A trip to the mall on Saturday led to an unexpected encounter with the new McDonald’s Spicy Chicken McNuggets.
Between getting fleeced at Claire’s (no Squishmallows were bought this trip, though) and getting fleeced at the Lindt Chocolate Shop, we popped over to the McDonald’s in the food court at the Pentagon City mall. The food court was blissfully free of school groups, which meant I had time to actually take my time at the McDonald’s kiosk.
Spicy Chicken McNuggets don’t make their official return until Sept. 1 ... but there they were, just waiting to be ordered.
Between this discovery and the fact that my daughter got the Badtz-Maru x Rodan Happy Meal instead of a fifth Hello Kitty x Godzilla figure, this was turning out to be a promising trip to McDonald’s.
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McDonald’s Spicy Chicken McNuggets and Mighty Hot Sauce. / Snackology
What they cost
A 10-piece Spicy Chicken McNuggets meal with two servings of Mighty Hot Sauce and a large Coke Zero was $10.78 at this McDonald’s.
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The return of Spicy Chicken McNuggets is a big deal. Like with the chain’s McCrispy strips and Snack Wraps, McDonald’s fans very much wanted to see this item back on the menu. In fact, this wasn’t the first time that devotion led to Spicy Chicken McNuggets making their return.
“When we introduced Spicy Chicken McNuggets last year, it marked the first-ever McNugget flavor innovation since this iconic menu item was introduced in 1983,” McDonald’s wrote when they brought them back in early 2021.
McDonald’s Spicy Chicken McNuggets. / Snackology
As I was writing this review, I originally wrote that I was pretty sure that I missed Spicy Chicken McNuggets the previous times they had been available, but as I was sorting through my memories of those days — you know, global pandemic and such — it popped into my head that when Spicy McNuggets debuted in September 2020, I did leave our old apartment and drive to a nearby McDonald’s to try them.
I have no memory of what they were like. I’m sorry, Spicy McNuggets. It was a weird time for everyone.
But as a guy burdened with a newsletter about food, Spicy Chicken McNuggets would not escape my attention in 2026.
A Spicy Chicken McNugget. / Snackology
As my daughter ate her Happy Meal and my wife stole sips of my Coke Zero, I used the mall’s food court as the test site for Spicy Chicken McNuggets. I gotta give the Pentagon City mall McDonald’s team credit. With the exception of the time they gave our daughter a super old Happy Meal toy instead of a much-anticipated Changeables, they do great work despite the sheer volume of customers they serve.
My Spicy Chicken McNuggets were super crisp. The “spicy tempura coating made with a blend of aged cayenne and chili peppers” fully held its own, bite after bite.
The inevitable comparison for any spicy chicken nugget is the Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Nugget. (You can order a 50-piece serving of those suckers.) They set the standard for the category.
The McDonald’s Spicy Chicken McNuggets are good. They’re fine. They have a touch of heat to them, but not at the same peppery level as what Wendy’s offers on a daily basis.
Mighty Hot Sauce. / Snackology
What’ll really blow your socks off, though, is the Mighty Hot Sauce. Woo. Boy.
McDonald’s says that Mighty Hot Sauce features “crushed red pepper, spicy chilis, savory garlic and a hint of sweetness.” This sauce packs a punch.
A Spicy Chicken McNugget and Mighty Hot Sauce. / Snackology
If the Spicy Chicken McNuggets are a 3 on the spice scale, this dipping sauce would probably be at a 7. (Look, I don’t actually know how this heat scale works.)
I found myself alternating bites of Spicy Chicken McNuggets with and without the Mighty Hot Sauce just to balance things out. You know what would’ve really hit the spot? A Reduced Sugar Vanilla Swirl with Coke Zero Sugar.
The Omnicosm founder. Snackology, Popculturology and The Cold Open writer. A Rochester, N.Y., native now living in the Washington, D.C., area. Won’t pass up a Genny Cream Ale.
