McDonald's Canada Adds Spicy New McChicken Sandwich to Menu

McDonald's customers in Canada have a hot new option to look forward to, as the chain has added a Spicy McChicken to its menu.

The Spicy McChicken is an event for daring customers, who will have to test their meddle in the coming weeks, as the chain tries out new flavors to test the limits its customers can handle. McDonald's Canada announced that the new sandwich was on sale starting last Tuesday, and it plans to keep altering the recipe as time goes on.

The Spicy McChicken will get hotter every two weeks, McDonald's Canada explained in a press release. The restaurant is challenging fans to show how much they can handle using the hashtag #SpiceFace, posting pictures of themselves as they struggle to eat the new take on an old classic.

The event is planned out until March 11, meaning seven weeks of Spicy McChicken sandwiches. At that rate, the heat will be ratcheted up no less than three times before this limited-time offering goes away.

The spicy recipes McDonald's Canada is testing out are no joke, either. They have apparently been devised by a team of the company's best chefs in collaboration with Chef Joseph Horvath of Flavour Reddy Foods. The spices are meticulously measured and then rated on the Scoville scale, which attempts to rate the "spiciness" of foods from around the world.

The sandwich released last Tuesday is called the Jalapeño Pepper McChicken. It is ranked between 2,500 and 8,000 SHU on the Scoville scale, and is available until the even ends on March 11. Starting on Feb. 12, customers will also have access to the Habanero McChicken, which is scored between 100,000 and 350,000 SHU. Finally, on Feb. 26, McDonald's Canada will add the Ghost Pepper McChicken, with a score of over 1 million SHU on the Scoville scale.

By the end, McDonald's hopes to show off the grit of the rare few customers whose "spice face" stands up to the alarming flavor of the final sandwich.

The McChicken sandwich has not changed in a long time, according to the release. However, the restaurant is dedicated to innovation in the fast food market, and hopes that the Spicy McChicken event will challenge willing customers to try new things.

"The McChicken sandwich is an iconic menu item, so offering spicy versions will be an exciting new take on the classic," said menu development expert Milesa Chu. "By giving guests a unique experience tailored to their spice preferences, we are continuing to innovate the items Canadians know and love."

"Spice is a complex topic in food," added Horvath. "Any spice lover has a unique preference in flavour profiles and overall spiciness. Some like their spices for the taste it lends to the dish, while others enjoy it for the thrill and excitement of testing their limits. The Spicy McChicken sandwich with Jalapeño, Habanero and Ghost Pepper sauces, appeal to both types of spice-lovers."

For now, the Spicy McChicken is available only in Canadian locations.