Fast Food Watch: McDonald's Debuts Dapan Ji in Sandwich Form

Fast Food Watch: McDonald's Crams 'Big Plate Chicken' Into a Sandwich

Vincent R. Vinci, Managing Editor | Feb 17, 2022 1:28 pm | Add a comment | 315 reads

There are few things in this world that can warm one up faster than the 麻 Má and 辣 Là found in many branches of Chinese cuisine. From the dried chilis and numbing peppercorns of Sichuan to the fresh heat of Hunan, there’s a ma and la for just about every palate.

Among these champions of heat, the 大盘鸡 Dàpán jī – aka Big Plate Chicken – of China’s Northwest is one of the greatest.

It’s also quite hearty. The usually bone-in chicken pieces served up with potatoes, onions, and peppers on a bed of noodles or rice can offer a solid meal any time of year – but especially in the cold of winter.

Even though it’s a solid dish, one contentious point for yours truly is the fact that the bones are left in the bits of chicken.

Coming from a place where bone-in bird means eating it with hands, when presented with dapan ji there have been times that I’ve been tempted to pick up the chicken pieces just to get the meat. It’s worse when there’s mostly bones and no meat because nothing’s fun about a lot of chewing for no reward.

Thus, McDonald’s latest limited-time offering, the Big Plate Chicken Sandwich, is an alright alternative.

I was admittedly curious when presented with the sandwich, as from photos it basically resembles a fried chicken patty with a sort of dapan ji “sauce” on it and nothing else. Where were the potatoes? Why was it a fried patty and not grilled?

Getting my hands on the real deal for lunch, though, my questions – one of them, at least – were quickly put to rest. Along with the sauce, there were two nearly golden potato slices slapped on the sandwich, a decent start.

And, despite the patty being fried, it’s spicy, lending it the familiar element of ma and la in a plate of dapan ji. The potatoes also complement the patty nicely, adding a more hearty touch – even if it is carbs on top of carbs with the buns involved.

While it’s no alternative to the real deal, the Big Plate Chicken Sandwich isn’t half bad. Buns certainly won’t replace the joy of slurping up bits of chicken with noodles, but at least there are no bones to be picked here.