Remember 1998? McDonald’s did something exciting that year when it released a new McNuggets dipping sauce as part of a promotion for Disney’s new movie, “Mulan.”
Inspired by southwestern Chinese cuisine, McDonald’s Szechuan sauce combined soy, garlic, ginger, and mild vinegar. The sauce sauce received instant love from customers, but McDonald’s faced some controversy after being accused of racial stereotyping in its promo ad.
Szechuan sauce wasn’t available long in 1998 and went away when the “Mulan” promotion came to an end. Nineteen years later, after interest was renewed by the show “Rick and Morty,” Szechuan sauce made a limited-time appearance in 2017. The fast food chain made it available again in 2018.
Now, for the third time in 24 years, McDonald’s is putting Szechuan sauce back on the menu, again for only a short time. There is a bit of a catch, though.
You can order Szechuan sauce with your order of McNuggets starting on March 31 while supplies last. Unlike 1998, you’ll only be able to get your hands on Szechuan sauce by ordering through the McDonald’s app. You can also buy up to five sauces as a separate item via the app.
McDonald’s says the sauces will be served in limited-edition packaging with five different golden foil designs that, when placed next to each other, spell out “Szechuan.”
When McDonald’s brought Szechuan sauce back to the menu in 2017, fans were quick to rush to their nearest location. The response was so overwhelming, McDonald’s quickly promised it would return again.
In 2018, McDonald’s made the sauce available for longer and in larger quantities. Twenty million cups of the sauce were available this time, according to reports. If you’re looking for a cup from 2018, some are being sold online for as much as $420.