The McDonald’s Cheeseburger is living proof that a dish doesn’t need to be complicated in order to be delicious. Featuring a standard beef patty topped with pickles, onions, ketchup, mustard, and of course, finished with a slice of American cheese, it’s got everything you’d expect from a run-of-the-mill recipe. But if you’re looking to give it a serious facelift, why not borrow a tip from the Brits and add a crispy chicken patty into the mix too?
Known as the Chicken Cheeseburger, this Frankenstein-style creation was released as part of McDonald’s U.K.’s not-so-secret Secret Menu. Introduced in January 2026 for a limited-time run, the unique menu featured a variety of new products inspired by McDonald’s very own fans. Think mash-ups of fan favorites or unconventional ingredient swaps once only found lurking on Reddit threads or TikTok. Unfortunately, the Secret Menu has yet to land in the United States, so customers looking to try the Chicken Cheeseburger ought to get creative.
For reference, the Chicken Cheeseburger sets U.K. diners back around £3.89 (roughly $5.25), while a standalone cheeseburger in the U.S. costs around $3.89, depending on your location. That puts the added chicken patty at roughly $1.36, a fair price for essentially doubling your burger. On Reddit, an employee shared a helpful ordering hack that could lower the cost further: “You can purchase [a plain chicken patty] from the [à la carte] menu at the store … The price at our location, last time I checked[,] was $1, but the price may vary per location.” If you want to order à la carte on the McDonald’s app, you’ll first need to order it in-store on an official McDonald’s account. Only then will it show up in your order history, letting you reorder digitally from there.
Other Secret Menu items to draw inspiration from
The Chicken Cheeseburger is just one of many creative ordering hacks at McDonald’s. To delve deeper, try replicating another U.K. Secret Menu item that was once available in the United States: the Chicken Big Mac. To make this discontinued fave, order a Double McChicken, which already comes equipped with two chicken patties and lettuce. If you want to keep true to the Big Mac formula, remove the mayo. Then request pickles, cheese, and onions, with the iconic Big Mac sauce on the side.
The only thing missing will be the third bun wedged in the middle. But if it’s a must, simply order a Double McCrispy and a Big Mac and stack the ingredients together for something even more indulgent. However, by ordering both, you do risk wasting an entire bun in the process. Instead of tossing it, draw inspiration from the Brits and turn it into a homemade “chip butty,” pairing it with fries and ketchup for a proper working-class classic. While you’re at it, why not add an à la carte Filet-O-Fish into the mix too. Or, you could forget about the Chicken Cheeseburger altogether, swapping the chicken for fish to create your own surf-and-turf style burger.
Moving on from meat-based creations, one of our favorite items from the Secret Menu is the Apple Pie Mini McFlurry. The best part about this one? It requires no complex ordering tweaks. Simply request an Apple Pie (the likes of which, alas, are still fried in the U.K.), then mash it into a plain McFlurry. The contrast of the warm, gooey pie with the creamy soft serve is the perfect way to round off the meal. To go the extra mile, pair the pie with existing flavored McFlurries for some seriously delicious combos.