The success of the McChicken Variation project, in partnership with GialloZafferano, Italy’s best loved food media brand, is now in its third edition: added this year to the McChicken Original recipe are Il Ricercato and Il Goloso, conceived with quality ingredients from around Italy. With this project, McDonald’s Italia also announces the reinforcement of the inclusion of the outstanding Parmigiano Reggiano DOP on its menu.

The new recipes, created together by McDonald’s and GialloZafferano, are available in all of the 615 restaurants in Italy until 19 October.
The McChicken Variations on offer include the “great return” of Il Goloso, the sandwich with 100% Italian chicken breast, 100% Italian bacon, salad and yellow tomatoes from Campania, introduced last year, again along with the chefs of the Mondadori Group brand. And new this year is Il Ricercato, an exclusive recipe with 100% Italian chick breast, rocket, tomatoes, mayonnaise, Italian basil and Parmigiano Reggiano.
This recipe will involve the acquisition of some 32 tons of Parmigiano Reggiano flakes, an authentic “princely” ingredient for this edition of McChicken Variations.

The relationship between McDonald’s and Parmigiano Reggiano is a long-standing one. The first DOP product offered by McDonald’s was a limited edition sandwich in 2008, and marked the first stage in a growing use by McDonald’s of the excellence of our country’s products, and in 2011 it was the first and only DOP product to find a permanent place among the assortment, with the Parmigiano Reggiano snack. From this year, Parmigiano Reggiano has expanded its presence on the McDonald’s menu as a continuous ingredient in salads and Wraps.

The McChicken Variation shows that McDonald’s is confirming and strengthening its Italian-ness. In fact, for the preparation of these recipes, the company will buy more, in addition to 32 tons Parmigiano Reggiano da Parmareggio, 15,5 tons of rocket from Bonduelle Italia, 30 tons of tomatoes and 20 tons of batavia lettuce from Bonduelle Italia and Sab, 300 kg 100% Italian basil for its basil mayonnaise, 18 tons of yellow Campanian tomatoes and 48 tons of bacon from Fratelli Beretta and Italia Alimentari.

All of these ingredients are in addition to the 100% Italian chicken breast supplied by Amadori and the bread produced by Bimbo at its plants in Modena and Rome.

This shift towards greater Italian-ness is a confirmation of McDonald’s commitment to the country’s agri-food sector, from which every year the company buys 94,000 tons of raw materials, with a value of over €200 million.

“We are delighted that our collaboration with GialloZafferano is now in its third edition,” said Dario Baroni, chief executive of McDonald’s Italia. “The McChicken Variation project is really a very important one for us, as it enables us to tell our customer about our commitment to flavour and the quality of the ingredients that we use in our recipes, and, above all, the search and selection of the best Italian suppliers. And it is a splendid opportunity to announce, with these new proposals, the continuous presence of Parmigiano Reggiano on our menus, and with which we will continue to pursue our mission of bringing to a large public the excellence of Made in Italy, traditionally considered a niche, and ‘educating’ consumers about the quality of Italian products and making them accessible to everyone.”

“Once again this year we are really excited to renew this important collaboration with McDonald’s,” declared Andrea Santagata, general manager of Mondadori Media. Enhancing the taste and quality of the excellence of our country is a commitment that we bring every day to the homes of the millions of Italians who follow our brand. Values that we present through exclusive content and innovative languages, created thanks to our team and a group of over 50 top creators who collaborate with GialloZafferano. A winning formula that we use across all social media to actively engage an increasingly wider audience and become a point of reference even for younger users, thanks in particular to TikTok, where the brand has reached extraordinary numbers in just over a year.”

The McChicken Variations produced in partnership with GialloZafferano will be the protagonists of a rich programme of content, developed together with Brand On Solutions, the Mediamond project development area, and will involve all the brand’s digital channels – the website, app and social media. The visibility plan, developed together with the advertising sales company, will be live for the entire period of the initiative, with new recipes available on GialloZafferano.it on a dedicated hub, accessible from the site’s main menu. In support, a campaign of launches and advertising launches that will also involve the magazines GialloZafferano, Focus and Donna Moderna, has also been planned.

The story will continue across all of the brand’s social media platforms with exclusive content, created specifically for the different channels, and the collaboration of 6 creators, who will share the preparation of the recipes on TikTok.

The McChicken Variations will also be featured in a live cooking session to be held on the 23th of September on the GialloZafferano Facebook, Instagram and YouTube channels. An event dedicated to the brand’s entire community, in which Manuel, the face of the site, will guide users through sandwiches recipes.