How Do McDonald's New McCrispy Strips Compare To Its Old Chicken Tenders?

McDonald's has been a big player in the fast food chicken game since the 1983 global debut of Chicken McNuggets, which became an instant hit. But McNuggets are far from McDonald's only chicken product of note; its chicken tenders also developed a significant fanbase over decades of availability.

Fans of the old chicken tenders may be able to rejoice though, as the company recently introduced new McCrispy strips to the permanent menu. This is the first time since 2020 that any chicken tender has been available at U.S. McDonald's, though diners will notice that they're not quite the same as they used to be.

Despite their name, the new McCrispy strips don't appear to have as much crunch as either the original Chicken Selects or the nearly identical Buttermilk Crispy Tenders. The breading lacks the abundance of crunchy nooks and crannies that could be seen on its predecessors. On the inside, they do share black pepper-forward flavors. But customers complain that the original tenders were softer and juicier, possibly putting McCrispy strips' future in doubt.

McDonald's launched its new McCrispy strips nationwide in May of this year, along with a Creamy Chili dipping sauce. Their launch may have something to do with the similarly named and breaded McCrispy chicken sandwich, which succeeded well enough after its 2021 debut to remain on the menu. Customer reaction has been mixed, with some enjoying the sauce but disliking the chicken, which is said to be rubbery and underflavored. Others, however, find them decent or even actually good, depending on your McDonald's.

McCrispy strips may have one saving grace coming down the line, though. It was once thought that the famous McDonald's Snack Wrap was one fan favorite we'd never get back, because employees found they were too complicated to quickly make. But the company recently announced that Snack Wraps are coming back in 2025 after all.

McDonald's has not specifically confirmed what meat will go inside the returning Snack Wraps. But if their first iteration is any clue, it will probably be the McCrispy strips that McDonald's already has on the menu, bringing the new wraps in line with the chain's other McCrispy offerings.

McDonald's first launched its chicken tender option as Chicken Selects in 1998. These crunchy strips of buttermilk chicken breast meat were available for years, but perhaps got the most love as the meat in McDonald's famous Snack Wraps — an iconic product first developed to sell more Chicken Selects.

In the U.S., Chicken Selects were discontinued in 2013, never to be seen again absent a brief reappearance two years later. They were fully replaced in 2017 by the substantially similar Buttermilk Crispy Tenders, which essentially added buttermilk to the Chicken Selects recipe. But these short-lived tenders were removed in 2020, and became one of the discontinued McDonald's items we miss the most.

Fans of the Chicken Selects miss the memorable crunchiness in every bite from their thick, chunky breading that wrapped perfectly juicy pieces of chicken breast. But such eaters are not entirely out of luck: Chicken Selects are still available in the U.K. and Ireland, where they never left the menu.