McDonald's To Debut New Chicken Wings In Chicago

By Anthony Todd in Food on Jan 9, 2013 4:30PM

Are you tired of the pressed, processed, bleached and flavored chicken served at McDonald's? If so, you're in luck, because when McDonald's brings "Mighty Wings" to Chicago-area restaurants, they will (presumably) have to leave that part of the chicken mostly in its original form. Unless, like the McRib, they de-bone them and create fake bones made of meat.

The Associated Press reported on Monday that the test, scheduled to begin this week, is a followup to a successful "test flight" of the wings in Atlanta last year. The wings cost $3 for 3, and they will be served with a creamy ranch sauce.

Interestingly enough, money issues may make this test unsustainable.

"Prices for chicken wings have been climbing over the past year, reflecting an increase in the number of restaurants serving them, said David Harvey, an agriculture economist who specializes in poultry and eggs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In December, the cost of wings in the wholesale market in the Northeast was 26 percent higher than a year ago. Wings sold for $1.90 a pound that month, compared with $1.30 a pound for boneless, skinless chicken breasts."

In any case, even if it doesn't get rolled out to the whole gazillion-restaurant chain, it may become a special item like the McRib or the Shamrock Shake. McDonald's is scrambling a little bit as sales actually dropped in October for the first time in a decade.