I tried McDonald's new chicken breakfast sandwiches and decided the fast-food giant hasn't won the Chicken Sandwich Wars
I ordered the two chicken options from a McDonald's location near Business Insider's office in New York. The Chicken McGriddle cost $3.39, and the McChicken Biscuit only $1.
Whenever I order new items from McDonald's, I always have a problem figuring out which is which. The packaging gave no clue. I found out later that the flatter one is the Chicken McGriddle.
The eternal question of what to eat first ... I decided to go with the McGriddle. The golden arch on it caught my eye immediately.
The McChicken patty and the McGriddle cakes were very unmatched in size. Would this huge size difference end up rendering the perfect flavor?
As soon as I took my first bite, I knew the answer: It wouldn't. It was such a weird experience. My month was stuffed with food, but I didn't taste anything substantial. It was almost like the two flavors offset each other.
This should have been a perfect blend of saltiness and sweetness, crispness and softness. That's why people love chicken and waffles, after all. However, all I felt was that this McGriddle was stuck to my teeth.
My first bite was mostly chicken and the edge of the cake, and the salt and sugar largely cancelled each other out. Then my second bite, with the perfectly even portions of both, ended up a bit too sweet for me.
I decided to try the chicken and the cake separately.
See how much maple syrup is in the McGriddle? I think it might have gone better with the chicken if it were less sticky. The combo might make a better fit with some morning coffee.
I mean, I could eat this with my eyes closed and know immediately that it was the McChicken. I've been eating this since I was around five, but I have not yet accepted the idea of starting my day with it — not with the current combination, at least.
I moved on to the McChicken Biscuit. The size of it was similar to that of the cheapest hamburger McDonald's has.
One thing was certain after my first bite: This is the kind of food that can fill your belly in the quickest and cheapest manner.
But it was also a worse combination than the Chicken McGriddle. It was saltiness plus saltiness, and dryness plus dryness. It only took two bites before I desperately needed something to calm my taste buds.
All I had was that McGriddle I had tried before, so I took another bite of it. It helped, but the sugary cake quickly made me want some salt again. I felt like I was falling into a horrible loop with no way out.
My sense brought me back to taste the chicken and the biscuit separately.
The biscuit clearly had too much salt and too little moisture in it. It fell apart easily, leaving a mess of biscuit crumbs.
The chicken was the same McChicken as in the McGriddle. I tasted what seemed like cartilage in this one. I didn't like that.
And now I'm back to the loop. It was a huge mistake not to order any drink. This meal could have been better.
Though my stomach felt full, my heart was filled with little satisfaction, and my tongue screamed for some balanced flavor.
Mixing things that do not really match and relying on brand-name classics are not helping McDonald's dominate the competition. For me, it would take some new hits to make me want to start my day with McDonald's again.
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