Comparing Four Chicken Burgers Leaving McDonald's, and Recreating My Favorite, the Chiki-Chee, with Sliced Bread

Ryuji says they have hardly ever eaten McDonald's chicken items, and doesn't remember much about the Chicken Filet-O either. They expected something cheap-tasting like the McChicken, but it actually had a crispy coating around a single whole piece of meat and didn't taste cheap at all. The meat is thick, and Ryuji suspects it is breast rather than thigh. The sauce is a sweet, mayonnaise-based one close to aurora sauce, and there is no cheese.

Ryuji liked it enough to say, "I'm not sure about getting rid of this," but also admitted that when it comes to chicken, they can't help comparing it to KFC. Having enjoyed a KFC chicken sandwich before, they said that if chicken is what they're after, they'd rather go to KFC. Still, they concluded it is a very good burger by McDonald's standards.

The Teriyaki Chicken Filet-O is a Chicken Filet-O topped with teriyaki sauce, and Ryuji didn't even know it existed. The chicken was so big it stuck out past the bun, and it cost 500 yen.

Ryuji has always loved the Teriyaki McBurger and says, "McDonald's teriyaki sauce is just too good." The mayonnaise had a citrusy, lemon-like aroma, which they felt was tuned to go with the teriyaki and the chicken. Referencing the Shake Shack chicken sandwich they once recreated, they said it isn't as greasy, but it has the appeal of an exceptionally good convenience-store fried chicken. The verdict: an easy "A." They added that there's nothing else that tastes like it.

The Chiki-Chee was much cheaper than the others, at 300 yen. Remarking that it looks like "Karaage-kun," Ryuji took a bite and found the inside had a texture like a nugget, or like a menchi-katsu made from fried ground meat.

Ryuji said this was their favorite of the four. The Filet-O uses breast meat, so it's a bit dry, but the Chiki-Chee is tender like a nugget and goes really well with the bun. Partly because they love nuggets, they strongly lamented its end, saying, "I don't really get why they'd get rid of such a popular item" and "That's kind of unforgivable."

A staff member compared trying something for the first time just as it's being discontinued to "going to a band's concert for the first time and hearing them announce they're breaking up." Ryuji then said that had actually happened to them. Years ago, they went to a concert by the visual kei band Kagerou with their girlfriend at the time, and the band announced its breakup. The fans around them were crying and shouting the vocalist's name, and their girlfriend broke down in tears too.

Since no one else sells a burger with a cheese-filled chicken nugget, Ryuji decided to recreate the Chiki-Chee.

The last item was the Shaka Shaka Chicken. As Ryuji remembers it, it used to be sold on the 100-yen menu. Noting that it only comes in cheese flavor, they reminisced about their school days. For them, though, "shaka shaka" brings to mind the fries at First Kitchen (now Wendy's).

After shaking on the cheese powder and eating it, the verdict changed completely. The aroma was good, but it was just plain salty. A staff member said they remembered it tasting good as a kid, but Ryuji described it as being as salty as an overly salty bowl of ramen. They guessed the chicken inside is the same as in the Chicken Filet-O.

Ryuji pointed out that cheese powder doesn't suit fried food, and suggested garlic and pepper would be a better seasoning to shake on. The powder is like Pringles dust, and it felt like three times as much of it was on there. They said it would probably taste better without the powder, and gave it a "C." With a laugh, they noted that people often say their recipes are salty, but they actually don't like things that are too salty.

The recreation is the Chiki-Chee. Ryuji has made a Chicken Filet-O before; it's different from McDonald's version, but they say it tastes better to follow that one. If people want a recreation of McDonald's actual Chicken Filet-O, they'll consider it for another video.

The main ingredient is ground chicken; thigh or breast is fine. This time, Ryuji put 200g in a bowl to make two (the description box lists the amounts for one). The following seasonings are added:

• Potato starch, 4 tsp (acts as the coating and also keeps the meat plump)
• Salt, 2 pinches
• Sugar, 2 pinches (adds sweetness and makes it more nugget-like)
• Mayonnaise, 2 tsp (adds fat)
• MSG, 10 shakes (use a generous amount)
• Pepper, 4 shakes
• Garlic powder, 6 shakes

Knead and mix everything thoroughly.

When a staff member asked whether McDonald's uses thigh meat, Ryuji answered with a guess. McDonald's originated in America, where breast meat is expensive, so they probably use trimmings from various cuts, and whether it's thigh or breast likely doesn't matter much. If anything, breast meat is expensive, so they suspect it isn't included. They stressed, however, that this is about the US and they don't know about Japan.

The sauce is made by mixing 2 tbsp mayonnaise with about 2 tsp yellow mustard, about 1 tsp lemon juice, 2 pinches of salt, and a little MSG. The MSG is there to round out the flavor. It's plenty tasty without mustard; if you don't have any, just add a bit more lemon juice.

Ryuji admits they don't know whether the original contains mustard, and it may just have lemon mixed in. Still, they went with a lemon mustard sauce because they like it, and say it should get the flavor pretty close.

For the bread, toasted slices from a 6-slice loaf are used. You might think, "If you're going that far, just buy buns," but Ryuji says buns are hard to find in stores. The "FamiChiki Buns" made for FamiChiki were also considered, but they're too small. A 6-slice loaf is available anywhere, even in the countryside, so that's what they always use.

Rice bran oil is the choice if you want to be particular, but vegetable oil is perfectly fine. Ryuji figures McDonald's uses vegetable oil too. Personally, they say vegetable oil has been giving them heartburn lately.

Heat about 1cm of oil in a frying pan. Meanwhile, divide the meat mixture in half and press each portion as thin as possible with your palm. Making it thin means it fits the bread perfectly, and it also saves money because you need less oil. The only coating is the potato starch in the mixture, with no extra dredging. The reasoning is that the original nugget probably doesn't have much coating either, and nobody is going to put that much effort into making a Chiki-Chee.

Because of their size, they're fried one at a time. Being thin, they cook quickly. Ryuji recommends fairly high heat to get them crispy. Even with little starch, they brown nicely, and once the edges are brown and crisp, they're done. It got a little burnt, but Ryuji says they like a well-browned color. The second one cooks even faster since the oil is hotter by then.

Ryuji guesses that McDonald's Chiki-Chee patty contains soy and various other things. This patty is almost entirely meat and potato starch, so it's very meaty, and since it's ground chicken, it's cheap to make. Frying is a hassle, but they say it's cheap if you think of it as a trip to McDonald's.

What Ryuji learned while making it was that the cheese is the key to the flavor. The original nugget is probably around 50–60g, while this patty is 100g each, about double. The bread is also heavy, so they used two slices of cheddar. They tried it with one, but the flavor felt too weak.

To assemble, stack two slices of cheese, the patty, lettuce, and sauce on the toasted bread, in that order. Too much lettuce makes it fall apart, so go easy on it, but it's essential because it changes the flavor. Ryuji says they think of lettuce less as a vegetable and more as a seasoning, like an herb. Pour on a generous half of the sauce. Finally, it's wrapped in paper.

In the tasting, Ryuji praised the nugget-like texture. It's meatier than the regular one, and the sauce goes well with it. The staff member also said the bite and tenderness were exactly like a Chiki-Chee, and that the mustard's tang and freshness and the saltiness were all good.

Ryuji also noted the differences from the original. McDonald's version is thinner and has soy mixed in, but they say making it any thinner by hand would be difficult. They also said that using breast meat, like in the Chicken Filet-O, makes it hard to get this tenderness, so ground meat is a good way to go. The staff member said it was good enough to sell as a regular burger, even without calling it a McDonald's recreation.

Ryuji closed the video by telling anyone grieving the loss of the Chiki-Chee that there's no need to cry, since you can make something this tasty and filling at home for cheap, and encouraged everyone to give it a try.