Feelin’ hot: McDonald’s releases new spicy McNuggets

McDonald’s new Spicy Chicken McNuggets and Mighty Hot Sauce hit restaurants this week after heavy demand from customers. 

These spicy nuggets are the first new McNugget flavor since their original release in 1983 and will be available for a limited time at participating locations, including McDonald’s in Logan, Utah.

Logan’s resident McDonald’s expert Salem Karren isn’t a fan of spice, so he wasn’t expecting to enjoy the new Spicy Chicken McNuggets. 

“When I first ate them, they weren’t as spicy as I was expecting and the new Mighty Hot Sauce was surprisingly sweet,” Karren said. “I quite like the flavor of the spicy nuggets, but they do come with trade-offs.”

McNuggets are one of Karren’s favorite menu items at McDonald’s, and for him, the original nuggets are hard to beat.

“My favorite part is the crispy outside layer. I love the way it flakes off when you eat them and the contrast between the crispy outside and the tender, juicy inside,” Karren said. “The spicy nuggets don’t have the same crispy shell, which to me is their biggest flaw. They’re good, but if you’re looking for the signature McNugget texture, you’ll be disappointed. Overall, I’d give them a 7 out of 10 and I’ll probably order them a few times while they’re here, but they aren’t better than the regular nuggets.”

While McDonald’s spicy nuggets are new, they aren’t the first fast food restaurant to spice up their nuggets. Wendy’s brought their popular spicy nuggets back in August 2019 and has been serving them since.

When news broke that McDonald’s would be releasing their own spicy chicken nuggets, Wendy’s was quick to shade the restaurant on Twitter. 

“Must have scraped up all of BKs leftovers and slapped mcprice tag on it,” the company tweeted.

Must have scraped up all of BKs leftovers and slapped mcprice tag on it. https://t.co/mVkvqAPvkH

— Wendy's (@Wendys) August 26, 2020

Now that Spicy Chicken McNuggets are available nationwide, the debate is heated over which restaurant’s spicy nuggets reign supreme. 

“Wendy’s spicy nuggets have that superior zesty taste and flavor that leaves the McDonald’s nuggets in the dust,” said David Searle, a junior at Utah State University. 

“I personally like the spicy nuggets from Wendy’s better because they have a little bit of a crunch,” said USU sophomore Clara Alder. “Not saying McDonald’s does not have any crunch, I just think that Wendy’s has a more well-rounded nugget. Plus, you can swap out a regular nugget for a spicy nugget in the 4 for 4 which is the ultimate win.” 

USU junior Brynn Griffiths disagrees. 

“I enjoy the McDonald’s spicy chicken nuggets more than Wendy’s because I think that the texture and flavors are more balanced,” Griffiths said. “The McDonald’s spicy nuggets have the upper hand in this scenario because they are the enhanced version of the already tried and true McNugget.”

Have you tried the new Spicy Chicken McNuggets? Let us know which spicy nuggets you prefer. 

Darcy Ritchie is a second-year journalism student at Utah State from Idaho Falls, Idaho. Outside of writing for the Statesman, she loves to DJ for Aggie Radio, eat french bread in the Walmart parking lot, and tweet.

—darcy.ritchie@usu.edu

@darcyrrose