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McDonald’s originally released its new McNuggets dipping sauce as part of a promotion for Disney’s new movie, “Mulan.” Well sauce fans, starting on March 31st, you’ll be able to order the coveted Szechuan sauce once more with your McNuggets, but it’s only while supplies last.
Inspired by southwestern Chinese cuisine, the sauce combines soy, garlic, ginger and mild vinegar. When first released back in 1998, it was an instant hit with customers. But controversy quickly clouded the sensation when McDonald’s was accused of racial stereotyping in the promo ad they used for the sauce.
When the promotion for “Mulan” ended in 1998, so did the availability of everyone’s favorite dipping sauce. Nineteen years later, following rekindled interest stemming from the hit cartoon “Rick and Morty,” Szechuan sauce made its triumphant return to the menu in 2017 as a limited-time release, and again in 2018.
Now, for the third time in 24 years since its debut, McDonald’s is bringing back everyone’s favorite sauce (unless you haven’t had it yet – then it’s going to be your favorite sauce). It’ll be back as a limited release once again, and this time, there’s a catch.
The Szechuan sauce can be ordered with your McNuggets starting, mentioned above, on March 31st, and only while supplies last. You won’t be able to drive up and get it either. The Szechuan sauce will only be available through orders place using the McDonald’s app. It’ll also be available as a separate item on the app, where you’ll be able to order up to five cups of the sauce. And you’ll want to be sure you get ahold of five packets, as McDonald’s says the cups will be served in limited-edition packaging with five different golden foil designs that, when placed next to each other, spell out “Szechuan.”
The demand for the product when it made its first comeback in 2017 was so overwhelming that it sold out quickly, prompting McDonald’s to ensure its customers that it would return. They made good on that promise in 2018, making the sauce available for a longer period with larger quantities available. Twenty million cups of the sauce were available the second time around. If you absolutely can’t wait the 8 days to get your hands on the new ones, sauces from 2018 are being sold online for as much as $420. I think it might be worth the wait.