McDonald's Brings Back Fan-Favorite Spicy Menu Item

Things are heating up on the McDonald's menu because the Golden Arches has officially brought back Spicy Chicken Nuggets. The fan-favorite fast-food chain confirmed to USA Today on Monday that Spicy Chicken Nuggets are now available for a limited time at select locations in the U.S. While traditional Chicken McNuggets deliver plenty of flavor with their tender, juicy nuggets made with 100% white meat chicken, Spicy Chicken McNuggets turn up the heat with chicken nuggets that are breaded with a sizzling tempura coating made of both cayenne and chili peppers.

Unfortunately for McNugget lovers, not everyone will be able to place an order for Spicy Chicken McNuggets. While there are approximately 13,500 Golden Arch locations nationwide, Spicy Chicken Nuggets are currently only available as a regional menu item at approximately 6,900 participating U.S. locations for a limited time. This means that fans may want to check their local McDonald's before they plan to place their order. USA Today suggested that guests can find out if their local McDonald's has Spicy Chicken McNuggets and other limited-time offerings, such as the recently returned Szechuan Sauce, by checking the chain's app. Fans will also be able to find deals on the McDonald's app.

Spicy Chicken McNuggets first debuted in September 2020, upping the ante in the ongoing fast-food chicken wars and offering major competition for Wendy's Spicy Chicken Nuggets. The McNuggets, which eventually disappeared from the menu before briefly returning again in 2021, marked the first-ever McNugget flavor innovation since the item was introduced in 1983. Since their introduction, though, McDonald's has made major moves in its McNugget game, in January of this year rolling out Garlic Pepper Spicy Chicken McNuggets at McDonald's locations in Japan.

The new McNugget iterations come as the menu item remains a staple for guests. Chicken McNuggets were first tested in select locations in 1981 before they made their way to menus across the U.S. in 1983. They have since become one of the most iconic items on the McDonald's menu, even becoming the seventh most-ordered item ever on the menu in the United States, according to a 2021 report from Reader's Digest. Meanwhile, the chain's most-ordered menu items are its French fries, which have been a staple on the menu ever since McDonald's was founded. Spicy Chicken McNuggets are now available at select McDonald's locations nationwide for a limited time only.