The Best Nuggets
Frozen chicken nuggets are a weeknight dinner or snack staple that many of us are familiar with. But not all nuggets are created equal, with some being too saggy, while others lack flavor. With that in mind, here are some of the worst and best contenders out there.
1. Earth’s Best Chicken Nuggets
Earth's Best Chicken Nuggets are absurdly tiny and more closely resemble popcorn chicken than nuggets. The uniform, bite-sized nuggets all feel processed and hollow, and you'll feel unsatisfied after just a few. The brand themselves suggests using them as a salad or pasta topper, which is an indictment in and of itself.
2. Mr. Fowler’s Chicken Nuggets
Mr. Fowler's Chicken Nuggets are a bad rebrand of Kroger nuggets. The fake branding is just there to make you think they're gourmet. They have the same neon orange color, texture, and bland flavor.
3. Tyson’s Air Fried
Tyson’s Air Fried Perfectly Crisp Chicken Breast Nuggets do not come close to “pure crispy perfection.” Thick and dry, the breading on these nuggets hides a gross meat center. They appear to be a twin to the McDonald’s nugget, but the taste is sour, too-processed, and ends in an unnerving, sharp aftertaste. They never quite seem like a healthy improvement on fast-food nuggets. Rather, they have a freezer-burned, unnatural taste that is hard to enjoy.
4. MorningStar
MorningStar Farms Chik’n Nuggets may look and crunch like the real thing, but take a bite and their soy-and-wheat plant-based center is exposed. It’s a dry and earthy bite that doesn’t mesh with the otherwise tasty breading. The garlicky crunch coating is a welcome touch, but it’s no match for the artificial flavor.
5. Signature Select
On first glance, Safeway’s Signature Select Chicken Nuggets look like a run-of-the-mill chicken nugget. But as soon as you sink your teeth into one, you realize that there’s nothing ordinary about these faux-fried pieces of poultry. The breading on these nuggets is so thin it barely holds the squishy-yet-dry meat together.
6. Banquet
Banquet Original Chicken Nuggets may brag that they're made with “100% natural chicken,” but take a look at their nutrition facts and a different truth comes to light. Saturated with 540 milligrams of sodium per serving, these nuggets even out-salt a box of McDonald’s McNuggets. Factor in the saturated fat, and Banquet’s nuggets go from sounding healthy to an unhealthy salt bomb in disguise.
7. Yummy Dino Nuggets
The Yummy Dino Nuggets gain points for their adorable shapes, but they lose all the points after your first bite. The meat is spongy and springy to chew and seems more like a foam than chicken, with breading that is dry and crumbles messily with no flavor.
8. Good & Gather
Target's Good & Gather Chicken Breast Nuggets are affordable and reduced sodium. However, this comes with a downside of increased saturated fat. One small serving already provides 20% of your daily value, which seems high for such a small portion.
9. Kroger Chicken Nuggets
Kroger Chicken Nuggets are peculiarly orange in color, and you know that color means more flavor, but it's not spice these nuggets have going on. In fact, these nuggets are bland and extremely processed in a way that makes you think this is what all chicken nuggets are if you didn't have experience with the real thing.
10. Great Value
Sure, Walmart’s Great Value Breaded Chicken Nuggets are an inexpensive snack in large bags. However, when it comes to nutrition facts, they offer a deal you can’t afford. With 430 milligrams of sodium per 4-piece serving, you can see the damage quickly when you eat more.
Now that we’ve talked about some of the worst frozen nugget brands out there, here are 10 to trust instead.
1. Kidfresh White Meat
Kidfresh Chicken Nuggets are more wholesome than many chicken nuggets for kids, since they're made with antibiotic-free white meat combined with cauliflower and onion. The breading is a satisfying, golden crisp, and the interior is hearty and remarkably meaty. The texture is a bit like a patty, which seems a shame to eat off a fork but still results in a tasty, more wholesome kid-friendly favorite.
2. Tyson’s Classic Chicken Nuggets
Tyson's Classic Chicken Nuggets are the familiar golden-brown shade with juicy white meat on the inside. They have a fresh and satisfying flavor, with breading that's just lightly crisp. Salt levels are just right, and there's a touch of greasiness that's so addictive you won't be able to stop eating them.
3. Perdue
Perdue Chicken Breast Nuggets aren't the most attractive-looking frozen snacks, but their plain-jane style is to their advantage. The breading is thin and crunchy without masking the flavor of the chicken, which is full-flavored and more chicken-y than most of its rivals. It does need a dipping sauce to punch up its flavor, but Perdue's honest simplicity makes these nuggets a freezer aisle winner.
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4. Impossible Foods
Impossible Chicken Nuggets nail the texture and juicy, savory flavor so much that they would probably fool most people in a blind taste test. Bonus points for the adorable Lion King–themed shapes. Nutritionally, the nuggets pack a good amount of protein per serving while also containing significantly less saturated fat than traditional nuggets.
5. Jurassic World Dominion Dino-Shaped Nuggets
Jurassic Park Dino-Shaped Nuggets from John Soule's Foods are kind of surprising, actually. The dinosaur nuggets have a pretty fun presentation, but they're also kind of a great deal in terms of quality. The breading bakes up light and crunchy, and the chicken is all tender, all-white meat.
6. Perdue Sea Creature
Perdue’s Sea Creature Chicken Nuggets are just fun, coming in dolphin, turtle, and octopus shapes. But they also offer a solid nugget experience, with tasty white meat that’s fresh and tender. The real winner here, though, is the breading, which has a crunch and snap that’s more flavorful than greasy, like popcorn shrimp.
7. Applegate Naturals
Applegate Chicken Nuggets have a gluten-free rice flour breading with flecks of seasoning and a more natural, home-cooked smell. The coating can be a bit soft, but the meat inside actually tastes like real breast meat, and the ratio of meat to breading is great. Seasonings like garlic, paprika, and celery seed flavor the nuggets, which feel as if they were made for adults as much as kids.
8. Pilgrim’s Zesty Ranch
These ranch-flavored popcorn chicken nuggets are packed with big, tangy, garlicky flavor in every bite. They also remain juicy and tender, rather than drying out like most popcorn chicken does. That makes them just as addicting as any regular nugget, so they also qualify as one of the best frozen chicken brands.
9. Ian’s Breaded Chicken Nuggets
Ian's Chicken Nuggets are bite-size nuggets that are just as exciting as they sound. The gluten-free breading bakes into a uniform, golden coating that stands up nicely to what is underneath. The nuggets have a convincingly real chicken flavor that doesn't require heavy sauces to hide.
10. Tyson Panko Crusted Chicken Nuggets
Tyson Panko Chicken Nuggets are similar to the McDonald's nuggets that are highly popular. The chicken inside is juicy, and the outside has a crispy, crunchy coating. Cook them up in your air fryer and serve with hot mustard, and it is just like you are eating at the Golden Arches.
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