Not being a fan of McDonald’s (since back in the ’70’s when I was in high school – – while they were actually still really good), I thought that “MickyD’s” was finally on to something better, and a somewhat unique new sandwich when coming out with their new “Signature Sriracha” sandwiches…

 

 

McDonald’s (*professionally taken and styled) photo
by the McDonald’s Corporation:

 

 

 

…until I investigated the reviews. The consensus seemed to be a little mixed. But the scales were severely tipped to an overall “not very good” rating of their newest sandwich, the “Signature Sriracha” with “Sriracha Big Mac Sauce”, and hopes of a great new sandwich…well…kinda seemed doomed and not very worthwhile to even copycat.

I guess what started off as an actually really cool idea, in my opinion, somehow went sideways…

 

Here’s a photo taken by TheImpulsiveBuy showing what you actually get…
(*Sorry! I cannot take a photo myself, because they aren’t available in our area.)

Uhm…. yea. Not very tasty looking anymore, is it. Ugh.
I’m sorta sure that it’s maybe probably better than that…but YOU first!

(Awfully sad looking baby spinach…and did they forget the kale??
Oh, wait! I see that li’l itty bitty teeny tiny piece…sheesh, McDonald’s!!)

 

 

 

I mean, seriously. REALLY? If you owned a restaurant, would you serve food that looked like this?? I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t want to be served it, and charged a fancy price for it, either.

Quality and pride seems to have gotten lost, and is something that they need to give high priority and attention to immediately. (Start by paying your employees a decent living wage, and they’ll take pride in what they do and actually care about the food that they are preparing for people to eat.)

 

And when my hubby saw this sandwich,….his exact words were,

“Omg! That looks NASTY!”

(Subtlety isn’t his specialty.)

 

*Right now, this sandwich is only being tested by the public in a few establishments out on the west coast, (San Diego, Los Angeles, and then Seattle). So I of course have NO idea of what they taste like, with us being on the opposite side of the country. So these opinions are solely my own, and my husband’s as well. (You decide for yourself.)

So. I’m going by what they (McDonald’s) claim they taste like, what the reviewers are saying, and what McD’s describes and includes by way of ingredients ONLY.

 

(I think I did a…uhm…”little bit better job”…what do you think?

I got a little greedy with the tomato, I know.
But I went for it since it’s one of the last ones from my garden!)

 

 

That being said, I still had to think that it’s a pretty good idea, though. I mean, siracha sauce added to Big Mac sauce? What’s not to like about that, right? Big Macs (*click for my recipe) used to be my hubby’s favorite, and he LOVES sriracha! So this is why I decided to come up with my own version, because I, too, am actually really loving this whole idea!

 

(My Homemade Sriracha Big Mac Sauce!!)

 

 

 

I agree with most of the reviewers after seeing photos of them, though, that McDonald’s dropped the ball when it came to mass producing them. 

We eat with our eyes first and they really honestly did look kind of nasty. A total disaster, really. And I think that the kale, baby spinach and tomato is on there only to justify their “signature price”.

 

(My onions battered, and frying up to a golden brown! SO GOOD!!)

 

So, I’m taking a few little liberties here, (besides not being able to taste them myself to side-by-side compare).

I’m replacing their kale and baby spinach with traditional shredded lettuce. Not that big of a deal, I’m sure. Baby spinach leaves and kale I’m sure would be wonderful, but that’s not an option for us right now at this time. And I’m kinda over the whole kale thing, anyways. So lettuce it has to be. Not a deal-breaker. (But go for it if you have it and would like it.)

 

(I cannot even TELL you how good these onions are!! Omg…)

 

 

I’m also making one “big mac-style“, a double (for the hubs), and one “quarter pounder-style”, a single (for myself).

 

 

Using shredded sharp white cheddar cheese*, instead of cheap, faux “white cheddar” processed “cheese” slices was a no-brainer decision, too. Seriously. Just use the real stuff. That fake stuff looked kind of gross.

 

(The fried boneless chicken thighs and onions done and sitting pretty!!)

 

 

 

(*White cheddar is simply cheddar without the added yellow coloring, by the way. Just a little FYI for ya!) So if you have regular, yellow cheddar, that will work just fine, too.

 

 

You can certainly use chicken breasts if all white meat is preferred, but you’ll need to refer to my Copycat Chick-fil-A for the instructions for that. They will need to be cut and pounded thin.

 

(Piled with shredded sharp Vermont white cheddar and broiled until melted!)

 

I broiled the cheese due to taking my time to capture photos and work out the recipe for you, but when you take the chicken out of the hot oil, top each immediately with shredded cheese and the hot chicken will melt the cheese while it rests.

Otherwise, you can run them under the broiler or microwave them (50% power) to melt the cheese.

 

(Don’t forget to toast those buns, baby!
A soggy, mushy bottom is not a pretty sight! ) 

 

 

 

So according to their commercial and ingredient list, the toppings are, (quoting from the McDonald’s Corporation), “an exclusive Sriracha Big Mac sauce, paired with white cheddar cheese*, crispy onions, baby spinach & baby kale and a tomato slice. (*processed cheese.)”

 

 

These sandwiches are available burger-style or chicken-style, and they highly  recommend trying it with their chicken nuggets. I’m not a McD’s chicken nugget fan, and would probably try it on a burger over chicken.

 

(*You can also make them into clubs, if you don’t have any buns!)

 

 

They’re most likely pushing their nuggets over a sandwich to save them big bucks by not having to use the kale, baby spinach, tomatoes, and crispy onions, too.

So if you just want to make my copycat sauce, and save a few bucks yourself, try it on homemade chicken tenders or nuggets! My sauce isn’t too hot for the little ones, and you can always adjust how much sriracha is going in.

 

 

(This one more your size?
Mine, too!!!)

 

 

 

But since they are recommending chicken in general, I decided to go that route. (Especially since I already had chicken thawed…) I have only one package of hamburger in the freezer, and that has already called “dibs” for something else. So chicken it will be!

 

You KNOW you just wanna sink your teeth into this, dontcha!!

 

 

So I made my own version of traditional Big Mac Sauce, and slowly added sriracha until we thought I had a pretty tasty little sauce going on! (I will DEFINITELY be using this a lot on many other things! REALLY turned out good!!)

 

 

I also made my Best Copycat Chick-fil-A recipe (only I used chicken thighs instead for this), which could not have worked better! And you don’t have to pound them, either, their thickness is just fine as is!

 

So. The final review of what I made?

OH. MY. FREAKING GAWD.

DAMN TASTY!!!

 

 

 

Two thumbs up, and we’re betting, that it would be equally, if not even better, made with burgers! But these will be HARD to beat!!!! THE BEST chicken sandwich I have EVER had or made in my LIFE. Hands down NAILED it.

So if this newest sandwich comes to your town, you might want to pass and just make my Copycat McDonald’s Sriracha Big Mac instead!

By the looks of what they’re serving, I don’t think we’re missing anything!

 

 

 

 

*Real McD’s (what you actually get) photos/review by TheImpulsiveBuy.
*Professional example of the sandwich taken by the McDonald’s Corporation.

**My Best Copycat Chick-fil-A recipe and my Creamy French Salad Dressing was used in this sandwich.

Other recipes that you might be interested in:
My Copycat Big Mac (traditional)
Serve with my Copycat Five Guys Fries or my Jo Jo Potatoes!

 

Yield: 3 Big Macs or 6 singles

Copycat McDonald's Sriracha Chicken Big Mac

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Ingredients

Sriracha Big Mac Sauce:

• 1/2 cup Miracle Whip
• 1/2 cup Hellmann’s mayo

Creamy French Salad Dressing

• 1 - 2 very finely chopped sweet gherkin pickles, to taste / *more only if you prefer, (can sub 1 - 2 tsp. sweet or dill pickle relish, to taste)
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. dried onion flakes
• 2 tsp. white vinegar
• 2 tsp. ketchup
• 1/4 tsp. garlic salt
• 2 Tbl. sriracha sauce (more can be added for xEXTRA HOTx flavor!)
• 1/4 tsp. (packed) VERY finely chopped dried red chili peppers plus the seeds (chop until tiny flakes), can sub a little more sriracha if you don't have any

For Crispy Onions:

• 1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp. regular salt
• 1/4 tsp. regular black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. onion powder

Copycat Chick-fil-A

• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp with cheddar cheese, (*can sub yellow sharp cheddar, or white or yellow cheddar cheese slices if preferred)
• 6 garden fresh slices tomato
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups finely shredded lettuce (*can sub baby spinach leaves and kale leaves for authenticity)

Instructions

In small bowl, stir together the Sriracha Big Mac Sauce until well combined, cover, and chill for 1 hour. (*Start with the lesser amount of pickles, or relish, and add to your own taste. I prefer a lot! 5 - 6 gherkins!)

Coat chicken thighs (*do not pound thinner, they're fine as is) and fry, placing onto a rack placed over a baking sheet and top with shredded cheese to melt. *I made my Copycat Chick-fil-A recipe for this, which worked really well, deep-frying the pieces for 8 minutes, turning halfway through.

Place cheese topped hot chicken pieces into Low/warm oven to keep hot. (Cheese will fully melt while resting.) *Do not place on paper towel, use rack over sheet only. (Paper towels will steam the breading and ruin it.)

While oil is still hot in pan, add flour mixture ingredients for onions in a brown paper lunch sack, twist top to close, and shake well to mix. Place sliced onions into leftover egg wash from the chicken, stirring to coat. Grab them holding up over the shallow dish, let excess liquid drip off, then place into sack of seasoned flour, and shake to coat well. Add to hot oil and fry until deep golden. Remove with spider strainer and place onto rack of chicken pieces. Pop all back into oven to continue to keep warm.

Shred lettuce and cheese, and slice tomatoes.

Remove chicken and onions from oven, and heat oven to broil. Spray insides of buns with butter-flavored no-stick spray, place onto a baking sheet, and broil until toasted. (Watch so they don't burn.)

To Assemble in Order:

Bottom Toasted Bun

Sriracha Big Mac Sauce

Chicken with Cheese

Slice of Tomato

Shredded Lettuce

Crispy Fried Onions

Sauce on Top Bun

(or another bottom bun and repeat for Big Mac-style)