Asian American Commercial Watch: McDonald’s Chicken Big Mac with Randall Park & Hudson Yang (Plus Food Review)

If you haven’t heard, McDonald’s has launched the new Chicken Big Mac on October 10th (for a limited release). With that launch is a new commercial, including old familiar faces from the television series, Fresh Off the Boat, Randall Park and Hudson Yang:

“Ready to try your first Big Mac®? Let Randall Park and Hudson Yang help you decide which one to get. Or just go to McDonald’s yourself and choose between the original Big Mac® or the new limited-time Chicken Big Mac®. Either way, you can’t go wrong.”

Apparently, this commercial marks the first time the former TV father and son duo have shared the screen since Fresh Off the Boat ended in 2020, and this is Hudson’s first TV commercial ever! One of my very first Asian American Commercial Watch blog posts was on Randall Park in a Wells Fargo commercial. I even got to tell him that in person before interviewing him for his directoral debut!

It’s kind of crazy to see how tall Hudson is. I remember when I first met and interviewed Hudson back in 2015, he was still a kid. Now he’s a student at Harvard.

I wonder what the motivation was for McDonald’s to get these two in a commercial – nostalgia? I don’t think Asian Americans in general have a particular fondness (nor dislike) for McDonald’s, but I could be wrong!

(Food Review for the Chicken Mac Follows)

I had an opportunity to try out the Chicken Big Mac (meal) myself, courtesy of McDonald’s. Usually if I’m looking for a fast food hamburger in California, I’m an In-N-Out guy. I was recently traveling and had a Big Mac at a McDonald’s at the airport, so before having a Chicken Big Mac, I was familiar with the Big Mac secret sauce and how the sandwich is prepared, etc.  That makes the taste so familiar, except that it was chicken:

I have to see – I did quite like it – I think I may even like it more than the original Big Mac with the beef patties. Here is what the Chicken Big Mac looks like after a few bites:

Like I said, I might like this better than the original Big Mac. Of course, with the meal, McDonald’s fries are still the best. 

I do wonder how long McDonald’s is going to keep out the Chicken Big Mac. If it’s a hit, I imagine they keep it on the menu indefinitely. But if you’re a fan of McDonald’s, try the Chicken Big Mac. I think you’ll like it, especially if you like the original Big Mac.