McDonald's Spicy McNuggets Are Back — But You'll Have to Find Them

Fans of McDonald's Spicy Chicken McNuggets have a reason to celebrate… or maybe a reason to go for a long drive depending on where they live. The burger chain has announced they're bringing back the spicier take on their McNuggets, but only at a limited number of locations and only for a limited time.

About half of America's McDonald's locations are getting back the spicy nuggs which were launched in 2020 in the wake of Wendy's spicy chicken nugget success and billed at the time by MickeyD's as the "first time we've introduced a new flavor of our classic Chicken McNuggets in the U.S. since they came to menus in 1983."

For that release, the new nuggets were available nationwide. This time, fans aren't so lucky. "We're bringing back the heat for spice lovers!" McDonald's said in an emailed statement. "Spicy Chicken McNuggets are back for a limited time at select McDonald's restaurants…. now available as a regional menu item at approximately 6,900 participating locations throughout the U.S."

McDonald's was an early innovator of the sporadic limited time only release as the chain tried to lure customers with random McRib drops. Recently, the move has become increasingly common as fast food chains try to keep customers on their toes and angle for occasional sales bumps: Look no further than last month's LTO Nacho Fries release from Taco Bell.

Meanwhile, if you need a reminder as to why McDonald's Spicy Chicken McNuggets are worth seeking out, the chain describes the "dippable and downright-delicious" product as "made with tender, juicy all-white meat and breaded with a sizzling tempura coating made of both cayenne and chili peppers." Unfortunately, however, the chain is not bringing back the Mighty Hot Sauce that the item was originally launched with, so you'll have to dip your spicy nuggets into something a bit mellower this time around.