Chicken McBites Review

While chicken nuggets may be the reigning choice for fast-food chicken, a newer player has emerged over the last few years in some fast-food chains. Popcorn chicken- it’s small enough to pop a piece into your mouth while you’re on the go or at a gathering. It doesn’t require flatware or anything fancy, and each piece batter-fried to perfection. But not all popcorn chicken is created equal. Some restaurants offer a great value and recipe, while others might fall short. Let’s see where McDonald’s McBites fit into this scale in our McDonald’s Chicken McBites review. 

History and Inspiration

At the beginning of 2012, McDonald’s released their new popcorn chicken-style menu item called McBites. This was the brand’s attempt to keep up with the popcorn chicken joneses. The popcorn chicken was invented by Gene Gagliardi and was tested on a specific market in the US in 1992. It was made popular by KFC, which has released, discontinued, improved the recipe, and re-released its version of popcorn chicken several times. Seeing the opportunity, McDonald’s hopped on the popcorn chicken bandwagon. Surprisingly, they didn’t taste like McNuggets, and not surprisingly, they didn’t taste like KFC’s version either. They were only added to the menu for a limited time. 

Types of Chicken McBites

There are two types of McBites- regular and spicy. The regular is the one we’ll review below. The spicy one was similar, but the breading wasn’t as crunchy, and the spice was a medium-heat. They weren’t extra spicy but enough that you’d be reaching for your soda after a few bites. 

Chicken McBites Review

The Chicken McBites box description read:

“Ready Steady Pop!  Bite through the satisfying crunch of poppable pieces of chicken made with premium breast meat.  They’re lightly breaded with a home-style flavor.  With the handy holder for your favorite sauce, one dip, and you’ll experience the perfect tasting snack and a delicious new way to love chicken.” 

Sounds good to me! 

1.      Taste and Texture [2.5/5]

I thought the carton that the McBites were served in was a great idea, but not very practical if you’re on the go. It’s supposed to transform into a dipping container to make the eating experience more fun, but it’s not easy to keep it balanced because it’s top-heavy. It’s also hard to get to the pieces at the bottom of the carton without knocking the carton and sauce over. It takes a little practice, I imagine. McBites could be served with any sauce you prefer, like Sweet ‘n Sour, Honey Mustard, Chipotle BBQ, Tangy Barbeque, Creamy Ranch, Spicy Buffalo, Sweet Chili, or Hot Mustard. Besides the carton, the serving size was less than spectacular. Most of the pieces were small, and there were only a few pieces with a nice bite of chicken. I tasted a lot of crispy, fried breading, but not a lot of chicken. The texture of the Chicken McBites was distinct from the regular McNuggets; it wasn’t the typical golden brown breading, but a bit darker, heavier, and with just a hint of pepper.   

2. Are they healthy? [1/5]

Given that popcorn chicken is high in fat (25 g), calories (410), and sodium, no, McBites aren’t very healthy. But McDonald’s offered them in three sizes, so if you’re on dietary restrictions, you could just opt for a smaller size and skip the sauce. Another option is to order 6-piece McNugget. Even though it weighs more, it has fewer calories and fat. Since the chicken McBites are smaller, they have more surface area for the batter to stick to, increasing the fat and calorie content. 

3. Are they Worth it? [1/5]

The idea was great; the execution was a little off. The chicken morsels were too small, meaning there was way more batter than chicken. If the batter tasted the same as Chicken McNuggets, maybe I would have enjoyed them more, but this breading was too starchy and heavy.  For the price and the value, I’d say the McBites weren’t worth it.

Final Verdict

One thing McDonald’s does well is making food that’s quick, easy, and inexpensive, which they accomplished here. The McBites didn’t wow me, but they were ok. If you’re looking for popcorn chicken that’s currently available, KFC’s Popcorn Nuggets probably have the best breading, and Popeye’s comes in at a close second. I’d rate McDonald’s Chicken McBites at the bottom of the list. 

Chicken McBites Nutrition Facts 

• Calories – 410
• Total Fat – 25 g
• Cholesterol – 55 mg
• Sodium – 880 mg
• Total Carbohydrate – 27 g
• Dietary Fiber – 0g
• Sugars – 0g
• Protein – 21 g

Chicken McBites Pricing 

Chicken McBites came in 3 sizes. A snack-size has about 14 to 18 chicken morsels, and it cost $1.99. The regular size cost $2.99, and the shareable size was $4.99.  

What do you think about our Chicken McBites review?

Did you have a chance to taste McDonald’s Chicken McBites? If they re-released them, would you order them again? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.