McDonald’s Spicy Chicken McNuggets quickly sell out

Many McDonald’s restaurant locations have sold out of Spicy Chicken McNuggets, less than a month after being added to the chain’s menus.

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(McDonald’s)
(McDonald’s)

Many McDonald’s restaurant locations have sold out of Spicy Chicken McNuggets, less than a month after being added to the chain’s menus.

Spicy Chicken McNuggets were the first new flavor of Chicken McNuggets since 1983. The chicken nuggets are breaded with a tempura coating made of both cayenne and chili peppers and can be ordered in four different piece offerings.

The items debuted September 15 as part of a limited time offer that also included Mighty Hot Sauce and a Chips Ahoy! McFlurry. All three items were sold out less than three weeks after they first appeared on menus, helping boost same-store sales to double-digits in September.

“McDonald's fans across the country are loving the new Spicy Chicken McNuggets, Mighty Hot Sauce and Chips Ahoy! McFlurry we introduced earlier this month, and we’re thrilled with the positive response to these limited-time offerings," McDonald's USA said in a statement. "If our customers truly can’t get enough, there’s always a chance we’ll bring limited-time menu items back in the future. You never know, you might just see some of these fan-favorites again soon.”

Chicken success

McDonald’s has been under pressure to release a competitive chicken product for more than a year. In July 2019, the board of the National Owners Association (NOA), a group of McDonald’s franchisee owners, called chicken sandwiches a top priority for the brand to help bring in more customers.

In August 2020, CEO Chris Kempczinski promised customers that “some more innovation in chicken” would be coming by the end of the year.

“We’re certainly working on ways that we can update and upgrade our chicken offering in the U.S. Suffice to say we will continue to be competing and innovating in chicken,” Kempczinski told Time.

The last time a quick service restaurant (QSR) chain sold out of a chicken product shortly after its debut was the Popeyes chicken sandwich in August 2019. Interest in the popular chicken sandwich fueled a viral chicken sandwich war that captivated American consumers and boosted sales for the entire QSR market..

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