McDonald's Spicy Chicken McNuggets Are Back in Certain Regions

Around 6,900 McDonald's locations will serve the spicy menu item again.

Courtesy of McDonald's
Courtesy of McDonald's

McDonald's first introduced its Spicy Chicken McNuggets in 2020 and brought them back for a short engagement early last year. Now, the fast food chain's first twist on its classic McNuggets has returned, but only for a limited time.

The chain confirmed to Thrillist that the Spicy Chicken McNuggets are available as of April 4 in some areas of the country. About 6,900 participating locations, representing around half of all McDonald's franchise locations in North America, will have the nuggets. There's no set end date, but expect to see them disappear from menus again.

Spicy Chicken McNuggets feature tender, all-white meat breaded with a sizzling tempura coating made of cayenne and chili peppers. They are available as a dine-in, carryout, or delivery option. 

Last year, Thrillist put McDonald's Spicy Chicken McNuggets head-to-head with Wendy's Spicy Nuggets for a taste test and found the Golden Arches came out on top. The welcome return of the spicy McDonald's menu item comes just as the chain reintroduced its fan-favorite Szechuan Sauce for a limited run via its mobile app.

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Chris Mench is an editor focusing on NYC News at Thrillist. You can follow him on Twitter for more of his work.