Why You Might Want To Pass On McDonald's Hand-Breaded Chicken Option

Chicken is taking the fast-food industry by storm as many restaurants cater to consumer desires and pivot away from the ever-rising cost of beef. McDonald's, in particular, appears to be really ramping up its selection of chicken, and an Instagram post from @Snackolator claims that the chain is currently testing new menu items in Chicago. While the chain has not made any official announcement, a marketing image shows new sandwiches and flavors, as well as the addition of spicy wings. And according to the caption, McDonald's staff are applying breading to wings and tenders by hand in test locations. Overall, commenters appeared excited about the news, with one person stating,"This chicken looks so much better than the current McCrispy stuff, hopefully it gets a nationwide release!"

Not everyone on social media was happy with McDonald's new breading approach, however. Chef Mike Haracz, former manager of culinary innovation at McDonald's, shared a TikTok video that called the announcement into question. "I tried to push for hand breaded chicken," Haracz said in the clip, referring to his previous role with the Golden Arches, "and I was told a resounding no by multiple departments." The chef claimed that McDonald's brass had concerns about maintaining a consistent quality across different restaurants, as well as the obvious food safety problems that could arise. Raw chicken carries a major salmonella risk, and Haracz pondered whether "the 15 and a half year old working in the kitchen who doesn't want to be there and is short-staffed" would be able to avoid cross-contamination.

Although Mike Haracz makes a good point about the risks of hand-breading chicken at a fast-paced restaurant, plenty of fast-food chains claim to do exactly that. According to Popeyes, all chicken served at the establishment is battered by hand. Raising Cane's and Church's also claim to bread chicken by hand, thus proving that it's not outside the realm of possibility. And back in 2021, Hardee's and Carl's Jr. had hand-breaded chicken offerings that involved a six-step process to prepare. 

Chef Haracz also posits that perhaps McDonald's isn't being fully transparent with the term hand-breaded. "Maybe they're hand breading already cooked chicken," Haracz said, which would eliminate cross contamination concerns. It's not clear whether other restaurants use a similar method, but it would explain how many establishments are able to maintain efficiency and safety when it comes to hand-battering chicken. AI-fueled kitchens and the addition of thousands of locations are just a few of the big changes coming to McDonald's in 2026. It's not yet clear if a nationwide rollout of hand-breaded chicken will also occur, but here's hoping that McDonald's is able to compete with other chains safely, efficiently, and deliciously.