Taste Test: McDonald’s new Smoky BBQ Chicken Burger and Hawaiian Grilled Chicken Burger

McDonald’s two new burgers were released on Nov 24 along with the returning Brownie McFlurry and the new Potato Pops for the World Cup season.

The special meals that include one of the burgers, a drink and Potato Pops cost $9.90 each.

McDonald’s seasonal specials are usually pretty good, so I had my expectations up as I gave them a try. Here’s what I think of the new items.

The strangely coloured dark malt buns doesn’t look the most appetising, but didn’t seem to change the taste of the burger much, making this burger a pretty hearty meal overall.

With smoky barbecue sauce spread on both buns, a crispy chicken patty, cheese and chicken bacon in between, it makes for an amazing flavour combination, especially for BBQ sauce lovers.

The varying textures in the burger also worked well together. The crunch of the patty and lettuce along with the chicken bacon being a little more chewy are a good contrast to the soft buns.

The BBQ sauce complements the meat well, and coupled with the lettuce, makes the taste more harmonious. My only gripe is that the sauce is not very evenly distributed, upsetting the balance of some mouthfuls. 

The pineapple that came with my burger looked pale and didn’t have a very strong taste. After taking a few bites, it was hard to taste it at all as the grilled chicken and chicken ham overpowered it.

The grilled chicken patty was pretty enjoyable, but the overwhelming taste of just chicken made the burger a little tiring to finish.

The flavours just didn’t mix together very well, which was a bit of a disappointment, but hopefully it was more an issue with my burger than the menu item in general.

Lastly, the Potato Pops, which look and taste like the tater tots already served at Burger King. They have the same texture as hashbrowns, and taste pretty plain, with no special seasoning.

They’re also supposed to be mildly spiced, but there wasn’t really any heat to them.

However, both of the burgers did have some heat to them, so those who are sensitive to spice should get their milk ready.

I feel the burgers are worth trying at least once. At $9.90 for a set meal, it’s pretty affordable, especially considering the prices of McDonald’s special menu items are usually higher.