Whatever Happened To The Grilled Chicken Flatbread From McDonald's?

For better or worse, McDonald's has some of the most iconic discontinued items. One of these, the grilled chicken flatbread, is an item some can't seem to banish from their minds and memories. Specifically, the mind of Catherine Aguilar, who created a Change.org petition to bring the item back, along with the (currently) 458 verified signers who support her goal.

McDonald's launched the grilled chicken flatbread in 2002, appearing on its New Tastes menu. The item consisted of a piece of flatbread with grilled chicken, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, and a creamy herb sauce. The flatbread sandwich became rather successful during its run. In fact, most McDonalds' had to dial back on the promotions for it, as it was in danger of running out of the product. But, as fate would have it, the item was discontinued in 2003. McDonald's never explained the removal, although it could be assumed it was because of supply issues, or simply because the chain never had plans to keep it around long-term.

The sandwich is gone but certainly never forgotten. "Please McDonald's, I'm begging you to put this back on the menu or at the very least, publish the recipe for the creamy herb sauce so we can recreate it at home," Aguilar commented in her petition's description. Other supporters of her petition also commented with similar feelings.

There have been no announced plans about bringing back the grilled chicken flatbread, even though it seems like a simpler option to revive than, say, dessert pies, one of which popped up in select locations this week. So, the question remains, will McDonald's bring it back? Although the future might look bleak, there is still some hope for fellow grilled chicken flatbread lovers out there.

Recently, the American president of McDonald's, Joe Erlinger, announced to GMA that its long-missed snack wraps, a flour tortilla with crispy or grilled chicken, lettuce, cheese, and a choice between honey mustard or ranch, which was extremely popular during its availability in the U.S. from 2006-2016, will be making a return to its menu in 2025. 

This is after years of outrage across social media from McDonald's goers and even McDonald's franchises. With the right amount of media attention and viral TikToks and Reddit threads, who knows what the future could hold for the grilled chicken flatbread? While the public waits, perhaps a former/current employee from McDonald's can drop some secrets of the recipe like they have done with other items.