Chicken
McChicken
The chain's first real answer to fried-chicken competitors.
A breaded chicken patty sandwich with lettuce and mayonnaise, first introduced in 1980.
A sandwich defined by its position
The McChicken's story is not a single uninterrupted launch. It was introduced in 1980, withdrawn, and brought back. That sequence is useful because it shows the sandwich as a menu position as much as a recipe: a breaded chicken patty with lettuce and mayonnaise that can sit at the accessible end of the list.
A widely distributed format
After its return, the McChicken became one of the most widely distributed items on the international menu. In many markets it sits at the bottom of the price list rather than the middle, giving the menu a familiar chicken option without making it a premium product.
The India listing makes the wider point visible. There, the item is recorded within a menu with no beef or pork items. The sandwich stays recognizable while its surrounding menu changes, which is part of why a standard item can travel farther than a single national version of the menu.