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McDonald’s Spicy McChicken 2019: Jalapeño Pepper, Habanero Pepper and Ghost Pepper Compared

McDonald’s Canada launched three limited-time only spicy versions of the iconic McChicken sandwich available until March 11. These are the Jalapeño Pepper, Habanero Pepper and Ghost Pepper.

McDonald's Spicy McChicken 2019: Jalapeño Pepper, Habanero Pepper and Ghost Pepper Compared | McDonald's Spicy Jalapeño McChicken Review

Spicy McChicken Launch Schedule

The sandwiches were launched at different two-week intervals starting with the Jalapeño McChicken (January 29 – March 11), Habanero McChicken (February 12 – March 11), and Ghost Pepper McChicken (February 26 – March 11).

McDonald's Spicy McChicken 2019: Jalapeño Pepper, Habanero Pepper and Ghost Pepper Compared | McDonald's Spicy Jalapeño McChicken Review

Spiciness Levels

The McChickens were made spicy through new spicy mayonnaise sauces created by McDonald’s chefs and Chef Joseph Jorvath from McDonald’s supplier Flavour Reddy Foods. These spicy sauces replace the regular non-spicy mayonnaise in the McChicken.

The spiciness level is measured in Scoville Heat Units (SHU) with the higher the units the more spiciness.

Spice ratings of each pepper, according to the Scoville scale, measure at:

  • Jalapeno Pepper = 2500 – 8000 SHU
  • Habanero Pepper = 100,000 – 350,000 SHU
  • Ghost Pepper = Over 1,000,000 SHU

The Ghost Pepper is essentially 10x more spicy than the Habanero.

Nutrition Comparison

From a nutrition standpoint, all the McChickens are pretty comparable. This is not surprising considering the only change to the sandwiches were the sauces. The most obvious difference is that the Habanero and Ghost Pepper have more sodium than the regular McChicken.

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Spicy McChicken Price

All the spicy McChickens are $5.69 for the sandwich or make it a meal for $9.09. They’re just $0.30 more than a regular McChicken is $5.39. This is based on Vancouver, Canada pricing.

McDonald’s Spicy Jalapeño McChicken Review

I tried only the Jalapeno McChicken which features a green colour jalapeno sauce (the Habanero and Ghost Pepper sauces are orange). I thought it had a nice spicy kick to it but not too offensive for the untrained palette.

McDonald's Spicy McChicken 2019: Jalapeño Pepper, Habanero Pepper and Ghost Pepper Compared | McDonald's Spicy Jalapeño McChicken Review

For true pepper heads, I think the Habanero would be more satisfying. And perhaps if you have a good cry, the Ghost Pepper would be up your alley.

Have you tried any of the new spicy McChicken sandwiches? Let me know in the comments below.

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