{"id":18332,"date":"2015-04-10T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-04-10T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/?p=18332"},"modified":"2024-02-27T17:25:46","modified_gmt":"2024-02-28T03:25:46","slug":"review-mcdonalds-artisan-grilled-chicken-sandwich","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2015\/04\/10\/review-mcdonalds-artisan-grilled-chicken-sandwich\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: McDonald\u2019s Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"McDonald\u2019s<\/a><\/p>\n

Do you like plain things? Is average your goal in life? Do you adorn your car with rejected foodeism bumper stickers such as, \u201cBacon Makes Only a Select Few Things Better,\u201d or \u201cPlease Pass the Crackers But Not the Cheese.\u201d Are you frequently drawn to buzz words that are three years out of style<\/a>? If so, then the new McDonald\u2019s Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich might be for you.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t have to be this way. Contrary to popular belief, a <\/a>grilled chicken sandwich isn\u2019t predestined to damnation on fast food menu boards. <\/p>\n

Often mocked as a dry alternative to beef for those watching their waistline, its real problem, if you ask me, is more the off-putting chewy texture and brothy taste fast food companies use to guard against the dry and insipid stereotype. That and the five worst words in the history of the English language: Chicken Breast with Rib Meat.<\/i><\/p>\n

\"McDonald\u2019s<\/a><\/p>\n

The new \u201cArtisan\u201d chicken sandwich supposedly leverages a fresher take on the traditional chicken breast, one \u201cfree of preservatives and artificial flavors\u201c and including a seasoning blend of \u201csalt, garlic and parsley.\u201d A vinaigrette, Brioche-style bun, and the proverbial tomato and leaf lettuce round out the party, which is one of the calorically lighter offerings on McDonald\u2019s menu. Unfortunately, it\u2019s also one of the least flavorful. <\/p>\n

Having enjoyed McDonald\u2019s Bacon Clubhouse Grilled Chicken Sandwich for some time now, I had high hopes for the synergy of the new buns and the new chicken. It certainly looks<\/i> like a better product than previous McDonald\u2019s grilled chicken sandwiches, although pegging it as \u201cArtisan\u201d is about as accurate as labeling McDonald\u2019s \u201cfine-dining.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"McDonald\u2019s<\/a><\/p>\n

Not surprisingly, the sandwich really misses the bacon, cheese, and grilled onions that the Bacon Clubhouse version of the grilled chicken has. Mostly, the Artisan Chicken tastes boring and plain. The chicken isn\u2019t dry, but it has a stringy interior and still suffers from a somewhat chewy texture, perhaps accentuated by an overly basted coating of the olive oil mixture McDonald\u2019s prepares it with. Worse yet, there\u2019s a fake butter flavor which predominates the toasted bun, which in my case was slightly burnt on both sides. <\/p>\n

The vinaigrette is somewhere between gloopy and runny. It has a flat garlic and oil taste with very weak hints of citrus, but it really doesn\u2019t carry a connotation of light or fresh. It was just kind of there, and if anything it’s more an annoyance because it sogs up the bottom bun, which causes it to squirt out from the sandwich and onto my pants when I take a bite from it. The bun\u2019s taste was okay aside from the fake buttery flavor, but it felt small in containing the chicken breast, and wasn\u2019t sweet or rich enough to balance out the sandwich\u2019s other components.<\/p>\n

\"McDonald\u2019s<\/a><\/p>\n

If there\u2019s one overwhelmingly positive aspect about the sandwich, it\u2019s that its lower-calorie status makes one feel less guilty when downing it with a large combo meal. Otherwise, there\u2019s not a whole lot to get excited about, and nothing comparatively \u201cartisan\u201d about it. It\u2019s good to see McDonald\u2019s revving up menu developments again after slashing a number of items earlier in 2015 (RIP: Southern Style Chicken) but in this case it\u2019s going to take more than overused buzzwords to win my approval.<\/p>\n

(Nutrition Facts – 360 calories, 50 calories from fat, 6 grams of fat, 1.5 grams saturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 80 milligrams of cholesterol, 930 milligrams of sodium, 43 grams of carbohydrates, 11 grams of sugar, 3 grams of fiber, and 32 grams of protein.)<\/small><\/p>\n

Item:<\/b> McDonald\u2019s Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich
\nPurchased Price:<\/b> $4.69
\nSize:<\/b> N\/A
\nPurchased at:<\/b> McDonald’s
\nRating:<\/b> 4 out of 10
\nPros:<\/b> Decently fresh produce. Not dry. Good source of protein. Less guilt when eaten as part of a large combo meal.
\nCons:<\/b> Fake butter flavor. Doesn\u2019t actually taste grilled. Stringy chicken. Kinda slimy, actually. No wow factor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Do you like plain things? Is average your goal in life? Do you adorn your car with rejected foodeism bumper stickers such as, \u201cBacon Makes Only a Select Few Things Better,\u201d or \u201cPlease Pass the Crackers But Not the Cheese.\u201d Are you frequently drawn to buzz words that are three years out of style? If […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1440],"tags":[1477,1481],"class_list":["post-18332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-fast-food","tag-mcdonalds"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":18269,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2015\/03\/30\/fast-food-news-mcdonalds-artisan-grilled-chicken-sandwich\/","url_meta":{"origin":18332,"position":0},"title":"FAST FOOD NEWS: McDonald’s Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich","author":"Marvo","date":"March 30, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Eagle-eyed Impulsive Buy reader Caitlin sent us an email about something new she noticed on the McDonald's website, the Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich. According to the website, the sandwich features a 100% grilled chicken breast filet seasoned with salt, garlic, and parsley that's topped with leaf lettuce, a tomato slice,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fast Food News"","block_context":{"text":"Fast Food News","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/fast-food-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"McDonald s Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/McDonalds-Artisan-Grilled-Chicken-Sandwich.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/McDonalds-Artisan-Grilled-Chicken-Sandwich.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/McDonalds-Artisan-Grilled-Chicken-Sandwich.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16571,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2014\/03\/27\/review-mcdonalds-premium-crispy-chicken-bacon-clubhouse-sandwich\/","url_meta":{"origin":18332,"position":1},"title":"REVIEW: McDonald’s Premium Crispy Chicken Bacon Clubhouse Sandwich","author":"Marvo","date":"March 27, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"For years, I believed the \"special sauce\" on the McDonald's Big Mac deserved better. It deserved a better name because \"special sauce\" doesn't sound so...um, special. Let's be honest, Grimace Snot Sauce would've been a better name. I also believed the tangy sauce deserved to be sauce-gunned on sandwiches other\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"McDonald's Premium Crispy Chicken Bacon Clubhouse Sandwich","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7299\/13444545233_f492865da7.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":37106,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2019\/06\/05\/mcdonalds-tomato-mozzarella-chicken-sandwich-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":18332,"position":2},"title":"REVIEW: McDonald’s Tomato Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich","author":"Adam","date":"June 5, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"For many years, I thought American fast food was a shining beacon of liberty, creativity, and ingenuity \u2014- in short, everything that won two world wars, put a man on the moon, and bequeathed the world such celebrities as the Jonas Brothers. Reality, a hip college-aged friend of mine tells\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/McDonalds-Tomato-Mozzarella-Chicken-Sandwich-Crispy-Halved.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/McDonalds-Tomato-Mozzarella-Chicken-Sandwich-Crispy-Halved.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/McDonalds-Tomato-Mozzarella-Chicken-Sandwich-Crispy-Halved.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/McDonalds-Tomato-Mozzarella-Chicken-Sandwich-Crispy-Halved.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/McDonalds-Tomato-Mozzarella-Chicken-Sandwich-Crispy-Halved.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18074,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2015\/02\/17\/fast-food-news-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder-deluxe-and-premium-chicken-deluxe-sandwich\/","url_meta":{"origin":18332,"position":3},"title":"FAST FOOD NEWS: McDonald’s Quarter Pounder Deluxe and Premium Chicken Deluxe Sandwich","author":"Marvo","date":"February 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"McDonald's has been testing streamlined menus for several weeks. The photo above was taken at a restaurant in Ohio, which is a known test location for McDonald's. Update: The new menu has begun rolling out nationwide. Looking at the menu above, the number of Extra Value Meals has been trimmed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fast Food News"","block_context":{"text":"Fast Food News","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/fast-food-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"McDonald's Scaled Back Menu2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7288\/15922384563_313e305046_o.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7288\/15922384563_313e305046_o.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7288\/15922384563_313e305046_o.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18982,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2015\/08\/28\/review-mcdonalds-buttermilk-crispy-chicken-sandwich\/","url_meta":{"origin":18332,"position":4},"title":"REVIEW: McDonald’s Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Sandwich","author":"Kevin","date":"August 28, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"If McDonald\u2019s took its chicken sandwich menu and made it into one of those evolution progress pictures of the monkey slowly crawling out of the sludge and walking upright, the Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Sandwich would be somewhere on the right side, while dollar menu stalwart McChicken would be somewhere on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"McDonald's Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Sandwich","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/603\/20322290744_f777d87568_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/603\/20322290744_f777d87568_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/603\/20322290744_f777d87568_z.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":30086,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2018\/07\/11\/review-mcdonalds-signature-crafted-recipe-bacon-smokehouse\/","url_meta":{"origin":18332,"position":5},"title":"REVIEW: McDonald\u2019s Signature Crafted Recipe Bacon Smokehouse","author":"Marvo","date":"July 11, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"McDonald\u2019s newest Signature Crafted Recipe features a slice of white cheddar, in-house fried onion strings, Applewood-smoked bacon, a layer of bacon onion sauce, and a layer of sweet mustard sauce on an artisan bun with your choice of a beef patty, buttermilk crispy chicken, or grilled chicken. Here on this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/McDonald%E2%80%99s-Signature-Crafted-Recipe-Bacon-Smokehouse-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/McDonald%E2%80%99s-Signature-Crafted-Recipe-Bacon-Smokehouse-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/McDonald%E2%80%99s-Signature-Crafted-Recipe-Bacon-Smokehouse-3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18332"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18332\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}