McDonald's Goes French with Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

(EndPlay Staff Reports) - McDonald's customers may notice something different as the fast food giant says out with the Italian and in with the French with its premium grilled chicken sandwiches.

Nation's Restaurant News reported that McDonald's grilled chicken was reformulated to make it more flavor neutral. Senior director of culinary innovation Dan Condreaut described it as "mirepoix, salt and pepper, maybe a little garlic and herb."

Mirepoix is a French sauce base with sauteed carrot, onion and celery.

There will also be a new bun, round instead of oval and prepared with whole grain topped with cracked wheat.

The chicken will be used grilled or fried to top an Asian salad being sold for a limited time this summer. The Asian salad will feature salad greens, edamame, snow peas, red bell peppers, mandarin oranges, sliced toasted almonds and a low-fat sesame-ginger dressing.

There will also be other menu changes. The Christian Science Monitor said McDonald's chicken McNuggets and Chicken Selects breast strips will see a few new sauces.

The ranch dressing, traditionally served with the strips, will have what Coudreaut said would be "more of a buttermilk flavor." It will be available with McNuggets too.

There will also be a Thai-inspired dipping sauce featuring hot buffalo and sweet chili.

Restaurant News said Coudreaut also discussed salt content, saying "it's an important tool for chefs to use." But he suggested McDonald's may consider lowering salt content in the future such as using citrus or other acid in order to enhance flavor.