McDonald's To Reintroduce Chicken Selects To Menu

(RTTNews) - McDonald's Corp. (MCD) will reintroduce chicken tenders to its menu in March, two years after the company discontinued the product in 2013 as part of efforts to streamline its menu. The move is expected to boost the poultry industry.

According to media reports, the chicken tenders, called Chicken Selects, will be offered at McDonald's U.S. restaurants for at least a limited time in early March and will be sold as an order with three pieces.

The product, made with fried strips of tenderloin chicken meat, had been on the iconic hamburger chain's menu for more than a decade until it was discontinued by McDonald's in 2013.

The move by the fast food giant to reintroduce the Chicken Selects comes amid concerns of a potential oversupply of chicken in the U.S., even as beef and pork prices are on the rise. Chicken Selects are still available at McDonald's overseas locations.

Fast-food chains are seeing chicken as a means to attract traffic to their outlets during a recent spike in beef prices.

Oak Brook, Illinois-based McDonald's and its rivals in the fast-food industry are expected to bring in more chicken-focused meals and thus help support chicken prices. Lower-priced poultry is helping these fast-food companies to offset the rising prices for beef.

McDonald's and rival Burger King recently launched a price war over chicken nuggets. In January, Burger King said it is offering 10 nuggets for $1.49, in response to McDonald's offer of 50 McNuggets for $9.99 at select locations.

MCD is trading at $94.05, down $0.14 or 0.15 percent on a volume of 970,579 shares.