Boone’s analysis puts McDonald's Mayo Chicken at 14% of an adult’s daily calories, 31% of the daily salt limit for a child aged 4 to 6 and 1.3 teaspoons of free sugar.
How many calories are in a McDonald's Mayo Chicken? It contains 282 kcal, 9.4g of fat (1g saturated), 5.1g of sugar and 0.92g of salt.
Build a full meal with our nutrition calculator
Use the Boone meal calculator to build a full meal rather than view this item on its own. Add fries, a drink, dips and a dessert, then choose your age and sex for a more accurate view of how a Mayo Chicken fits into a day.
Nutrition information
Nutrition information: McDonald's Mayo Chicken
| Energy | 282 kcal |
| Fat | 9.4g |
| of which saturates | 1g |
| Carbohydrate | 36g |
| of which sugars | 5.1g |
| Fibre | 2.1g |
| Salt | 0.92g |
| Protein | 12g |
Nutrition figures are McDonald’s UK published data, per item as sold and before any optional sauces or extras. Boone converts them to the portion and age comparisons on this page.
A McDonald's Mayo Chicken contains 282 kcal, which is 14% of the 2,000 kcal adult daily reference intake. It provides 9.4g of total fat, of which 1g is saturated, 5.1g of sugar, 0.92g of salt, 12g of protein and 2.1g of fibre.
The saturated fat content of 1g represents 5% of the adult daily guideline of 20g.
McDonald's Mayo Chicken is assembled from 4 separately manufactured components, combined at the point of sale. The chicken patty alone carries 4 different classes of additive. Across the whole item the ingredient list names dextrose, emulsifiers, flavourings, glucose or glucose-fructose syrup, maltodextrin, modified starches, preservatives, raising agents, stabilisers and thickeners. None of these add nutritional value. They exist to make the item survive industrial production, freezing and transport.
McDonald's Mayo Chicken sits at the lighter end of the menu
At 282 kcal and 5.1g of free sugar, McDonald's Mayo Chicken stays well inside every daily guideline Boone checks. Few items on this menu do.
Adult daily reference intakes (Reference Intake, RI)
Calories2,000 kcal
Total fat70g
Saturated fat20g
Carbohydrate260g
Sugars90g
Fibre30g
Salt6g
Protein50g
Sugar in McDonald's Mayo Chicken
McDonald's Mayo Chicken contains 5.1g of free sugar per standard serving (1.3 teaspoons). Low sugar
The NHS free sugar limit is 30g per day for adults, 24g for children aged 7 to 10, and 19g for children aged 4 to 6. Free sugar excludes the sugars naturally present in milk and whole fruit. The table below shows how this compares across all age groups.
Free sugar by portion: McDonald's Mayo Chicken
| Portion | Adult (female)
30g | Adult (male)
30g | Age 11 to 17
30g | Age 7 to 10
24g | Age 4 to 6
19g |
|---|
| Per portion | 5.1g
17% | 5.1g
17% | 5.1g
17% | 5.1g
21% | 5.1g
27% |
| Teaspoons | 1.3 tsp |
Boone calculates these percentages from McDonald's UK published nutrition data against UK Dietary Reference Values and NHS free sugar and salt limits. Free sugar, salt, calories and saturated fat are limits to stay under; fibre is a target to reach, so a high percentage there is a good thing. For guidance only.
Salt in McDonald's Mayo Chicken
McDonald's Mayo Chicken contains 0.92g of salt per standard serving. Low salt
Children have lower salt limits: 3g per day for ages 4 to 6, 5g for ages 7 to 10. The table below shows how this serving compares to daily limits for adults and children.
Salt by portion: McDonald's Mayo Chicken
| Portion | Adult (female)
6g | Adult (male)
6g | Age 11 to 17
6g | Age 7 to 10
5g | Age 4 to 6
3g |
|---|
| Per portion | 0.92g
15% | 0.92g
15% | 0.92g
15% | 0.92g
18% | 0.92g
31% |
Boone calculates these percentages from McDonald's UK published nutrition data against UK Dietary Reference Values and NHS free sugar and salt limits. Free sugar, salt, calories and saturated fat are limits to stay under; fibre is a target to reach, so a high percentage there is a good thing. For guidance only.
Calories in McDonald's Mayo Chicken
McDonald's Mayo Chicken contains 282 kcal per standard serving. Low calorie share
Daily calorie needs vary by age and sex. The table below shows how this serving compares to typical daily reference intakes.
Calories by portion: McDonald's Mayo Chicken
| Portion | Adult (female)
2000 kcal | Adult (male)
2500 kcal | Age 11 to 17
1936 kcal | Age 7 to 10
1553 kcal | Age 4 to 6
1291 kcal |
|---|
| Per portion | 282 kcal
14% | 282 kcal
11% | 282 kcal
15% | 282 kcal
18% | 282 kcal
22% |
Boone calculates these percentages from McDonald's UK published nutrition data against UK Dietary Reference Values and NHS free sugar and salt limits. Free sugar, salt, calories and saturated fat are limits to stay under; fibre is a target to reach, so a high percentage there is a good thing. For guidance only.
Saturated fat in McDonald's Mayo Chicken
McDonald's Mayo Chicken contains 1g of saturated fat per standard serving. Low saturated fat
The saturated fat guideline is 20g a day for women and 30g for men, and lower again for children. The table below shows how this serving compares.
Saturated fat by portion: McDonald's Mayo Chicken
| Portion | Adult (female)
20g | Adult (male)
30g | Age 11 to 17
20g | Age 7 to 10
18g | Age 4 to 6
16g |
|---|
| Per portion | 1g
5% | 1g
3% | 1g
5% | 1g
6% | 1g
6% |
Boone calculates these percentages from McDonald's UK published nutrition data against UK Dietary Reference Values and NHS free sugar and salt limits. Free sugar, salt, calories and saturated fat are limits to stay under; fibre is a target to reach, so a high percentage there is a good thing. For guidance only.
Fibre in McDonald's Mayo Chicken
McDonald's Mayo Chicken contains 2.1g of fibre per standard serving. Some fibre
Fibre is the one figure here that is a target to reach rather than a limit to stay under. UK guidance is 30g a day for adults, 25g for ages 11 to 17, 20g for ages 7 to 10 and 15g for ages 4 to 6. Most people in the UK fall well short. The table below shows how much of a day’s fibre this serving provides.
Fibre by portion: McDonald's Mayo Chicken
| Portion | Adult (female)
30g | Adult (male)
30g | Age 11 to 17
25g | Age 7 to 10
20g | Age 4 to 6
15g |
|---|
| Per portion | 2.1g
7% | 2.1g
7% | 2.1g
8% | 2.1g
11% | 2.1g
14% |
Boone calculates these percentages from McDonald's UK published nutrition data against UK Dietary Reference Values and NHS free sugar and salt limits. Free sugar, salt, calories and saturated fat are limits to stay under; fibre is a target to reach, so a high percentage there is a good thing. For guidance only.
Ultra-processed food: what is really in it
Processing and additives: McDonald's Mayo Chicken
McDonald's Mayo Chicken is assembled from 4 separately manufactured components, combined and cooked at the point of sale. Reading the ingredient list closely, it contains dextrose, emulsifiers, flavourings, glucose or glucose-fructose syrup, maltodextrin, modified starches, preservatives, raising agents, stabilisers and thickeners. These are not there to add nutritional value. They make industrial production and distribution possible.
Dextrose
A simple sugar used for browning, bulk and mild sweetness. Found in the regular bun, chicken patty.
Emulsifiers
Help oil-based and water-based ingredients blend and stay blended. Found in the regular bun.
Flavourings
Add or restore taste lost during processing. Found in the chicken patty.
Glucose or glucose-fructose syrup
Sweeten and control texture more cheaply than sugar alone. Found in the chicken patty.
Maltodextrin
Bulk out a product and carry flavour, with little taste of its own. Found in the regular bun.
Modified starches
Thicken and hold water in a way unmodified flour cannot. Found in the Cool Mayo.
Preservatives
Slow the growth of bacteria, yeasts and moulds in centrally prepared components. Found in the Cool Mayo.
Raising agents
Make doughs and batters rise without a long ferment. Found in the chicken patty.
Stabilisers
Stop mixtures separating and hold texture during storage and transport. Found in the Cool Mayo.
Thickeners
Give sauces and syrups the body they would otherwise lack. Found in the Cool Mayo.
Boone classifies McDonald's Mayo Chicken as NOVA group 4, ultra-processed, based on the additives named above. NOVA groups foods by how far they are from their whole-food form, not by how nutritious they are. A group 4 food is not automatically unhealthy, and a group 1 food is not automatically healthy. Read from the published ingredient list, 17-18 August 2026.
A McDonald's Mayo Chicken contains at least 32 distinct ingredients: 15 raw and 17 manufactured. Ordered as a full meal with a dip and a dessert that reaches 58, of which 32 are manufactured. Raw means something you could buy and cook with at home; manufactured means a substance that only exists as an output of industrial processing.
Ingredient count by order: McDonald's Mayo Chicken
| What you order | Raw | Manufactured | Total | % manufactured |
|---|
| McDonald's Mayo Chicken on its own | 15 | 17 | 32 | 53% |
| McDonald's Mayo Chicken + medium fries | 17 | 17 | 34 | 50% |
| McDonald's Mayo Chicken + fries + a dip | 19 | 25 | 44 | 57% |
| McDonald's Mayo Chicken + fries + dip + a medium Coca-Cola | 20 | 28 | 48 | 58% |
| McDonald's Mayo Chicken + fries + dip + drink + an Oreo McFlurry | 26 | 32 | 58 | 55% |
The 17 manufactured ingredients
43-, celery, contain celery and wheat, dextrose, dried glucose syrup, maize maltodextrin, maize starch, modified maize starch, mustard flour, pea protein, potassium chloride, wheat breadcrumb, wheat fibre, wheat gluten, wheat maltodextrin, wheat starch, xanthan gum.
The 15 raw ingredients
chicken breast meat, cream yeast, free range egg yolk, iceberg lettuce, lemon juice concentrate, maize flour, pepper, rapeseed oil, salt, spirit vinegar, sugar, sunflower oil, water, wheat flour, wheat semolina.
What those ingredients are, by type
Grains and flours13
Starches5
Sugars and syrups3
Oils and fats3
Fruit and vegetables3
Salt and minerals2
Meat, fish, dairy and eggs2
Stabilisers and thickeners1
Acids and acidity regulators1
Boone counts every distinct named ingredient on McDonald’s published component lists, including sub-ingredients, and removes duplicates, so salt appearing in four components counts once. Additive class names are dropped and the named substance kept, so “stabiliser (guar gum)” counts guar gum once. Raw covers whole foods and basic kitchen staples such as flour, sugar, salt and oil. Manufactured covers substances that only exist as an output of industrial processing. Where McDonald’s lists more than one approved supplier recipe only the primary one is counted, so every figure here is a minimum. The build uses a Sweet and Sour dip.
Ingredients
McDonald's Mayo Chicken is assembled from 4 separately manufactured components.
Ingredients by component: McDonald's Mayo Chicken
Regular bun
WHEAT flour, water, sugar, cream yeast, rapeseed oil, salt, WHEAT fibre, emulsifier, pea protein, WHEAT starch, WHEAT maltodextrin, dextrose, maize maltodextrin, maize starch.
Chicken patty
chicken breast meat (43-44%), water, vegetable oils (sunflower, rapeseed), maize flour, WHEAT flour, starches, WHEAT breadcrumb, WHEAT semolina, WHEAT gluten, natural flavourings (contain CELERY and WHEAT), dried glucose syrup, potassium chloride, salt, pepper, raising agents, dextrose, CELERY.
Lettuce
100% iceberg lettuce.
Cool Mayo
water, rapeseed oil (23.5%), spirit vinegar, modified maize starch, free range EGG yolk (3%), sugar, salt, MUSTARD flour, acid, thickener (xanthan gum), preservative, lemon juice concentrate.
McDonald’s lists more than one approved supplier formulation for the regular bun and chicken patty; the version shown is the primary one and the allergen information covers all variants. Ingredients taken from the McDonald’s UK product pages, retrieved 17-18 August 2026. Recipes change - always check in restaurant before ordering if you have an allergy.
Allergens at a glance
McDonald's Mayo Chicken contains wheat, eggs, celery and mustard.
Allergen information: McDonald's Mayo Chicken
| Allergen | Status |
|---|
| Wheat | Contains |
| Rye | May contain traces |
| Barley | May contain traces |
| Oats | Not present |
| Sesame | May contain traces |
| Soya | Not present |
| Milk | May contain traces |
| Eggs | Contains |
| Fish | Not present |
| Crustaceans | Not present |
| Celery | Contains |
| Mustard | Contains |
| Molluscs | Not present |
| Lupin | Not present |
Contains = declared as an ingredient. May contain traces = McDonald's states the allergen cannot be excluded. McDonald's prepares food in kitchens where all 14 major allergens are present and equipment is shared, so no item can be guaranteed allergen free, even when ingredients are removed on request. Buns, rolls and tortilla wraps are toasted in the same toaster as sesame-topped buns. Retrieved 17-18 August 2026.
