? sizable pickles? crumbs of onions? hello, this is mcdonald’s and hardly a place to find grade a food items. their goal is to make money. i mean, they only give you one napkin and two sauces and then charge you extra for ketchup and nugget sauce… i don’t they care about spending more money for better quality sandwiches. so until they chik-fil-a (or church’s chicken, long john silvers, taco cabana, etc.) pops up near me, the southern-style chicken biscuit works for me :)
I tried both the chicken biscuit and chicken sandwich and they were both extremely disappointing, even for McD’s. If you ever travel to Nashville, TN, and want a good chicken biscuit (or sandwich) forget Chick-fil-A, go to Mrs. Winner’s Chicken and Biscuits.
I’m a cartoon rooster so I’m getting a kick out of these replies.
This sandwich is worth the price charged today, minus the required drink purchase.
Isn’t that why many call it McGagMe?
I’m with Ryan, this is a good sandwich. It isn’t fine dining and Gordon Ramsay wouldn’t endorse it, but I actually go to McDonalds a lot more now that we have this sandwich.
I like in South Carolina and oddly enough, we just got the Southern Style Chicken sandwich recently, but my in-laws live in Tennessee and they have had it for some time. Every time we visited, we stopped at a McDonalds on the way so I could get one of these sandwiches.
What an awful sandwich. There was no taste at all. Tough, grissly and bland, it may be a way to get through life, but it’s not good for a sandwich.
That Chick’n thing isn’t true.
This is a crazy weird version of Chick-fil-A. The meat is not juicy like Chick-fil-A, and the bun is dry. They need to grill the bun after they put the butter.
I think it needs mayo, but my husband (from Virginia) says “Never”!
I have photos of this sandwich on my blog.
http://vegasandfood.blogspot.com/2008/05/mcdonalds-southern-style-chicken.html
This McDonalds sandwich is a bad imitation of a Chick-Fil-A sandwich. I ate the McD sandwich a few days ago, and stopped at CFA today and ate one of theirs. CFA is way, way better. They offer mayo on their condiment bar, btw. There is no way that I would eat a CFA sandwich any way but pickle only.
journalism is officially dead.
3 things.
1) Journalism died a long time ago when Jerry Springer stopped making ‘Best of’ shows.
2) You don’t need to be British to speak English, so someone jumped onto the fail boat there.
3) The obvious confusion at the inclusion of ‘pedantic’ used in its correct form has obviously tied up some obviously tight panties in obvious cameltoe ways. Obviously, this is something I’m terribly for. Obviously.
4) For a moderated list, letting ‘dumbass’ through is a horribly unforgivable thing to do.
5) I don’t feel like counting. Is that semantic or pedantic? Obviously, I offer everyone I’ve offended my most enthusiastic contrafribularities.
I’m aspeptic, phrasmotic, even compunctious to have
caused any of you such pericombobulation
:)
(Drive-thru) Medium Dr Pepper, small fries and a free Chicken burger, $2.56. 3 Pickles, no sauce of any kind. First bite taken after 4 minutes travel time. After three bites, it was in the trash! Come on McD, you’ve been around for a long time (I remember paying 25 cents for burgers - no kidding), you can do better then this. Real name and e-mail address.
I ate one yesterday, and honestly, I did not find it half bad. The bun would have been better if it happened to be toasted…but I did not find the chicken itself of poor quality. Gosh, after I’ve read so many complaints, I feel like I have to try another one to see if it really does stink!
look up what the mason dixon line really is. it has nothing to do with dividing north and south
I heard Don Zinn is going to eat 40 of these in 30 days, just like he did with the Bacon Double Cheeseburger.
Why are there no Chik- Fil-A’s in greater Chicago land? I think the closest one is in Lafayette, IN, which, BTW, is way north of the Mason Dixon line.
The best sandwitch every. take a quarter pounder, put a couple nuggets on it. top with either honey, bbq or sweet and sour sauce. Bang! you got a hit.
Dry……..
I just returned from the hospital. I had the chicken busquit this morning. It took 3 bags of IV fluid to re-hydrate me enough to actually have enough liquid in my stomach to throw up the sandwich. Yuk.
Hey dumbass who commented first about the English spelling of savour. He meant English as in England you dumbass, go to school, you need an education.
I think this is the best chicken sandwich any fastfood restaurant has to offer. I could do without the pickles though. I honestly get about 3 a week, and 1 chicken biscuit a week. Working extra hard to not get fat because of these, but I am addicted to the Southern Style Chicken Biscuit/Sandwich at McDonalds.
Authenticity is so overrated. How about preparing food in a manner you find personally appealing? Am I less of an authentic resident if I enjoy a moderate quantity of mayo or ketchup? It’s for the most part meaningless.
In the same spirit, McDonald’s should have just developed a new sandwich. Would I rather have Chik-Fil-A or an inadequate duplicate, hmm, let me think about that . . .
I had one of these…what a mistake!
I threw most of it out it was so nasty.
Don’t waste your money on this sandwich.
McDonalds should be ashamed to even have this on their menu.
Who the hell is charge over at McDonalds test kitchens?
Lucifer?
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being absolutely delicious:
it rates a 1.
As for the “English” spelling. Sorry, I speak and spell American, which is only distantly related to English.
I am from Ga.,and I love Chick-Fil-A..I live in Hawaii now,and we dont have them here.The new McDonalds version is the closest thing to Chick-Fil-A so I eat em.They arent that bad..If I had a choice I would go to Chick-Fil-A though..
Heck folks… why don’t we just get along quietly being 50% obese tubs of lard and unfussily eat the planet like good all-American Pro-consumers! After that there’s the whole universe to eat… with mayo…of course. Who’d be a 32 day life, battery reared, mass mega-slaughtered chicken. Conscience-free convenience. We loves ya baby!
Paul
Brighton UK
And you Yanks wonder why you’re all so fat.
Perhaps jellied eel pie washed down by several pints of warm ale aren’t so silly after all.
If I need my Chick-fil-a fix, I drive up to Racine, WI to get a real Chicken Sandwich. I cannot believe how they have tried to duplicate the “Original Sandwich.” For those of you that have not had the opportunity to try Chick-Fil-a, mayo is NOT needed, the two pickles works just fine!
I ate the chicken breakfast sandwich and it’s one of the nastiest things I have ever eaten at McDonalds. I don’t like pickels and having a dill flavor throughout my breakfast sandwich is not something I like, though it did wake me up. McDonalds should just stick to killing cows for their meat and let Chick-Fil-a handle the rest.
William St John-Smythe: You seem to have information that the rest of us lack. ALL american people are fat? Wow!! So are those skinny ass women I see parading around just optical illusions? Must be. Benicer to us “Yanks” in the future. If it wasn’t for us, you’d all be speaking German in the UK. But thanks for Dr. Who. Love the show. :)
I dont even know WHY McDonalds decided to do this, Chick Fil A is ten thousands of times better and always will be. Maybe they could try shutting down Sundays? haha
As a teen I use to work at a Chick-Fil-A.
We had to cut the chicken by hand. We had to add the seasoning. The result was a tasty sandwich. Obviously the “Southern Style” sandwich from McDonalds comes out of a box, so what can you expect?
I had one. It’s not bad, not good either. When you compare something to the best, then yeah, it sucks. But it’s ok for what it is.
chicken for b’fast…I’m strangely addicted to the chicken/biscuit sandwich, thanks for identifying the odd flavor in the chicken breading. I thought it might be mustard or turmeric, which would give the breading color. It does taste strangely of dill, what’s with that? I think the biscuit is good, it’s fluffy inside, has a nice crust, maybe a little greasy, but it’s just as good as Biscuit World. For $2 and 5 minutes anywhere you are, it’s not bad. The same chicken on a plain bun does not appeal!