McDonald's is expanding its fried chicken offerings to capture market share amid rising beef costs and growing Gen Z preference for chicken over burgers. The company aims to increase its global chicken market share by 1.5 percentage points by 2030 while maintaining beef leadership, facing competition from chains like KFC, Popeyes, and Wingstop. McDonald's will invest $8.5bn to support franchisees as chicken demand rises and beef prices continue climbing.