Feasting on an Aussie Favorite - Chicken Big Mac

Picture this out: You're walking out from a train carriage embracing a 39°C weather. Take note, you haven't had anything for breakfast nor lunch and then you see this signage up ahead. You forcibly wipe your eyes in doubt but after taking a closer look, what you see is actually a real thing.

Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you. It is indeed a Chicken Big Mac from McDonald's! (Aussies refer to McDonald's as Macca's)

Short History of the Chicken Big Mac

Prior to writing this article, I've done some research to make sure what I will be saying is as accurate as possible. So whenever you spot something wrong as you read along, don't hesitate to drop a comment below.

Let's get to know how the Chicken Big Mac came to be!

I've read a few articles about how this chook was referred to as an Aussie exclusive. However, this doesn't seem to be the case in reality because the Chicken Big Mac has already existed in some parts of the world! This Big Mac substitute was created to cater consumers who do not eat beef as part of their culture or religion.

Before this delicious burger has ever reached the Land Down Under, countries in the Middle East and some parts of Asia have already been enjoying it! I know it's a kind of a letdown but if you think about it, it's just fair for these countries to have it first as they don't have the freedom to partake in its beef counterpart, so don't feel bad about it. 

What I find amazing though is that Aussies have been secretly enjoying the Chicken Big Mac for a long time as part of Macca's secret menu where they can ask the staff to whip up chicken instead of beef on their Big Macs. It was just recently where this secret menu favorite was added to the front lines of the Macca's menu.

Expectations VS Reality

Image taken from Macca's

Aside from the image at the top of this post, the image above is what everyone should expect how the Chicken Big Mac looks like. But we all know how Macca's or any other fast food outlets allocate a budget for food aesthetics to make their products appear appetizing. As stated in the image, this Big Mac is composed of the usual ingredients but instead of 2 beef patties, they are substituted with chicken fillets.

Looks delicious and mouth-watering aye? Without further ado, I present you the actual Chicken Big Mac!

Macca's Chicken Big Mac

Presentation: ★★☆☆☆

During the time I planned to order this baby, the place was already packed with a lot of people lining up for lunch, so I was kind of expecting this outcome because the kitchen staff in that specific branch tend to speed things up that the assembling of their burgers usually turns out to be all over the place and ends up being unappetizing. This is something quite minor for me, to be honest.

Cost: ★★★☆☆

A single order or ala-carte of the Chicken Big Mac is around $7-8 AUD (roughly P285-P310) and the set medium meal (large in the PH) costs $11 AUD (roughly P445) inclusive of chips and a drink. 

While you are reading this, I bet you will think along the lines of "How come it's so expensive?" or "Makapalit naman kog duha ka Big Mac anang presyoha!"

It may come out as expensive, but remember that the pricing of products and services are based on several factors, including the country's average income per month/year. As far as I know, the minimum wage for jobs in Australia is about $18-$25 AUD (roughly P730 to P1000) per hour. Yes, that's right. PER HOUR.

I definitely feel your sentiments and I had to put up with it for quite some time, but I still couldn't get the hang of it. In conclusion, the price of a medium Chicken Big Mac meal is manageable.

Initial Feels: ★★☆☆☆

I'll start first with the buns. Since this is a rendition of the traditional Big Mac, I expected these pieces of bread to taste the same as the ones in the original one; and it really does! The good thing about this order is that it was freshly made, so I can actually feel the heat of the toasted buns that made the experience worthwhile.

Second are the toppings. I didn't expect much from the lettuce because they're usually prepped beforehand and is stored in a container along with the other condiments and toppings. However, I could not taste any onions nor any pickles in my order and I didn't bother checking it because I didn't want to ruin the poorly assembled Mac. This was a major turn-off as these two make a huge difference in anyone's Big Mac experience.

The greatest disappointment for me was the cheese. I was looking forward to having melted cheese on my Big Mac because I usually get one with melted cheese. This time, it was as cold as your girlfriend giving you the cold shoulder. It didn't match the heat of the freshly fried chicken fillets.

Lastly are the chicken fillets and the sauce! The sauce was indeed the same as the ones in a regular Mac where its taste did not disappoint, however, I felt that my order lacked sauce, hindering the possibility of an enhanced Macca's burger experience.

In the previous statement, I mentioned that the fillets were freshly fried. By that, I do not mean that they were reheated in the oven nor they were put back into the deep fryer for a second fry, but that they were freshly taken out from the oil on its first fry. We all know how the fast food industry tends to "secretly" reheat cooked food, especially fried chicken, so this is quite an important factor for me.

Taste: ★★★☆☆

Here comes the most awaited factor in this review, knowing how it actually tastes. So if we put together freshly toasted buns, freshly fried chicken fillets, not-so-bad lettuce, not-so-saucy sauce, non-existing pickles and onions, and cold cheese, we get an incomplete Chicken Big Mac.

After taking the first bite from my Mac, I could instantly feel the crunch of the buns intertwined with the crispiness of the fillets and lettuce. Because the fillets were freshly fried, I could savor the juices gushing from the meat itself mixing into the sauce, making the entire experience not so bad.

However, I could immediately tell that the pickles and onions are missing and I can faintly feel the coldness of the cheese blending in the heat of the fillets. At the end of the meal, I am somehow stuck between satisfied and unsatisfied but leaning towards to the latter.

Overall Experience: ★★★☆☆

Overall, the Chicken Big Mac was definitely a good addition to the Aussie menu, but because of the shortcomings of my order, I couldn't say it was something unique or better compared to the original beef Big Mac. If anything, I would've preferred 2 orders of McChicken over this. If not for the missing condiments, I would've given this 4 stars.

Now that my review of the Chicken Big Mac draws to a close, I'll be handing you over to my good ol' fellow foodie, Jumps!

Thanks, Jake! I was curious as to whether I could replicate this particular Big Mac at my local McDonald's here in Cebu so, during my lunch break at work, I took a short walk over to the nearest one and asked about this on their secret menu. It turns out that you can't substitute the Big Mac's beef patties for the chicken ones. I settled for the double McChicken instead.

Presentation: ★★☆☆☆

There weren't that many people so I was expecting the sandwich to look more like it does in the pictures. Sadly, as you see in the picture I took that isn't the case.

Cost: ★★☆☆☆

Normally the small McChicken value meal is P155.00 and at P179.00 for the small Double McChicken meal, I felt it was not truly justified even if this isn't part of the regular menu. An additional P24.00 for another patty doesn't seem like enough bang for the buck but that's just me.

Initial Feels: ★★★☆☆

The good thing about this sandwich is it was freshly made so everything was toasty. I'm feeling better about the additional P24.00 now if they make a new sandwich from scratch every time.

Taste: ★★☆☆☆

The Double McChicken was yummy especially since it was freshly cooked but as the meal wore on, the sense of wonder at eating a bigger than normal McChicken wears off and you're really eating just that.

Overall Experience: ★★★☆☆

I can say I've tried almost all of the items in the McDonald's Secret menu and I've loved them so far. My favorite is, of course, the Double Quarter Pounder but as much as I love the secret menu. the McChicken isn't my favorite item on it.

Conclusion

Thank you for telling us about the Double McChicken Jumps! The only item from Cebu's secret menu I ordered was the Double Quarter Pounder. Although it was quite a long time ago, I can still remember the tingling feeling of having such a mouth-watering masterpiece in my mouth.

For those who never knew about the secret menu, now is your chance to go to your local Macca's and ask the staff about it, but I doubt they will ever admit to such. For now, you can just try ordering either a Double McChicken or a Double Quarter Pounder.

Well, this ends our joint post for McDonald's Chicken Big Mac and Double McChicken. See you later!