The One Hot and Delicious McDonald’s Menu Item That Chefs Can’t Resist

Professional chefs spend their days crafting meals that are a feast for both the eyes and the palette. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t like to dig into a McDonald’s meal now and again.

In a story published by Eat This! Not That!, several high-end chefs revealed the fast-food treats that they just can’t resist. After being surrounded by the most amazing types of ingredients all day, they gravitate toward one McDonald’s fast-food meal that always hits the spot.

The No. 1 item on the list is a McDonald’s Egg McMuffin. This beloved breakfast sandwich has always been a tasty way to start the day. And for some chefs, it gets a major endorsement in deliciousness and portability.

Eat This! Not That! spoke to several chefs, including Brian Cartenuto, chef/owner of Bird Dog in New York City. He said, “The breakfast at McDonald’s is a safe place for me and a special treat. When I have time from dropping off my daughter at school, I can walk by and pop in if I have a few extra minutes for this perfectly circle breakfast!”

Ben Robinson, executive pastry chef at Echelon Kitchen & Bar in Ann Arbor, Michigan, said that his love for the breakfast sandwich has lasted for many years. “My love began when I would race to the restaurant on half days in high school, trying to get there before breakfast closed. Later, it became the go-to early morning hangover cure before work. Now that I’m older and (a little) more mature, I try to eat healthier, but I still crave those nostalgic meals.” 

Why is the Egg McMuffin No. 1? Because it has “practically set the template for breakfast on-the-go, and in this case, inspired the most endorsements from chefs across the country,” according to the outlet. It features a toasted English muffin, egg, Canadian bacon, and American cheese, and it can easily be eaten on the go.

Other fast-food breakfast sandwiches on the list included Whataburger’s Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit, Dunkin’s Everything Bagel Sandwich, Chick-fil-A’s Spicy Chicken Biscuit, Bojangles’ Cajun Chicken Biscuit, McDonald’s Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit, and McDonald’s McGriddle.

How Was McDonald’s Egg McMuffin Developed?

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McDonald’s original owner Ray Kroc shared details of how the Egg McMuffin was developed in his 1977 autobiography, “Grinding it Out: The Making of McDonald’s.” He was approached by Herb Peterson, who ran a McDonald’s in Santa Barbara and who wanted to show Kroc this new idea.

TIME Magazine published an excerpt from Kroc’s autobiography. It read, “He didn’t want me to reject it out of hand, which I might have done, because it was a crazy idea — a breakfast sandwich. It consisted of an egg that had been formed in a Teflon circle, with the yolk broken, and was dressed with a slice of cheese and a slice of grilled Canadian bacon.”

Kroc continued in the excerpt, “This was served open-faced on a toasted and buttered English muffin. I boggled a bit at the presentation. But then I tasted it, and I was sold. Wow!”

The wife of a McDonald’s executive, Patty Turner, came up with the Egg McMuffin name. It debuted on McDonald’s menus in test markets in 1972 and retailed at the time for 63 cents, according to the fast-food chain’s website.

A national rollout came in 1975, and by 1977, McDonald’s officially added a breakfast line to its U.S. menu. The line included the Egg McMuffin, hotcakes, a toasted English muffin, scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns, and a Danish. Today, an Egg McMuffin retails for around $5.