Former McDonald's chef says the chain created its chicken sandwich to imitate Chick-fil-A's despite his protests

• A former McDonald's chef said he was part of a team that worked on a new chicken sandwich recipe for McDonald's.
• While he helped come up with an alternative recipe, he said McDonald's went with one that rivaled Chick-fil-A's.

If you thought your fried chicken sandwich from McDonald's was similar to those sold at Chick-fil-A, your taste buds may have been onto something.

A new chapter has been added to the fast-food chicken sandwich wars: A former McDonald's chef shared insight on his TikTok about how the fast-food chain reworked its fried chicken sandwich to rival Chick-fil-A's.

Mike Haracz, a former McDonald's chef, said he was part of a team that developed a new chicken sandwich recipe for McDonald's a few years ago. While he helped create a unique sandwich, some McDonald's owners and operators wanted to create a sandwich that would replicate Chick-fil-A's instead, he said.

He said the sandwich he created included a "sweet, honey mustard sauce" popular in consumer test groups. Still, McDonald's went with the sandwich recipe that rivaled Chick-fil-A's.

McDonald's did not immediately reply to Insider's request for comment.

Since McDonald's launched its new chicken sandwiches in 2021, consumers and industry experts have commented on the menu items' similarity to Chick-fil-A's sandwiches. Insider previously compared McDonald's and Chick-fil-A's chicken sandwiches and found the similarities noteworthy.

When reached for comment, Haracz told Insider over email: "I cannot talk about the cooking process or provide the recipes for the items tested." But he did say the "sweet honey mustard sauce" he was testing was based on a chicken finger sauce from the Village Tavern restaurant in Illinois.

Haracz also added that "there are a variety of reasons why something that tests better than others in panels and focus groups may not be the item launched. Ingredient availability, cost, operational complexity, and allergens could make a higher scoring item not viable in the restaurant."

In 2021, Haracz told Insider that McDonald's new chicken sandwich "comes in a foil bag just like Chick-fil-A, from what I understand, it has a very similar flavor profile. There are some people who might go to Chick-fil-A strictly for the flavor, and if McDonald's can match that, they may be swayed."

Nearly every fast food chain has been getting behind the chicken sandwich craze. It started in 2019, when Popeyes introduced its famous fried chicken sandwich, which regularly sold out at restaurants. Some violent incidents at Popeyes restaurants were even connected to customers trying to get their hands on the sandwich.

Consumer demand for chicken sandwiches has been mounting — especially among Gen Z consumers. And other fast-food chains have been clamoring to satisfy those cravings.

Burger King, Taco Bell, and KFC each launched their takes on chicken sandwiches within the last two years.

"When Popeyes launched their chicken sandwich in late 2019, it created a lot of buzz and excitement that fueled a lot of the other brands to look at their own chicken platforms and make a judgment on their offerings," Haracz previously told Insider in 2021. "When anything like that happens, other chains' main objective is to get a piece of that share."