How McDonald's Chicken Nuggets Helped Birth The McRib

Today, Chicken McNuggets are a staple of the McDonald's menu, but their popularity created an unexpected problem when they first appeared: The company couldn't get enough chicken to supply every restaurant that wanted to sell them. That shortage helped inspire another menu item: the McRib.

The story began in 1979, when McDonald's executive chef René Arend was experimenting with onion nuggets, but soon pivoted the recipe toward using poultry, effectively sparking the creation of the Chicken McNugget. Before settling on the bite-size pieces, Arend had explored other ideas, including a deep-fried chicken pot pie and the vegetarian predecessor, the onion nugget.

McDonald's first tested Chicken McNuggets in restaurants in Tennessee in the spring of 1980 for a blind test, and customers quickly embraced them. Demand soon outpaced the company's ability to supply chicken, leaving some franchisees without the new product. The nuggets weren't introduced in all U.S. restaurants until 1983, when McDonald's expanded their availability nationwide.

With chicken supplies stretched thin, McDonald's needed another product for franchisees who couldn't get enough nuggets. Arend turned to pork, developing a sandwich that could give those restaurants something new while the chain worked to meet demand.

The McRib wasn't simply a substitute for chicken. René Arend also wanted to bring Southern barbecue flavors to McDonald's. After trying pulled pork sandwiches in Charleston, South Carolina, he envisioned a boneless pork sandwich that could fit on a bun.

That distinctive shape was possible because of restructured meat technology, which allows smaller pieces of meat to be formed into a larger product. In the 1960s, U.S. Army researchers developed ways to make uniform meat products for military rations. Their work helped advance the technology, which later found commercial applications, including in fast food.

The McRib's patty is made with ground boneless pork shoulder, shaped to resemble a rack of ribs. It debuted in Kansas City in 1981, expanded nationwide in 1982, and was removed from the regular menu in 1985. Its later returns helped turn it into a recurring limited-time favorite, as its 45-year history shows. Thanks to a combination of a chicken shortage and initial military meat research, customers continue to flock to McDonald's when the McRib is on the menu.