Which McDonald’s product name became a major branded menu term after its 1983 national launch?

Chicken McNuggets became a major branded menu term after its 1983 national launch.

McDonald’s introduced Chicken McNuggets nationally in the United States in 1983. The bite-sized pieces were made from processed chicken and designed to be easy to portion, serve, and eat. Their distinctive name extended McDonald’s “Mc” naming style into a new category beyond burgers and breakfast products.

The product had earlier development and test-market history, so the national launch date is sometimes confused with its initial creation. The key branding milestone was the broad 1983 United States rollout, which turned McNuggets into one of McDonald’s most recognizable menu names.

The name is also distinct from McChicken, a separate chicken sandwich, and Chicken Selects, a later chicken-strip product. McDonald’s used product-specific naming to make individual menu items memorable, allowing the company’s branding system to work at the level of both the restaurant and the food itself.