How to Make 5 Iconic McDonald’s Menu Items at Home
When it comes to replicating a McDonald's meal, some would say that it's absolutely impossible to do, because every last detail that goes into making their menu items is so significant. We were hard-pressed to hear it couldn't be done, so we decided to test this theory in our own kitchen, replicating some of McDonald's favorite menu items. We found that in some cases, the recipes were healthier, and in others, they were just fun to make. Making these recipes is really about paying attention to the details - from the blend of ground beef you use to how you choose to put ketchup on the bun - and each step is more important than the last when creating the ultimate McDonald's experience.
Related: 7 Unique McDonald's Happy Meals From Around the World
While replicating some of McDonald's most iconic menu items at home, we learned a lot about why McDonald's food is as unique as it is. As hard as people try, they'll never get their Big Mac replications to taste the same as the one that comes out of the drive-thru window, and we found that this is because McDonald's has managed to keep some of even their most basic ingredients secret in one way or another. Things like how they cook their eggs, what blend of ground beef they use, and exactly how much special sauce goes on the Big Mac are all predetermined and precise - and secret - so it's no wonder that this company continues to thrive over time. In honor of the timelessness of these items, we've recreated them in our own kitchen, so that you can do the same in your own.
When McDonald's started (after the short lived McDonalds Bar-B-Q take on the restaurant) the menu consisted of $0.15 hamburgers, french fries, and triple-thick milkshakes. Milestones like Ray Kroc visiting the restaurant to sell mixers, then opening a branch in Des Plaines, Ill., and eventually buying the company from the McDonald brothers for $2.7 million ($1 million for each McDonald brother, and then the leftover $700,000 for Uncle Sam) shaped the company over a period of time. While the history of the company might be as fascinating as the menu, there is one thing that sets McDonald's apart from its competition, always, and that one thing is the simple method in which they create their hamburgers. In 1988, Fortune labeled McDonald's hamburgers as one of the 100 things that America makes best, we'd have to say that we agree.
McDonald's assembly strategies are extremely important to the process of how the food tastes. OSI, McDonald's sole ground beef producer, has farms located throughout the United States. The burger plants at OSI freeze the ground beef almost immediately after it's shaped, blended, and packaged to be shipped domestically, ensuring consistency of taste and quality. The produce used is also very important to McDonald's, as they source all of the vegetables and fruit locally, so that they're as fresh as possible upon arrival to the restaurants. McDonald's is known for a lot more than their burgers these days, as they come out with sugar-free smoothie, wraps, and new salad options every day, and we're seeing their menu transform with the help of nutritionists, like Julia Braun, to create healthy and weight-conscious meals.
McDonald's has developed cooking methods, real estate ventures, patented "green" machinery, charities, and even a University with an accredited business degree in just five days - but despite all of their major accomplishments over the years, we still just want to know: What's in the sauce?
In case you're wondering, too, we've created 5 at-home recipes for some of our favorite McDonald's menu items. To recreate everything from the classics like the cheeseburger to the more recent McGriddle, we researched multiple recipes, including an online file that is constructed by the McDonald's Company themselves. But to find the exact taste of the recipes, we sat with each McDonald's item and tasted them against our own to find out how they were assembled, how they tasted, and how to make them almost identical. When The Daily Meal visited Hamburger University in June, we were given the inside scoop on just how McDonald's assembles its products, which is surprisingly one of the most important factors to the taste of the overall meal.
Though we may have strayed a little bit by making our McRib "pimped out," the McDonald's corporation recipes have influenced our versions, in an effort to make them as authentic as possible. The best part about these recipes is that they might just be easier than getting in your car and driving to your nearest McDonald's.
McDonald's McNuggets
Originally known as Onion McNuggets, this iconic menu item was introduced to the McDonald's menu in 1979 after a discussion between Rene Arend, McDonald's executive chef, and Fred Turner, McDonald's CEO at the time, about changing the item. When Turner suggested chicken, Arend immediately began making the recipe, and then decided that the Chicken McNuggets were infinitely better than their onion counterparts. At first the company couldn't provide enough chickens to supply all of the franchises at the time, however by 1983 that was no longer a problem. With only 190 calories calories and 12 grams fat per four McNuggets, its no surprise that these started to be offered in 20-piece orders.
McDonald's McNuggets: How To Make It
It's hard to believe that chicken breast cut and coated in batter a few times could taste as good as a four piece McNugget, but from what we learned, it can. While the calorie content on these McNuggets is fairly low compared to the rest of the menu, you can make this recipe even healthier by making them at home.
INGREDIENTS
4 chicken breasts
1 egg
1/2 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Pinch of sugar
Vegetable oil, for frying
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Using a meat mallet, tenderize the chicken breast and then cut it into 2-inch pieces.
In a bowl, combine the egg, water, and sugar. Put all of the dry ingredients into a paper bag and set aside. Coat the pieces of chicken generously in the egg mixture and then add them to the bag with flour and shake until well coated. Remove the chicken from the bag and repeat the process once more.
Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a large skillet to 375 degrees. Fry the nuggets until they're golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the nuggets from the pan and set aside on a piece of paper towel to drain. Place the nuggets on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for an additional 7 minutes.
Recipe Details
Servings: 2
McDonald's McRib
The McRib, one of the most anticipated and sought-after menu items from McDonald's. If you don't believe us, then just take a look at their app that shows which locations exclusively offer this sandwich. Though it was introduced to the menu in 1982, it failed to make sales, and was removed in 1985. It was reintroduced in 1989 but then taken off the menu again in 2005, and is now only sold periodically. Perhaps the disappearing act adds to its allure, or perhaps it's just its delicious taste. So many people love it that Rosie O'Donnell even posed as Betty Rubble in a commercial to advertise the McRib, which looks remarkably similar to the pork patties they eat in the 1994 Flintstones film. With a whopping 500 calories and 26 grams of fat, this sandwich is one of the highest fat concentrations on the menu. But what sets our McRib apart from the other recipes, is that ours is pimped out!
McDonald's 'Pimped Out' McRib: How to Make It
Because this "promotional" menu item is only available on McDonald's menus for limited amounts of time, it's quite sought after. Our recipe uses fresh pork ribs, sliced onion, and pickles on fresh bread, letting this recipe give McDoanld's some competition. This recipe makes it possible for you to enjoy a McRib without the McRib Tracking App, and with the restaurant version being 500 calories, it might be worth trying to make this sandwich at home.
Click here to see the 'Pimped-Out' McRib Recipe
McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese
At 520 calories and 26 grams of fat, for a standard Quarter Pounder with cheese, the McDonald's menu item is among the most beloved, most caloric permanent menu items. The McDonald's Quarter Pounder was first introduced into the United States in 1973. Outside of the United States, the 'QP' also goes by the names of the McRoyal, or the McRoyal with cheese. Although varieties exist, most people in the United States enjoy a delicious quarter pound of beef with cheese, kisses of mustard and ketchup, raw onion, and pickles. This burger is so simple and delicious it's almost too good to be true.
McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese: How To Make It
The McDonald's Quarter Pounder looks a lot larger than their standard patties, but it actually becomes smaller as you cook it. Don't worry about drying it out while cooking, because the freezing process should help with keeping moisture in the burger. This burger is famous for its ability to have the taste of a classic cheeseburger, but fill you with only one burger.
Click here to see the McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese Recipe
McDonald's Southern Style Chicken Sandwich
A fried breast of chicken, topped with two dill pickles, and placed on top of a warm, buttery bun? It sounds eerily like a Chick-fil-A sandwich, but the McDonald's rendition has something unique about it. You not only can enjoy this Southern specialty for lunch or dinner at McDonald's, but you can have the same chicken recipe for breakfast, too (a biscuit makes a huge difference). With the sandwich ringing in at 420 calories and 19 grams of fat, its an easy calorie-splurge to make for such a delicious sandwich. McDonald's customers have loved the simple, tangy, flavors of the sandwich ever since it came out.
McDonald's Southern Style Chicken Sandwich: How To Make It
This sandwich proves that there's nothing better than a simple crispy chicken cutlet topped with fresh pickles and placed on a buttery bun. The best part is, its even simpler to make.
Click here to see the McDonald's Southern Style Chicken Sandwich Recipe
McDonald's Apple Pie
Ah, McDonald's apple pie - we liked you better when you were fried, but we also understand why that can't be anymore. Ever since McDonald's started transitioning their menu to target a nutritionally conscious crowd, we've had to settle for our dessert pies un-fried, which are technically turnovers, baked but still delicious. Introduced in the late 1960s, these small dessert treats were immediately hits. There's nothing more American than hamburgers, fries, milkshakes, and pies - and you can find them all under the golden arches. At 250 calories and 13 grams of fat per pie, it's no wonder when we're craving these we always stock up on more than one.
McDonald's Apple Pie: How To Make It
When McDonald's stopped frying their pies, we think they lost a lot of their texture. Making them at home, however, lets you dictate just how crispy you want your pie to be. Don't forget to spray water on the pie before it goes into the oven, though, so that the inside can stay moist and doughy. Making your own ingredients also lets you be in control of how full the pie is, how gooey the apples are, and even how warm it is when you consume the pie.
Click here to see McDonald's Apple Pies Recipe
-Megan Byrne, The Daily Meal
Click here to see how to make more of your favorite McDonald's menu items at home
