JOURNAL

McDonald's current U.S. McValue page lists McChicken on the Under $3 Menu and also lists a limited-time McChicken Meal Deal, with prices and participation varying and McDelivery excluded; this was treated as regime context only, not as a metro price override.

AP reported a lawsuit over a McDonald's AI pricing-recommendation tool allegedly used by U.S. franchisees; flagged as pricing-regime/legal context, not a confirmed McChicken menu-price change.

McDonald's Monopoly promotion began nationally with instant-win food prizes that include McChicken; flagged as promotion context only and not used for standard à-la-carte menu prices.

AP reported a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging McDonald's AI-enhanced pricing tool recommends menu prices to franchisees; McDonald's denied automated, coordinated, or fixed pricing. Flagged for pricing-regime review only.

AP reported a federal lawsuit alleging McDonald's AI-enhanced pricing tool shares nonpublic data and contributes to higher U.S. prices; McDonald's denied that the tools automate, coordinate, or fix pricing. AP also reported only 60% of U.S. restaurants were offering the proposed 10-item under-$3 menu as of an August investor call.

McDonald's official McValue page, fetched for context, continued to list McChicken under the Under $3 Menu for Lunch & Dinner and The McChicken Meal Deal under Meal Deals; prices and participation may vary and McDelivery is excluded. Context only, not used to override pinned metro prices.

McDonald's > NEXT FAQ identifies chicken as a menu priority through 2030 and says the Make It Golden systemwide commitment launched on Founder's Day; no McChicken-specific reformulation or portion change was reported.

McDonald's published a pricing statement saying AI does not set menu prices, McDonald's does not use dynamic pricing, and franchisees independently set restaurant menu prices; pricing tools are recommendations, not mandates.

McDonald's corporate pricing statement said AI does not set, change, or dynamically determine menu prices; franchisees independently set restaurant prices, with corporate tools and recommendations available as pricing context only.

McDonald's published a corporate pricing statement saying AI does not set or dynamically change menu prices, pricing tools provide restaurant-specific recommendations, and franchisees independently set final prices.

McDonald's published an official pricing statement saying AI does not set or change menu prices, McDonald's does not use dynamic pricing, and franchisees independently set menu prices with optional recommendations/tools.

High-engagement r/McDonalds discussion of McDonald's protein/GLP-1 menu reports included broad shrinkflation and portion-size complaints; anecdotal only and not confirmation of a McChicken reformulation.

Status check: the official McValue page still listed McChicken under the Under $3 Lunch & Dinner menu and the McChicken Meal Deal under Lunch and Dinner Meal Deals, with prices and participation varying and McDelivery excluded; this is not a new launch.

NBC Chicago/AP reported McDonald's plans/tests including hand-breaded chicken, grilled chicken sandwiches and wraps, and smaller/protein-oriented menu options for GLP-1-era demand; no McChicken-specific reformulation or size change was reported.

CNN/KSL reported McDonald's was discussing a new value menu with franchisees to replace the recently introduced '$3 and Under' menu, after promotion complexity had hurt operations; flagged as a prospective national value-menu regime change, not applied to index prices.

AP/NBC reported McDonald's plans to test/expand grilled chicken sandwiches, wraps, egg bites, bowls, and portion-flexibility/protein-focused items for GLP-1 and protein-seeking consumers; no McChicken-specific reformulation or size change was stated.

Restaurant Dive reported McDonald's investor-day chicken strategy, including Gold Standard Chicken process changes, expanded McCrispy/chicken-strip platforms, hand-breaded chicken tests, and future grilled chicken/wraps/bowls; no confirmed McChicken size or formulation change was stated.

McDonald's announced its NEXT strategy, including dedicated value leadership and a target to gain chicken-category share by 2030; the release did not state an immediate McChicken price, formulation, or portion-size change.

McDonald's official NEXT strategy announcement cited dedicated value leadership, a +1.5 percentage point chicken-category share target by 2030, and restaurant-efficiency investments; it did not announce an immediate McChicken price, formulation, or portion-size change.

McDonald's announced its NEXT strategy, citing dedicated value leadership, a +1.5 percentage-point chicken-category share target by 2030, and restaurant-efficiency investments; no immediate McChicken price, formulation, or portion-size change was announced.

McDonald's announced its NEXT strategy, including Menu > NEXT, dedicated value leadership, Make It Golden, and a target to gain 1.5 percentage points of chicken category share by 2030; no McChicken-specific price, size, or recipe change was announced.

FastFoodIndex weekly McDonald's price-change page reported McChicken was the item rising at the most restaurants on net over the prior week: 2,343 restaurants, typical $1.50 to $2.19; review only, not used to alter panel prices.

Yahoo/Investing.com, citing Bloomberg, reported McDonald's was developing a longer-term U.S. value strategy with franchisees plus a near-term bridge plan of temporary items and digital offers; no specific McChicken price change was stated.

FastFoodIndex same-store tracker reported a McDonald's price-change wave: McChicken was up on net at 5,861 restaurants over the week, with a typical move from $1.50 to $2.19. Flagged for review only; not used to alter metro observations.

FastFoodIndex still showed McChicken changes near survey date: 235 restaurants with typical move $1.50 to $2.29; continuing price-reset signal, not an official corporate announcement.

Current official McDonald's McValue page lists McChicken under the Under $3 Menu for Lunch & Dinner and The McChicken Meal Deal under Meal Deals; prices and participation may vary, excludes McDelivery. Status/context only, not used to override pinned metro prices.

Official McDonald's McValue page continued to list McChicken under the Under $3 Menu for lunch/dinner and a McChicken Meal Deal under meal deals; prices and participation vary and McDelivery is excluded. Status/context only; no confirmed national withdrawal.

FastFoodIndex reported a same-store McDonald's price-change wave covering 1,139 restaurants on 2026-09-09; examples included McChicken moves from $2.00 to $2.49 at named stores. Third-party price-change signal only, not a corporate announcement.

FastFoodIndex reported a same-store McDonald's price-change wave covering 1,139 restaurants, including named McChicken moves from $2.00 to $2.49. Third-party price-change signal only, not a corporate announcement.

Official McDonald's McValue page, fetched for this survey, continued to list McChicken under the Under $3 Menu for Lunch & Dinner and The McChicken Meal Deal under Meal Deals; prices and participation may vary and McDelivery is excluded.

A high-engagement r/McDonalds anecdotal thread reported a local McChicken increase from $2.00 to about $3.00 within a couple days; comments showed mixed local prices and characterized some recent low McChicken prices as promotional, so this is flagged only as anecdotal price-regime chatter.

High-engagement r/McDonalds thread reported local McChicken price increases after a low-price/deal period, with commenters citing wide app variation such as $1.50, $2.49, and $2.89. Anecdotal signal only; no confirmed national reformulation or portion-size change.

FastFoodIndex recorded a McChicken price-change wave: on Sep 7, McChicken moved from a typical $1.50 to $2.19 at 1,234 restaurants; flagged as possible value-menu/price reset signal, not used to alter observations.

High-engagement r/McDonalds anecdotal thread reported McChicken rising from $2.00 to about $3, with comments showing mixed local prices from $1.50 to $3.39; anecdotal price-wave signal only.

High-engagement r/McDonalds anecdotal thread reported local McChicken price increases after a low-price period, with mixed comments citing local prices such as $1.50, $2.49, and about $3.00. Anecdotal signal only; no confirmed national reformulation or portion-size change.

FastFoodIndex daily same-store report flagged a national McChicken price-change wave: 1,234 restaurants changed McChicken, with typical moved price $1.50 to $2.19; review only, not used to alter panel prices.

Credible anecdotal r/McDonalds thread reported McChicken increases around a $2.00-to-$3.00 move, with comments showing mixed local readings such as $1.50, $2.29, and $2.49; review only, not used to alter panel prices.

Official McDonald's McValue page, as fetched for this survey, continued to list McChicken under the Under $3 Menu for Lunch & Dinner and The McChicken Meal Deal under Meal Deals; prices and participation may vary and McDelivery is excluded. Context only; not used to override pinned metro prices.

McDonald's USA Menu Spotter listed Spicy Chicken McNuggets returning to participating restaurants nationwide for a limited time starting September 1, 2026; no McChicken price, formulation, or portion-size change was stated.

Spicy Chicken McNuggets and Mighty Hot Sauce returned nationwide for a limited time; no direct McChicken price, formulation, or portion-size change stated.