The McCrispy is a rebranding of McDonald’s Crispy Chicken Sandwich, and it’s a much better name than the wordy and generic Crispy Chicken Sandwich. If you missed it, the name change occurred a few weeks ago, but the first new addition to the renamed line is the Bacon Ranch McCrispy.
It features a crispy chicken filet, applewood smoked bacon, crinkle cut pickles, buttermilk ranch sauce, and a toasted potato roll. There’s a Deluxe version that also includes Roma tomatoes and shredded lettuce.
Full disclosure: I thought the Crispy Chicken Sandwich was a mediocre, bland offering, so read this review with that in mind. So why am I reviewing this? Because I wanted to know if bacon can truly make everything better. With that said, this new variety is slightly better in some ways and slightly less so in others.
The fillet is noticeably skinnier than what I had with the Crispy Chicken Sandwich. That one put the “fill” in fillet. But the one in this makes the sad McChicken patty look substantial. While it was thinner, the meat was tender and somewhat juicy. Also, despite sitting in its foil bag for several minutes and under lights for several more minutes while I took the photos in this review, the breaded exterior still had some crispiness. While this fillet’s thickness doesn’t match what I experienced with the original Crispy Chicken Sandwich, they share a common attribute — blandness. It’s the reason why I was so disappointed with the original.
So thank the fast food gods for the pickles, ranch, and bacon because they compensated for the fillet’s lack of flavor. The pickles and ranch combination is a winner, with the pickles adding a tanginess that complements the creamy ranch sauce. As for the bacon, some were crispy, and others were chewy, but all provided smoky, porky goodness. Also, my order came with enough slices to almost blanket the chicken. Bacon does make this sandwich better, but the pickles and ranch sauce do more to accomplish that.
Overall, I liked McDonald’s Bacon Ranch McCrispy, thanks to the toppings. It’s decent enough that I’d probably order it again or try the Deluxe version.
Also, there’s one last thing about the name. I’m disappointed that McDonald’s used the name McCrispy for a chicken sandwich because it hurts my idea of having a product called McCrispies, which would be a clamshell container of those short crunchy French fry shards that end up at the bottom of fry sleeves that could be used as a sandwich or dessert topping.
Purchased Price: $6.89*
Size: N/A
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 650 calories, 36 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 80 milligrams of cholesterol, 1610 milligrams of sodium, 49 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 11 grams of sugar (including 8 grams of added sugar), and 33 grams of protein.
*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.