Black pepper and garlic provides the spice

McDonald's Japan has now added a new version of their Chicken McNuggets, a staple of their side menu lineup, giving them a spicy and garlicky twist, called "Spicy Chicken McNuggets with Black Pepper Garlic."

This isn't the first time the Japanese branches of the famous fast-food chain have introduced "Spicy McNuggets," as we've reviewed before, but this time, the spice doesn't come from chili peppers, but rather from black pepper.

They've also spiced things up in their dipping sauce lineup, with two new flavors "Garlic Soy Mayo Sauce" and "Smoked Cheese Sauce" joining the standard Barbecue and Mustard.

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Our review

Tempted by the words "black pepper," "garlic and soy sauce," and "smoked style," a writer at our sister site Grape who was already a McNuggets lover made a beeline for the closest McDonald's to try them out. Since you can only have one sauce pack per order of McNuggets, he chose the "Garlic Soy Sauce Mayo".

Here's his report on how it tasted.

Addictive black pepper spice

At first glance, these nuggets definitely look invitingly spicy, with big specks of coarsely ground black pepper featuring prominently in the breading.

"Hmm, these sure look spicy," the writer thought...

When he split a nugget in half, he found that the inside was the same chicken as usual. It looks like the spicy part is only on the outside.

Next, he peeled off the lid of the "Garlic Soy Mayo" sauce. This one also contains coarsely ground black pepper, and you can clearly see the black specks.

The soy mayo combination gives it a slightly Japanese flavor.

The writer tried the nuggets by themselves first. It was clear from the first bite that they weren't kidding about it being "spicy." The black pepper really gave the nuggets a nice spicy kick.

The nuggets had enough flavor on their that they could be fully enjoyed, even without any sauce to dip them in.

But when he tried dipping them in the Garlic Soy Mayo sauce, the taste became a bit more mellow.

Nevertheless, both the nuggets and the sauce contain black pepper and garlic, so together, they still pack a punch.

"This is a taste that I would rather have as a snack than for lunch," the writer opined.

If you don't like spicy food, it may be a bit challenging for you, but if you do, you'll surely appreciate this spicy new combo at McDonald's Japan.

"Spicy Chicken McNuggets with Black Pepper Garlic" are only available for a limited time, so be sure to try them while you can!