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A McChicken is 400 calories and around $3.79. The Hot 'n Spicy version is 390 — slightly lighter than the original, which surprises most people who assume spicy means heavier.
A McChicken is 400 calories with 14g of protein, 21g of fat and 39g of carbohydrate, at around $3.79. A breaded chicken patty, shredded lettuce and mayonnaise on a toasted bun. Nothing else.
This sandwich has anchored McDonald's value menu since 1980, and its whole appeal is being cheap rather than being impressive. It uses a formed patty rather than a whole fillet, which is why the protein figure is lower than people expect for a chicken sandwich. This page covers the price, the full macros, everything about the Hot 'n Spicy version including where you can actually find it, and how it stacks up against the alternatives. The full range is on our McDonald's chicken menu, and the whole board is on the McDonald's menu with prices.
Our surveyed national midpoint is $3.79. This has been a value menu fixture since 1980, and McDonald's has repeatedly shrunk the sandwich rather than raise the price, so participating restaurants still list it well under four dollars.
| HOW YOU ORDER IT | PRICE | CALORIES | PROTEIN |
|---|---|---|---|
McChicken, sandwich onlyThe national midpoint | $3.79 | 400 | 14g |
McChicken meal dealMedium fries and a medium drink | $8.29 | 930 | 20g |
With small fries onlyThe lighter combination | $6.58 | 630 | 17g |
Rural and small townLowest recorded band | $2.99 | 400 | 14g |
Airport and highwayHighest recorded band | $4.99 | 400 | 14g |
Hot 'n Spicy versionSmall premium where available | $4.29 | 390 | 14g |
400 calories with 14g of protein. The protein number is the one worth understanding: it is low for a chicken sandwich because this uses a formed, breaded patty rather than a whole fillet.
| NUTRIENT | AMOUNT | % DV | NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|
Calories | 400 | 20% | — |
ProteinFormed patty, not a fillet | 14g | 28% | 3.5g per 100 cal |
Total fatMayonnaise is most of it | 21g | 27% | Ask for no mayo |
Saturated fat | 4g | 20% | Low |
Carbohydrate | 39g | 14% | Bun and breading |
Sugars | 5g | — | The bun |
Sodium | 560mg | 24% | Moderate |
Cholesterol | 45mg | 15% | Low |
3.5g per 100 calories, which is the weakest ratio of any chicken item on the menu. A McCrispy manages 5.5g and a 6 piece McNuggets 5.6g. If protein is the point of the order, this is not the sandwich.
McDonald's sells it in the US as the Hot 'n Spicy McChicken, and most guides get the name wrong. It is a spice-seasoned chicken patty with shredded lettuce and mayonnaise on a toasted bun, and at 390 calories it is marginally lighter than the standard version.
| VERSION | PRICE | CALORIES | WHAT CHANGES |
|---|---|---|---|
Standard McChickenPermanent menu item | $3.79 | 400 | Baseline |
Hot 'n Spicy McChickenSpice-seasoned patty. Limited and regional | $4.29 | 390 | 10 fewer |
Hot 'n Spicy McChicken DeluxeAdds American cheese and Roma tomatoes | $5.29 | 480 | +90 |
Hot 'n Spicy McChicken BiscuitBreakfast version on a buttered biscuit | $4.49 | 420 | Breakfast only |
Spicy McCrispyThe premium spicy option | $5.99 | 530 | Whole fillet |
Moderate. The heat is seasoned into the breading rather than applied as a sauce, so it is even across the patty and builds gently rather than hitting immediately. It is noticeably milder than the Spicy McCrispy, which uses a pepper sauce, and milder still than Spicy McNuggets with Mighty Hot Sauce.
390 for the standard Hot 'n Spicy, 480 for the Deluxe with cheese and tomato, and 420 for the breakfast biscuit version. All three are McDonald's published figures. You may see 630 or 740 quoted elsewhere; those figures do not match McDonald's own data and appear to come from adding up component estimates rather than the published sandwich total.
A McChicken holds four things: a breaded chicken patty, shredded lettuce, mayonnaise and a toasted bun. No cheese, no tomato, no pickle. It is the simplest chicken sandwich McDonald's sells.
| COMPONENT | ALLERGEN | CALORIES | NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|
Breaded chicken pattyFormed, not a whole fillet | Wheat | ~180 | Fried |
MayonnaiseThe biggest single calorie source after the bun | Egg, soy | ~90 | Removable |
Toasted bunPlain wheat bun | Wheat, soy | ~130 | — |
Shredded lettuce | — | ~5 | Removable |
No mayo versionFree modification | Wheat, soy | ~310 | Saves 90 |
No bun versionServed in a container | Wheat | ~270 | Still not GF |
The McChicken is the cheapest chicken sandwich they sell and the weakest on protein. Both of those are the point: it exists to be affordable, not to compete with the premium chicken sandwiches.
| ITEM | PRICE | CALORIES | PROTEIN |
|---|---|---|---|
Snack WrapCheapest chicken item | $2.99 | 330 | 14g |
McChickenValue menu fixture since 1980 | $3.79 | 400 | 14g |
6 piece McNuggetsLowest carb chicken option | $4.29 | 250 | 14g |
McCrispyWhole fillet, nearly double the protein | $5.99 | 470 | 26g |
McDoubleFor comparison. Best protein per dollar | $3.49 | 390 | 22g |
Formed patty against whole fillet: 14g of protein against 26g, for 70 fewer calories and about $2.20 less. Our McCrispy page has the full side-by-side.
Prices are a national midpoint recorded from restaurant menu boards in August 2026 and vary by location. Sandwich calorie totals are McDonald's published US data; component breakdowns are calculated estimates. Contains wheat, egg and soy. The full chicken range is on our McDonald's chicken menu, and the full board on the McDonald's menu with prices.
400 calories, with 14g of protein, 21g of fat and 39g of carbohydrate. Asking for no mayonnaise takes it to roughly 310 at no extra charge.
$3.79 at our national midpoint. Rural restaurants run closer to $2.99 and airport locations to $4.99. It has been a value menu fixture since 1980, so participating restaurants often list it under four dollars.
390 — slightly fewer than the standard version. McDonald's sells it as the Hot 'n Spicy McChicken. The Deluxe with cheese and tomato is 480, and the breakfast biscuit version is 420.
No. It runs as a limited-time item and its availability has been regional rather than national, which is why it has a following of people who hunt for it. Check the app with your restaurant selected before travelling for one.
14g, which is 28% of the daily value but a weak 3.5g per 100 calories. That is because it uses a formed breaded patty rather than a whole fillet. A McCrispy gives 26g.
14g protein, 39g carbohydrate and 21g fat for 400 calories — roughly 14% protein, 39% carbs and 47% fat by calories. Most of the fat is mayonnaise, so holding it shifts the split considerably.
A breaded chicken patty, shredded lettuce and mayonnaise on a toasted bun. No cheese, no tomato, no pickle. It contains wheat, egg and soy.
Depends what you want. The McCrispy uses a whole fillet and gives 26g of protein against 14g, for 70 more calories and about $2.20 more. The McChicken is the cheaper sandwich and sits on value menus the McCrispy never does.
The sandwich with medium fries and a medium drink, at around $8.29 for roughly 930 calories. Swapping to small fries and skipping the soft drink brings it to about 630.
Around 310, down from 400. Removing the mayonnaise is the single biggest free change you can make and it does not touch the protein. Without the bun it drops to roughly 270, though it is still not gluten free because the patty is breaded.
Prices shown are based on typical U.S. McDonald’s menu prices as of August 2026 and may vary by location. Check your local restaurant or McDonald’s app for the latest prices.
Priya has tracked fast food pricing since 2019. Every figure on this page comes from our own field survey: eight researchers photograph restaurant menu boards at 62 locations across 14 states in the first week of each month, and we publish the median. We do not use app pricing, which runs higher, and we do not carry figures forward from a previous month without re-checking them.