I'm a huge fan of McDonald's, and although it's very much a love/hate form of fast food, I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a lover.
After spotting some very familiar McDonald's style packaging in the frozen section at my local Aldi, I knew I had to dig in. I'm not particularly fussy when it comes to McDonald's, and don't really have an order that I always go for.
It often depends what mood I'm in, but naturally, I'm obsessed with their McNuggets, and really like their Big Macs and Chicken Selects too. Luckily for me, on offer at my local Aldi were dupes for the McNuggets, Chicken Selects, Big Mac, the iconic breakfast Hash Browns, and what looks like a double Chicken Burger (which is perhaps a dupe for the limited edition Chicken Big Mac).
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The Aldi McDonald's dupes may aesthetically look similar, but how did it all taste? Well, the results were very mixed.
The Hash Browns
Let's be honest, a McDonald's breakfast isn't the same without a gloriously golden, crispy, and greasy hash brown. There's something about a McDonald's hash brown that can miraculously cure a hangover in seconds - but did the Aldi version cut it?
The answer to that is sort of. The hash browns did taste good, but they didn't taste like the iconic McDonald's ones at all. They weren't as crunchy, or as greasy (which some might see as a plus) but they still tasted delicious.
If you're not too fussed about the taste of the McDonald's Hash Browns, these are definitely worth the swap. They're also a lot bigger than the McDonald's version, which is always a bonus.
Rating: 3/5
Price: £1.89 for 10
Where to buy: Your local Aldi store or online
The Chicken Strips
Judging by the shape of the Aldi Chicken Strips, I can only assume that they are a dupe for the much-loved McDonald's Chicken Selects. The Chicken Selects from McDonald's are priced at £4.59 for three or can be purchased as a medium meal for £7.39 where you get five - which is pretty pricey if you ask me.
The Aldi Chicken Strips come in a box of four with a barbecue dip, all priced at £2.59. That's already much better value, but how did it taste? Thankfully, I can confirm that they were glorious.
They were just as juicy and as crispy as the McDonald's Chicken Selects, and had that scrumptious southern fried chicken taste that we all know and love. I'd heard mixed things about the Aldi Chicken Select dupes, but they actually ended up being the most impressive out of them all.
The Chicken Strips were juicy, tender and very moreish. I wouldn't say the barbecue sauce was as good as the McDonald's one, though, but that wasn't the end of the world.
Rating: 5/5
Price: £2.59 for four
Where to buy: Your local Aldi store or online
The 'Chicken Stack'
Next, it was time for the main event, the burgers! I've got to be honest, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but I did end up being a tad disappointed by the 'Chicken Stack' from Aldi. Although McDonald's currently doesn't sell anything like the Chicken Stack, it did resemble the limited edition Chicken Big Mac.
The Chicken Stack wasn't amazing, and didn't really have much of a crunch to it at all. It was quite wet and soggy (since its a microwave burger) and I couldn't really taste any cheese in it at all.
In terms of the taste of the meat, the chicken didn't really taste much like chicken at all. It was very thin, and wasn't really that impressive.
Rating: 2/5
Price: £1.79
Where to buy: Your local Aldi store or online
The 'Big Stack'
Burger number two proved a bit more impressive than the Chicken Stack, I've got to say. The Big Stack had a meaty taste but it was a little on the soggy side.
It's definitely one of the nicer microwavable burgers I've had (which was a major throwback to my days as a student) but it wasn't anything tremendous. In terms of aesthetics, it did resemble a Big Mac, without the lettuce, and the burger sauce that Aldi provided was actually really good.
Rating: 3/5
Price: £1.79
Where to buy: Your local Aldi store or online
The Chicken Nuggets
I had high hopes for the chicken nuggets considering the Quorn ones taste so similar to the original McNuggets, and I've got mixed opinions. Aesthetically, the nuggets looked okay but they didn't have that classic golden vibe the McDonald's ones have.
The nuggets actually ended up being quite dry, and although they tasted a tiny bit like the McDonald's ones, it just wasn't the same. I'd definitely purchase these ones again, but I wouldn't be in a rush to, because its McNuggets all the way for me.
Rating: 3/5
Price: £1.99 for 12
Where to buy: Your local Aldi store or online
The verdict
As a whole, I'd say the Aldi McDonald's dupe range is pretty average, with a few stand out products like the Chicken Strips and the Hash Browns. Both were delicious in terms of taste, and offered great value for money.
Two boxes of the 12 nuggets would still end up being cheaper than a £5.99 box of 20 nuggets, and you'd also get more. It really depends on whether you're bothered about losing the iconic McDonald's taste, or whether you're just in the mood for a quick, easy and affordable dinner.
As I always sort of expected, McDonald's deserve the crown for this one - for now they remain unbeatable.
You can shop Aldi's full frozen range here.
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