McDonald’s reportedly set to re-release chicken strips: Everything we know so far

McDonald’s is planning to grow its Chicken market share and to do that it is adding Chicken strips and Snack Wraps back to its menu.

This announcement was made during the company's Q4 2024 earnings call, according to the reports. The launch of Chicken Strips this year will be likely around the same time as Snack Wraps, however, the exact date has not been revealed yet.

A report by BTIG analysts as indicated in Restaurant Drive, suggested that Chicken Strips and Snack Wraps might hit the shelves in late April and in June/July, respectively.

McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski during an earnings call as stated by All Recipes,

“We're excited about the significant opportunity we see within our chicken portfolio and see the potential to add another point of chicken market share by the end of 2026.”

Kempczinski added that in addition to the chicken strips and snack wraps, the company will use the Chicken Big Mac as a recurring LTO to strategically drive traffic. A 7% increase in visits and an 8.7% increase in traffic was noticed on the launch of Chicken Big Mac in October last year.

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When were the McDonald’s chicken strips first introduced?

The crispy tenders aka the Chicken strips were first introduced at McDonald's in 2002. Ever since its launch, it remained a fan favorite until its removal in 2013, according to a report in DailyMeal.

The report added that although they never returned to the US menu but were found at McDonald’s locations in the U.K. The company re-introduced another version in 2017 called the Buttermilk Crispy Tenders but they soon ran out of supply due to its huge demand.

The fast-food chain discontinued them in 2020 when the world was hit with the Covid-19 pandemic. Fans are eagerly anticipating their re-launch in 2025.

Speaking of Snack Wraps, they were first introduced in 2006, as per the reports, and were priced at $1.29. The wrap consisted of chicken breast meat, cheddar jack cheese, lettuce, and ranch sauce, wrapped inside a tortilla.

It was reportedly removed in 2016 from most of the U.S. locations, however some locations continued to sell it till 2020. It was discontinued as the product took too long to make and was too inefficient, according to a report from Business Insider, as stated in QSR magazine.

The Snack Wrap will be making its comeback soon in 2025. The news was confirmed by McDonald’s in a tweet. In 2024, the chain’s president, Joe Erlinger told Good Morning America, that the item would be back in 2025 following years of petitioning by fans. It was reportedly signed by more than 18,800 people, a report in Forbes magazine stated.

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At the beginning of 2025, McDonald’s started an ad campaign to promote its value offerings which included the $5 Meal Deal and a Buy One, Add One for $1 deal, as per a report in The Sun.

The report further indicated that McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski plans to overlay the deals with

“a strong pipeline of creative marketing ideas that will delight our fans and will provide full margin check growth.”

He said,

“Our core menu remains at the heart of our business.”

Another report noted that until McDonald’s plans to re-introduce its Chicken items to the menu, the Chicken Big Mac has helped drive recovering sales and traffic. The chain partnered with streamer Kai Cenat to promote the sandwich on social media.

The new Chicken Big Mac is much like the original Big Mac, indicates a report in The Independent. It consists of two tempura battered chicken patties, which are stacked between cheese, lettuce, and pickles. They are topped with the signature Big Mac sauce on a sesame seed bun.