Blubbery fat, pulverized glop, and something called "powdered" chicken.
And you're just dipping it in buttermilk ranch and eating it! Holy mystery nuggets, you won't
believe what's in your favorite 6-piece. When Mashed asked readers to name the worst
fast food chicken nugget in a 2022 survey, nearly one-third of the votes went to Burger King. But
it wasn't exactly a shocker. While we love many of BK's offerings — like the Bacon King and the
classic Whopper — the chain's chicken nuggets fall short of its apparent royal standard. But
the reason might come down to the ingredients. And these nuggs contain far more than just chicken.
The very first ingredient is breast meat with rib meat. While we often enjoy the rich flavor
of rib meat when cooking a whole chicken, it's less enticing when it's included in nuggets. The
various seasonings and preservatives listed under "flavoring" don't inspire much confidence either.
"Burger King launches chicken nuggets that got no chicken…but taste like chicken."
The clearest example of BK's nugget problems may
be the off-putting inclusion of chicken fat. It seems completely
unnecessary — especially for a food that's going to be cooked in artery-clogging oil.
While many fast food chains provide an unfettered account of what's in their chicken nuggets or
tenders, other restaurants are less forthcoming with the truth. This includes Carl's Jr.,
which doesn't appear to be willing to share the makeup of its chicken stars.
From what we can discern, Carl's Jr.'s nuggets are
loaded with additional ingredients. Just take a bite to reveal a highly processed,
alien-like texture that doesn't even remotely resemble chicken.
"Yeah. Things got real weird."
Likely non-chicken items used to make this product include beef flavor, followed by
the laughably vague separate ingredient; "flavor." It makes us wonder whether any
actual chicken is used at all. It appears that some percentage of the "meat" in these stars is
actually hydrolyzed soy protein as well. Yummy. We sort of expected a pizza place like Domino's
to falter when it came to its chicken nuggets — or, boneless chicken. Still,
we can't give the chain a pass just because its main focus revolves around cheese and pepperoni.
While it's true that Domino's boneless chicken includes additional ingredients, many of these
— like wheat flour and various types of starch — appear to be components in the breading. The
sodium phosphates in the recipe are food additives meant to preserve or enhance the item's flavor and
texture. It's a fact likely true of most fast food nuggets that aren't 100% pure chicken.
"Is that weird, Paul? Look around, we're in a Domino's."
So, does this excuse the incorporation of so many ingredients besides chicken
and seasonings? Not entirely. We're not sure the recipe needs multiple types of yeast and
undefined natural flavoring. But it does make us feel just a little better to know the truth.
If you're aware that canned ham labels often note that the product is packaged with water,
you know this isn't designed to trick customers into paying extra. Instead, it's simply alerting
consumers to the presence of a water solution that ensures the ham remains moist after it's prepared.
We have a feeling some fast food chicken nuggets and tenders aren't
100% chicken for a similar reason. Like Whataburger's chicken strips,
which are made up of 12% non-chicken ingredients. It seems reasonable to
assume that the product includes a solution of water, isolated soy proteins, salt,
and sodium phosphates so that the chicken remains moist and flavorful after it's cooked and served.
"Whataburger!"
Still, while we understand the logic behind the laundry list of ingredients
for Whataburger's chicken strips, let it be known, they are not 100% chicken.
Everyone knows that Arby's has the meats. But what exactly is in those meats is much less
clear. Arby's chicken nuggets may not be nearly as processed as the chain's various cold cuts,
given the nature of salted and cured sliced meat. But that doesn't mean its nuggets — which
the chain proudly declares are made with chicken breast — are 100% chicken, either.
The main culprit for the impure nature of these nuggets lies in the water and seasoning solution,
which contains both anti-dusting and anti-caking agents. The list
of breading ingredients is also quite large and includes several leaveners and natural flavors.
"Whoever made this weird nugget gave up hope."
Realistically, no matter what you'll find in Arby's nuggets beyond actual chicken,
the question remains: why are you getting chicken at Arby's? Go with the iconic standard — a roast
beef sandwich and curly fries — and you won't even have to worry about the mystery nuggets.
When Dairy Queen announced plans to discontinue the cherry-dipped cone in May 2023,
many fans were left devastated. Without that crowd-pleaser, what's left to draw people in?
Well, it certainly isn't the chicken strips — a nugget-like curiosity that's purportedly
made with exclusively white meat — but which contains more than just chicken.
These strips are made with a solution of water, hydrolyzed soy protein, salt,
and sodium phosphates, which is likely added to improve their texture and retain moisture.
But since the remaining ingredients appear to be related exclusively to the breading,
it seems the water solution is the only additional ingredient in DQ's chicken strips.
"I never said that." "Pretty sure you did."
Although the seasoning solution may count as minimally processed by our constantly-lowering
standards, this is one menu offering that's definitely not 100% pure chicken. Now that
we got that mostly cleared up, back to the cherry-dipped cone situation…
A fast food burger chain known for using minimally processed, never-frozen beef
patties is guaranteed to crush the burger portion of the menu. And you would expect,
since that commitment to quality generally extends to all menu items, you're likely to find other
proteins in their purest possible forms; like chicken nuggets or tenders. But, tragically,
in the case of Smashburger, the chicken tenders are made with more than just chicken.
Actually, if you go by what the Denver, Colorado-based chain says, each of its
tenders may contain as little as 80% chicken. That's not even accounting for the additional
mass taken up by the breading. Since as much as 20% of each tender is composed of water,
various seasonings, and preservatives — along with any additional ingredients
required for the breading — it's clear the smashed-burger-centric
establishment isn't slinging pure fried chicken to its loyal customers.
Some customers may find some saving grace in Smashburger claiming they use all white meat
for their chicken tenders. Then again, "all white meat" doesn't
automatically equate to "all chicken." But, if you're dunking that tender in a dipping sauce,
maybe it doesn't matter what's moving that ranch dressing to your face.
There may be no more famous or legitimately iconic chicken nugget than McDonald's
McNuggets. Whether it's a 4, 6, 8, 10, 20 or 40-piece order, we can't imagine anyone would
be unfamiliar with these deep-fried morsels. But no matter how nostalgic you feel for those
McNuggets you once drenched in bbq sauce or honey… sorry, they're not all-chicken.
"That can be our secret."
McDonald's claims to use breast meat exclusively for the protein portion of its nuggets, and
that does appear to be true. But the chain isn't busy slicing up chicken breast and frying it up.
Instead, there is a definite factory process. The chicken is ground and pulverized into a
glop that's then used to create one of its four signature nugget shapes — the bell, ball, boot,
and bone (or bow tie) — hence the unnatural texture of the inside of an actual McNugget.
More disturbing than the behind-the-scenes details of how McNuggets are made, though,
is the fact the ingredient list plainly states that nuggets contain a mere 45%
chicken meat. While we've never been fooled into believing these nuggs were 100% pure chicken,
the fact they're less than half chicken kind of ruins their sentimental magic.
Are we running the risk of being haunted by Dave Thomas' ghost in retaliation for
including his beloved Wendy's chain on this list? Maybe. But still, we aim for the truth when it
comes to our meat. And, no offense intended, but Wendy's fast food nuggets aren't 100% chicken.
We were truly disappointed to discover that these nuggets contain a mere 65% chicken
breast in the final product. While this ratio isn't nearly as bad as McDonald's,
it still seems staggeringly low for such a popular item. We should note that this figure is for the
U.K. version of Wendy's nuggets, but it seems likely that the overall composition of Wendy's
nuggets is similar in the U.S., even though the ingredient list is slightly different.
"Guilty, Your Honor."
Exactly how a chicken nugget can be called a chicken nugget if it's made with less
than two-thirds chicken is beyond us. But regardless of our disappointment,
there's no denying that whatever is inside of Wendy's chicken nuggets is not 100% pure
chicken. Guess we'll just be sticking with fries and a Frosty… if that’s even real milk?
"From Wisconsin with love." "Welcome to delicious."
Of all the fast food nuggets and tenders out there in the world,
we were most shocked to discover what the chicken tenders from Culver's were made out of. Famous
for its Butter Burgers and fresh-made frozen custard, the chain proudly touts the happy,
all-natural environment in which it raises the chickens that are ultimately sourced for its
tenders. But Culver's public commitment to avoiding additional animal byproducts
in its tenders doesn't mean it's not using other odd ingredients instead.
"It's like you're biting into an actual chicken breast that you just made at home."
With a list that includes things such as modified tapioca starch, salt, and sodium tripolyphosphate,
it's clear that these alleged chicken-based tenders aren't made solely with chicken. However,
since a large number of listed ingredients appear to be used
for seasoning — including spices and flavor enhancers like onion powder, garlic powder,
and yeast extract — the high ingredient count may simply be a means to maximize the flavor.
Considering the borderline-agonizing experience of trying to eat plain, unseasoned chicken, perhaps
the additional ingredients only serve to make this restaurant's tenders a tasty delight. And
while there may be more than just chicken in your Culver's tenders order, a little extra seasoning
isn't the worst thing we could have uncovered. If you're already not a big fan, you know this.
But we've often found a big difference in quality when it comes to Jack in the Box versus other
well-known fast food chains. Of course, personal taste in fast food is highly subjective. But,
either way, if we're looking to enjoy a fast food nugget that minimizes the non-chicken components,
it seems that you can stay a little further ahead of the game by avoiding Jack in the Box.
"Let's do a little search here."
To the chain's credit, the vast majority of its nuggs' non-poultry ingredients
appear to be part of the breading rather than the chicken portion. This means the
chicken itself may be less processed than expected for a fast food nugget. Here,
the poultry is mainly enhanced by a salt and preservative water solution.
But one thing to keep in mind before ordering these chicken nuggets,
is any potential allergy you may have. The fast food chain's ingredient list
clearly warns consumers in bold lettering that the nuggets contain dairy, gluten,
and soy products. But do allergies matter at 2am? We'll let you be the judge of that.
Cheap food made fast and consistently has been White Castle's bread and butter since
it originally opened. And we wouldn't expect the fast food chain to be selling unadulterated
chicken. White Castle's chicken nugget-type menu item — which is shaped like rings — appears to be
precisely what we expected. Totally delicious at the right moment. Not even close to pure chicken.
"Just like Mama makes it."
At first glance, there doesn't appear to be anything all that unusual about
the chicken rings' ingredients — at least when compared to other fast food nuggs. But
one specific item stood out like a sore thumb: "powdered cooked chicken." What
even is that? And no way was it raised on a free range, organic powdered chicken farm.
Technically, we suppose powdered chicken is in fact some derivative of chicken. But
since we are unable to break that ingredient down any further — even though we can guess
there's probably an anti-clumping agent in there — we'll just point out the powdered
chicken and leave it there. At least it was cooked. There are also numerous other
ingredients that steer White Castle's chicken rings away from the chicken family, as well,
including carrageenan, preservatives, and flavor enhancers. But, then again,
we don't do White Castle for purity, we do it for deliciousness and dipping sauces.