REVIEW: McDonald’s Buffalo Ranch McChicken

McDonald's Buffalo Ranch McChicken 1

It’s about time McDonald’s started using some high quality meats in their products. The people have yet to see a Big Mac made with Kobe beef and we’re still waiting for a McRib made from Berkshire pork.

But there’s hope. McDonald’s has recently begun producing sandwiches using the finest buffalo ranch McChicken. The McChickens are raised from a young age in the illustrious buffalo ranches of McDonaldland, where they are fed a steady diet of hotcakes, hash browns, and last season’s unsold Fish McBites. The free-range McChickens wander the fields alongside the McBuffalo herd. The gentle grunts of the neighboring bison help soothe the McChickens and subsequently make their meat delicious. (Don’t ask for more details, the system just works.)

New to McDonald’s “Dollar Menu & More” is the Buffalo Ranch McChicken sandwich. For a single dollar, the hungry customer can receive a McChicken patty smothered in Buffalo sauce and ranch sauce, topped with lettuce, and wedged between two buns. (The last time I had chicken wedged between my buns, I had to go to the hospital.)

For a whole dollar more, the customer can upgrade their sandwich with the addition of Applewood smoked bacon. I’m a cheapskate, so I chose to forego the bacon.

Unfortunately, the slack-jawed, acne-stricken teenagers running my local McDonald’s drive-thru are completely incompetent. Although I ordered a “Buffalo Ranch McChicken,” they gave me a “Bacon Buffalo Ranch McChicken” and charged me the additional dollar. They were probably too busy watching Saved By The Bell and playing with their Super Nintendos to notice. (That’s what kids do these days, right?)

Thus, I was forced to leave the comfort of my car to place my order inside the restaurant. I informed the adolescent at the counter that 1. I wanted to eat a Buffalo Ranch McChicken sandwich, not a Bacon Buffalo Ranch McChicken, and 2. It’s false advertising to call the sandwich a “Buffalo Ranch” McChicken when the chickens aren’t actually raised on a buffalo ranch in McDonaldland.

McDonald's Buffalo Ranch McChicken 2

When I finally received my Buffalo Ranch McChicken, I unwrapped the packaging to find a quite miserable looking sandwich. The buns looked particularly pathetic. And I’m always sensitive about my pathetic buns.

Fortunately, the sandwich’s flavor was far from miserable. The Buffalo sauce provided a medium heat which fully complemented the taste of the McChicken patty. The spice was nowhere near overwhelming. However, the ranch sauce failed to contribute much flavor, only serving to smother a bit of the heat from the Buffalo sauce. Neither sauce was too abundant nor too scarce, but balanced in proportion.

McDonald's Buffalo Ranch McChicken 3

The inclusion of lettuce seemed completely pointless, much like reading the nutrition facts on a McDonald’s menu. (Face it, people. If you’re at a McDonald’s, you’re not calorie conscious.) It provided little flavor and textural improvement to the sandwich. I feel that the lettuce was purely for show, and could have been excluded altogether.

For just a dollar, the Buffalo Ranch McChicken is worth it. The ranch sauce and lettuce might seem mediocre, but the balanced heat of the Buffalo sauce with the McChicken patty make for one heck of a bargain sandwich.

But I must be honest. After tasting both the Buffalo Ranch McChicken and the Bacon Buffalo Ranch McChicken, it’s clear that the addition of bacon really improves the sandwich. The crisp texture in combination with the smokiness of the pork really works well with the sandwich’s Buffalo chicken flavor. Sadly, paying double the price of the sandwich solely for the inclusion of cured meat doesn’t seem worth it.

For those interested parties, I am putting together a petition to bring before Mayor McCheese of McDonaldland that would require McDonald’s to use authentic buffalo ranch McChicken meat in their products. I already have the endorsements of the Hamburglar and the four-armed Grimace. Ronald wants nothing to do with it.

(Nutrition Facts – 350 calories, 130 calories from fat, 15 grams of total fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 980 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of total carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 5 grams of sugars, and 14 grams of protein.)

Item: McDonald’s Buffalo Ranch McChicken
Purchased Price: $1.00
Size: N/A
Purchased at: McDonald’s
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: McChickens raised on buffalo ranches. Only one dollar. Balanced heat.
Cons: Pathetic buns. Ranch provides little flavor. Lettuce is useless.

9 thoughts to “REVIEW: McDonald’s Buffalo Ranch McChicken”

  1. They tried to pull the “ring you up for the bacon buffalo ranch mcchicken” on me, too but I was having NONE OF IT! I told the chick that my order on the screen was wrong and then watched her proceed to ring me up for every other type of mcchicken before she finally got to the buffalo ranch mcchicken. Maybe they think that everyone is lured by the bacon and will only want the sandwich with the bacon (or it is their ploy to get an extra buck out of us). They are wrong – I’m so cheap, when the McDouble was $1 and a double hamburger was $1.09, I would order a McDouble without cheese to save the 10 cents. Suck on that McDonald’s!

  2. I still don’t understand the fascination with ranch and buffalo. Its supposed to be blue cheese and buffalo mixed together.

  3. The ones here in Vegas is a buffalo ranch hot n spicy mcchicken, so since it was already a hot n spicy the buffalo didnt do much for the sandwich but overpower the ranch.

  4. They got my order wrong too…Twice! Only I wanted the bacon. So I paid the extra dollar only to receive it without. I have a bad habit of not checking my food before I leave the drive-thru…I got home and was ticked that no bacon was there a second time mind you. Next time, I guess I will open up the sandwich and inspect before I leave the window. Ugh!

  5. I tried this sandwich here in Whittier (greater Los Angeles area) and it was the most awful sandwich flavor I have tasted ever from McDonalds. There was nothing other than sound vinegar taste mixed with some spiciness. Either they forgot some ingredients or didn’t mix things right, but I was only able to eat one of the two I ordered, the other went in the trash as I got home. I was seriously wondering who approved of this awful thing to be put on the menu. I doubt it will stay long either.

  6. As a fan of rot-gut food, I had to try this variation of the McChicken. I love the normal McChicken sandwich, and this version makes the cut in my book. I think the sauce is Frank’s Red Hot. Mind you, this isn’t 5 star cuisine, but it’s pretty damn good for a buck.

    The McService might suck at your local restaurant, but those people are making minimum wage so you really can’t expect the cream of the crop in that department. Always double check your order before leaving.

  7. I just tried it at the beginning of September, without the bacon, and I must admit, I loved it. the lettuce isn’t there for nutrition, it’s to provide a crunch, a different texture. My husband and I were returning from spending the weekend with family, and I wanted something quick so that we could get back home. (I have a guilt-ridden fondness of McDonald’s food, so that was part of my reason to go there, as opposed to a diner.) I have to keep a food diary (including nutrition facts) to help me control my diabetes, so I didn’t feel TOO bad about getting it since I wrote it all down and it fit within the parameters a dietician set for me… but I ended up going back up to the counter to get another because not only was I really hungry, but I also just really liked it. Just made one at home, without the lettuce, and yeah, it adds to it. I have NEVER been a fan of bleu cheese/ranch dressing with my hot wings, but bleu cheese dressing is basically ranch- with bleu cheese- and some of don’t like the cheese. Easier to offer ranch and let the consumer either add it at home, or request it on their own.

  8. I just tried the Buffalo Ranch McChicken for the first time today because the retired my favorite spicy chicken sandwich 🙁 I am not sure what is in the sauce but luckily I was on my way home. 14 hours later I still can’t roam far for the bathroom. Awful . 0 out of 10

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