In May, McDonald’s introduced McCrispy Strips, followed by its chicken-filled Snack Wraps in July. Not to mention the fast-food giant’s popular McCrispy chicken sandwich. All that chicken calls out for a lot of sauce, and McDonald’s is rolling out a new one on Sept. 3.
Special Edition Gold Sauce, a blend of vinegary North Carolina-style barbecue sauce with notes of honey, smoke and mustard, was developed specifically to pair with chicken. Guests can order it on the side with McCrispy Strips or in one of three new items also dropping onto the menu next Tuesday.
There’s a Special Edition Gold Snack Wrap that combines the sauce with a crispy chicken strip, shredded cheese and shredded lettuce in a flour tortilla. Like McDonald’s other Snack Wraps, it’s selling for $2.99.
Also launching are two saucy sandwiches. The Bacon Special Edition Gold McCrispy Sandwich layers Gold Sauce, thick-cut applewood smoked bacon and crinkle-cut pickles on a crisp chicken filet, all tucked into a toasted potato roll. And the Bacon Special Edition Gold Deluxe McCrispy Sandwich adds Roma tomatoes and shredded lettuce to the same build.
McDonald's Bacon Special Edition Gold McCrispy Sandwich.
Special Edition Gold Sauce is available for a limited time, while supplies last. But sauce innovation has visibly ramped up as McDonald’s continues to expand its chicken lineup beyond McNuggets and sandwiches. When McCrispy Strips launched earlier this year, they came along with another new sauce—Creamy Chili Dip.
As Restaurant Business Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Maze wrote back in March, everybody wants to sell more chicken, as brands including Raising Cane’s, Wingstop and Dave’s Hot Chicken are among the top growth chains—all with chicken as their core menu item. And where there’s chicken, there’s a big demand for signature sauces.
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