Slash Food - Burger King has a history of being inspired by the menu items of their long-time adversary McDonald's. In the '90s, BK revamped their old soggy French fries with a crispier recipe that suspiciously resembled the ones at the Golden Arches. It was also during that decade that BK blatantly ripped off McDonald's Big Mac with the introduction of the short-lived Big King...this time looking to the McNugget for inspiration, and attempting to do more than just drop the "Mc." Here's how they rate:
The Claims: BK's new Chicken Tenders are "tender," "crispy," and contain "white meat." They come in servings of four (190 calories), eight (380 calories), or twenty (950 calories). If you do the math, you'll find that each piece is 47.5 calories, but that adds up when you dip it in any of the six sauces: Zesty, Honey Mustard, Ranch, Buffalo, Barbecue, or Sweet & Sour...
The Verdict: C. Gone away are the crown-shaped chicken pieces of the past; at a glance, these new Chicken Tenders look just like McNuggets (albeit a tad smaller) -- they have the same colored batter and even come in peculiar shapes like the ones at Mickey D's. The batter is crispy and starchy, like the McNuggets', with little to no herbs or spices to be tasted other than salt and a little pepper. The inside texture is just like the McDonald's counterpart: white meat that is ground, pressed, processed, and formed into nuggets. The taste is also similar, but not exactly the same. If it was BK's intention to simulate their rivals' chicken offering, they've missed the mark; what they have is drier and leaner-tasting, as opposed to the slightly fattier and softer texture found at the Golden Arches. (When I'm in the mood to order processed fast food chicken nuggets, I already know what I'm getting into, and prefer the latter.)
I kinda wish this review didn't try to be so professional and just came out and said what they were thinking. Burger King tried to copy the Mcnugget and failed, pretty simple. Great review, but sometimes you just need to be blunt and to the point. Save the long winded stuff for something that costs more than 1.99 and a clogged artery.
BK's nuggets have always sucked. Even those chicken-fry things they tried out a couple years ago, its either chicken of a fry it's not both guys. And reshaping your nuggets to look like McD's isn't fooling anyone. It's not really BK's fault, its a simple case of Nature vs. Nurture.
