REVIEW: McDonald’s Sweet Chili Premium McWrap with Grilled Chicken

Grilled Chicken Sweet Chili McWrap 10

I have good news and bad news for those of you thinking that McDonald’s new Premium McWraps are just the same old pathetic looking McDonald’s chicken snack wraps with a prefix attached to the front of their name and a whole bunch of marketing buzzwords thrown into their description.

The good news? They’re not.

They come in futuristic packaging, taste pretty good, and demonstrate a degree of wrapping that most men in this country will never be able to achieve when wrapping birthday and Christmas gifts.

The bad news? They still kind of look pretty pathetic, all things considered.

Grilled Chicken Sweet Chili McWrap

Each wrap, including my Sweet Chili with Grilled Chicken, comes in an oblong container that looks kind of like an unlit lightsaber. It’s been a while since I was required to read directions to open something with the prefix “Mc” in front of it, but I eventually managed to separate the top part of the container to reveal and handy-dandy and convenient oh-God-why-would-I-need-this base container that attempted to defy gravity in holding my McWrap upright (ultimately, it failed. For you teachers, consider it the next time you teach Newton).

Grilled Chicken Sweet Chili McWrap 5

As seen below, the wrap didn’t exactly live up to advertising expectations. With a good inch and a half of tortilla “dead space,” my first bite was about as disappointing as the series finale of Seinfeld. A lone cucumber stared me straight in the face like a cyclopes, but since I was eating something called a “McWrap” and not facing down an actual Cyclops, I didn’t exactly cower in fear. Like I said, it looked pretty pathetic.

Grilled Chicken Sweet Chili McWrap 9

The tortilla itself isn’t bad on its own, but for $3.99 I really expect something composed of more than just enriched flour and hydrogenated soybean oil in foldable form. Fortunately, a quick cut through the wrap’s abdomen yielded insides stuffed with chicken and other vegetation.

Grilled Chicken Sweet Chili McWrap 12

Regarding this vegetation, the McDonald’s website tells me that my McWrap may have contained some or all of a catalogue of designer greens including Baby Green Romaine, Baby Red Romaine, Baby Red Leaf, Baby Green Leaf, Baby Red Swiss Chard, Baby Red Oak, Baby Green Oak, Lolla Rosa, Tango, Tatsoi, Arugula, Mizuna, Frisee, and Radicchio.

Basically, I’m going to venture to say it just contained a little more than the standard iceburg lettuce that’s usually thrown in as an afterthought. I may not know how to pronounce Tatsoi, and the last time I saw Tango I was falling asleep watching Dancing with the Stars, but I think I’d know for certain if they were in my wrap. The greens add a little bit of flavor and bitterness, but mostly, they’re just kind of there like the third string quarterback on a football team.

The chicken is juicy and plump and has a nice faux chargrill flavor that could compete with most fast casual chains. Thanks to what I’m guessing is the “prepared with liquid margarine” part of the ingredients list, there’s a buttery and slightly sweet taste that conjures up images of meat basting on the grill.

Grilled Chicken Sweet Chili McWrap 11

The Sweet Chili sauce, while seemingly isolated in the wraps southeastern quadrant, was actually applied in just the right restraint. It’s not overpowering or cloying, although, as anyone who has ever drowned their sorrows in a 50 pack of McNuggets can tell you, it’s not very hot. Basically, they should call it Sweet Red Pepper Sauce.

While the wrap gets its name from Sweet Chili, it’s the Creamy Garlic Sauce which pleasantly caught me by surprise. It’s got a mild milky flavor with a certain lightness but also a sweet roasted garlic element to it. Think of it as yummier and healthier than mayo, but simple enough to not confuse your taste buds, maybe like an aioli-for-dummies or something like that.

Enjoyable, no doubt, but worth the 3.99 price tag? That’s where I’m going to have to say ‘no.’ While there’s certainly some heft in the 360 calorie, 27-gram protein McWrap, the truth is that it just doesn’t feel as substantial as a “Premium” sandwich. Sure, the tastes are all there, but the wrap itself leaves something to be desired in terms of the amount of ingredients offered, as well as their proportion. Too much Tortilla and not enough crunch set it back, as does a bells and whistle packaging design that screams trying too hard.

In addition, there seems to be something missing in terms of the vegetables offered within the wrap. Discounting wrap physics, I would have preferred a few chopped tomatoes or perhaps crunchy carrot or pepper strips to compliment the two sauces. As someone who had the chance to try the line of McDonald’s flatbreads the chain tested in the Baltimore region some three years ago, I can say I enjoyed those flavors — and price tag — much more, and hope that the Golden Arches hasn’t put that idea on the back burner and decided to replace it permanently with the new line of Chicken McWraps.

Click here to read our McDonald’s Chicken & Ranch McWrap review

(Nutrition Facts – 360 calories, 80 calories from fat, 9 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 65 milligrams of cholesterol, 1030 milligrams of sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, 10 grams of sugar, 2 grams of fiber, and 27 grams of protein.)

Other McDonald’s McWrap reviews:
Man Reviews Food

Item: McDonald’s Sweet Chili Premium McWrap with Grilled Chicken
Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: 9.1 ounces
Purchased at: McDonald’s
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Bigger and better than a snack wrap. Good, ‘premium’ tasting grilled chicken. Excellent wrapping that doesn’t fall apart. Good balance of sweet and savory. More greens than just iceburg. Creamy Garlic Sauce is a great change-up from mayo. Eating a non-pickled cucumber at McDonald’s. Pretending to be a Jedi with the container. 27 grams protein.
Cons: Size doesn’t justify the price. Could use another vegetable crunch factor. Tortilla dead space. Doesn’t look as pathetic as a snack wrap but still kind of pathetic.

19 thoughts to “REVIEW: McDonald’s Sweet Chili Premium McWrap with Grilled Chicken”

  1. In your review you have a grammar error. You confused “their” with “there”. I must have been the McDonald’s induced brain fog. Another reason to not eat this (expensive) garbage.

    1. Thank you for catching that. As editor, I should’ve caught that in Adam’s review, but I did eat fast food today so I probably had brain fog.

    2. Terrible wrap too much sauce (garlic). Did not any see any sweet chili sauce. Was barely warm. Definately not worth $3.99!

    1. good question, but I have never had them. All I ever get is a number one sandwich, extra pickles.

  2. I think the filling all depends on the person making it. Some people will give you bonus topping while other will hold back.

  3. You people are absolutely crazy. I tried the wraps this weekend when they had the $1.00 special on all three of them and they are the most delicious wraps that I have eaten from McDonalds. They are truly worth the $3.99 price each and for the $1.00 special, I know they must have lost money this weekend. I will definitely be buying them again. They are much more tastier and better for you then the hamburgers and fish sandwiches they have on the menu. The grilled wraps are much better and lower in calories but I will still try the crispy ones once in a while as well. Good work McDonalds. Keep them coming. Hopefully, there will be other flavors as well.

  4. Does anyone but be me notice that “McWrap” sounds just like “McCrap?” What marketing genious though of this? It won’t last long.

  5. Ugh…got sweet chili wrap. Major fail. Nothing fresh about the “vegetables” – use that term loosely, as the veggies amounted to soggy iceberg lettuce & one – yes, one -cucumber, also soggy. So much sauce that I disposed of some by squeezing the wrap a la toothpaste. Never again.

    1. I order it with the chili sauce on the side. Open it up and eat the contents. I shaves off another 100 calories and is just enough for lunch.

  6. I had this wrap last night and did not enjoy it for one reason…. I swore I tasted pickles! Pickles are my greatest fear in this world and was very surprised that they’d be in something called a sweet chilli wrap. That being said, I couldn’t see any. I’ve had this happen at a semi new fast casual spot called PDQ, which is owned by the outback steakhouse founders. PDQ marinates their grilled chicken in pickle juice and I think that may be why it tasted like it. As for the appearance, I thought it looked like a great size wrap, but I couldn’t eat more than one bite because it tasted like cucumbers soaked in evil.

  7. I had the crispy bacon version today for the first time. Im not a big mcdonalds type person (although over the years i managed to try each item at least once) but i think this is one of the best items on the menu. however i think they should cost $3-3.50. its hefty and tasty just a bit overpriced.

  8. I tried the wrap 5 times to get a real taste for it,and there seems to be a learning curve…

    The first wrap had everything advertised and was prepared properly
    The second wrap had no garlic sauce
    The third wrap had pickles instead of cucumbers (100% confirmed)
    The fourth had everything advertised,and was prepared properly
    The fifth had everything advertised, but twice the proper amount of chicken.

    Its a gamble. I hate gambles..
    I almost wish they were pre-prepared

  9. Well, at a year+ later, I’m behind the power curve, but I’ll got to chime in and say I’m wholely addicted to McD’s Sweet chili Grilled Wrap. I have one 4-5x a week. Always fresh, never found a pickle. My second one got soggy before I could finish it, so I’ve asked for light sauces (healthier anyways) and have been quite content with them ever since. I used to stick to the Value Menu, but you usually getting what you pay for, so ~$4.15 is the price I’ll gladly pay for this tasty, filling bundle of yum.

  10. I actually enjoyed mine. It came from a brand new location in a nice area. The only thing is the first bite was too saucy and the rest of the wrap seemed not saucy enough. The first bite would’ve been a turn off had I not been so hungry and bonus it was free. My wrap wasn’t skimpy at all (there’s a shock). So no tortilla filled bites. It’s made with cucumbers so my mom is allergic

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