McDonald's Will Add Two Chicken Sandwiches to the Breakfast Menu in January 2020

It's tough at the top. That was certainly true for McDonald's in 2019. Over the summer, MickeyD's franchisees demanded a new crispy chicken sandwich in an attempt to keep up with Chick-fil-A's popularity, only to see Popeyes launch a chicken sandwich to national acclaim a month later. And September wasn't any better: Wendy's announced intentions to stake its claim on the fast food breakfast market, with plans to launch a morning menu nationwide in 2020.

Of course, McDonald's hasn't gotten where it is by rolling over to the competition. The company quickly whipped up a stopgap chicken sandwich solution and then, this month, finally began testing a Chick-fil-A-like sandwich. And to kick off 2020, McDonald's is apparently ready to out-chicken everyone: Wendy's, Chick-fil-A, Popeyes… the whole lot! The brand is reportedly prepping two crispy chicken breakfast sandwiches. And one of them is a McGriddle. So take that!

According to Business Insider—which very well might have an inside source at the chain because they're always accurate with their McDonald's "leaks"—the burger giant will be releasing a McChicken Biscuit breakfast sandwich and a Chicken McGriddle breakfast sandwich nationwide in January. Additionally, BI writes that some markets "will also serve spicy versions of the two new breakfast menu items." Though product descriptions weren't provided, both new items appear to simply be a crispy chicken patty sandwiched in either a sliced biscuit or between pancake-like McGriddle buns.

When asked for comment, a McDonald's spokesperson told us, "What came first, the chicken or the egg? Set your alarm for more reasons to visit McDonald's for breakfast in 2020."

Of course, in the current climate, anything crispy chicken will be seen through the lens of Chick-fil-A and Popeyes, but these new breakfast sandwiches are a preemptive strike against Wendy's as well—and not just because they are on the breakfast menu. When Wendy's teased its own forthcoming breakfast menu, one of the standout items was a "Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit." McGriddle me this: How could McDonald's compete against such a sandwich? Oh wait. Yeah. With a McGriddle chicken sandwich. I kind of gave the answer away in the question.