McDonald's Makes Major Menu Change to Its Chicken Sandwiches

The fast-food giant has done something that has rarely happened in its McHistory.

McDonald's fans casually add the "Mc" part of the chain's name to various items it offers or in talking about the experience. There's no such thing as McDelivery or McDrivethrough (or even McIndegestion after you eat) but people have fun with the term given that the chain's menu does have a lot of self-reference.

In reality, while McDonald's (MCD) - Get Free Report has invoked its history/iconic imagery in failed sandwiches like the Arch Deluxe and it has used the "Mc" designation on a lot of disasters (McLean Deluxe, McDLT, McHotDog, McCrab, McLobster, McAfrika, McSalad Shakers, McStuffins, and the lamentable McSpaghetti), it's actually fairly careful about using the "Mc" designation. When it adds those letters to a product line, it's sort of like the chain anointing those items as classics. 

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McDonald's launched its Crispy chicken sandwich line in 2021 with four core sandwiches being offered in 2023. 

• The Crispy Chicken Sandwich: A southern-style fried chicken sandwich topped with crinkle-cut pickles and served on a toasted, buttered potato roll (470 calories).

• The Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich: This version adds Spicy Pepper Sauce topping the southern-style fried chicken fillet on a toasted potato roll (530 calories).

• The Deluxe Crispy Chicken (also offered in a spicy version: Adds shredded lettuce, Roma tomatoes, and mayo (530 calories).

Now, without a lot of fanfare, the company has made a major change to its core fried chicken sandwiches changing their name from "Crispy" to McCrispy.

McDonald's Bets Big On Its Chicken Sandwich Line

McDonald's celebrated the name change in a press release, which tried to give some historical context to the name change (while ignoring all of the McDisasters listed above.

"McDonald’s Crispy Chicken Sandwich quickly became a fan-favorite when it first hit US menus in 2021. And now, this beloved sandwich is joining some of our most iconic menu items -- McNuggets, McMuffin, sandwiches, and McFlurry desserts -- with a fresh new name: McCrispy," the company shared in a press release. "Earning your 'Mc' is a true McDonald’s badge of honor. "

And while the McStuffins -- a short-lived take on a Hot Pocket -- suggests that the chain has not been too protective of its iconic name, the company seems to have realized the error of its ways. This is basically McDonald's christening the former Crispy Chicken Sandwich as its new core fried chicken sandwich menu option.

It's a McHonor that means this product line is as close to permanent as fast-food menu items can be.

McDonald's Expanding the McCrispy Line

While McDonald's wants to make bestowing the "Mc" a big deal, nothing has actually changed about its chicken sandwiches. So, to celebrate the change, the fast-food giant will add two limited-time new McCrispys to its menu March 13.

• The Bacon Ranch McCrispy features a crispy, all-white meat chicken fillet topped with applewood-smoked bacon, crinkle-cut pickles, and ranch sauce on a toasted, buttered potato roll (650 calories).
• The Bacon Ranch Deluxe McCrispy offers the same crispy, all-white meat chicken fillet, applewood-smoked bacon, shredded lettuce, Roma tomatoes, and ranch sauce on a toasted, buttered potato roll (660 calories).

And, while these two limited-time offers are not supposed to be available until March 13, they have been spotted at select locations already.