Review: McDonald's - Crispy Chicken CBO Sandwich

McDonald's Crispy Chicken CBO (Cheddar Bacon Onion) sandwich is their latest limited-time burger and features a crispy fried chicken filet, hickory-smoked bacon, caramelized grilled onions, two slices of white cheddar and a creamy mustard sauce. It's all served on a toasted bakery-style bun that offers some whole grains.

I picked up one of these at my local McDonald's for $4.49.

Much of the sandwich's flavor comes from the mustard sauce which is yogurt based giving it a bit of a tang and incorporates Dijon mustard and horseradish which imparts a very solid mustard taste. I'm not sure it goes that well with the crispy chicken though, I think it would go better with beef or pork. There's a slight bit of sweetness to it.

The chicken filet was crunchy, mostly moist, and lightly seasoned. It was pretty good.

Bacon wasn't crispy, but added a bit of smokiness. With competitors like Wendy's and Burger King trading up to thicker cut bacon, McDonald's really needs to follow suit. Their bacon doesn't lag in flavor so much as texture.

For being a large part of the sandwich, I didn't notice the onions much. I think maybe fresh ones would have fared better.

The white cheddar used is pasteurized process (i.e. made like American cheese). It was creamy, but with less flavor than American cheese and lacked any hint of distinctive notes of cheddar. If it wasn't marketed as white cheddar, I might guess it was white American cheese... It should really be the "Cheese Bacon Onion?"

Overall, the Crispy Chicken CBO felt like less than the sum of its parts. While it sounded like a nice idea, the pieces just didn't fit together quite right and ended up off kilter especially since the cheese and onion portions were lacking.

Nutritional Info - Crispy Chicken Cheddar Bacon Onion Sandwich (227g)
Calories - 630 (from Fat - 260)
Fat - 29g (Saturated Fat - 9g)
Sodium - 1630mg
Carbs - 61g (Sugar - 13g)
Protein - 32g