I Tried Six Popular Fast Food Chicken Nuggets—These Are the Ones I’ll Order Again

You're never too old for a nugget.

We all have memories of our parents foregoing cooking in favor of the drive-thru restaurant. You were in the backseat anticipating your meal in a colorful box or bag, with your choice of protein, fries, and a toy. Chicken nuggets were always my first choice. Something about bite size food dipped in sauce is therapeutic at best. Now that I'm an adult, I spend less time in the drive thru, but when I bite into a nugget, I'm taken back. So I took it upon myself to try chicken nuggets from six popular fast food restaurants to find out which ones are really worth buying when I do go to the drive-thru. Before we get into the ranking, I need to explain a key distinction of what a chicken nugget is, and the two different categories I used to properly compare all these nuggets.

What Exactly Is A Chicken Nugget?

More and more fast food restaurants are introducing their versions of chicken nuggets. Chicken giants like KFC and Popeyes are now serving chicken nuggets, as well as the cult favorite burger joints like Shake Shack. Now all three offer little bites of crispy chicken that can be dipped in sauce, but they can't all be compared apples to apples, and here’s why.

Chicken nuggets are distinctive due to their preparation. They fall into two categories, the ground meat method and the whole meat method. When you think of the McDonald’s McNugget for example, it's white meat chicken that has been ground or pureed to a minced consistency and mixed with spices to flavor it. Then it's shaped, battered, and deep fried. That process is what gives what we traditional think of as chicken nuggets their signature texture and flavor. Restaurants like KFC, Popeyes, and Shake Shack, however use the whole meat method which results in a nugget more similar to what we traditionally think of as a chicken tender or finger. They simply cut chicken breast into bite sized pieces, bread them, and fry them. This process is similar to how boneless wings are made.

How I Tested

Since the two processes result in two distinctly different nuggets, I ranked them in categories: the minced method and the whole meat method. I ranked each chicken nugget on three essential components: crispiness, flavor, and meat to breading ratio. On a scale of one to five, with five being the highest score.

Fast Food Minced Chicken Nuggets, Ranked

#3 Burger King

• Crispiness: 2

• Flavor: 1

• Meat to Breading Ratio: 5

Burger King is known for the Whopper and a range of very interesting offerings throughout the year (Remember the black bun burger?). Like most fast food burger places, there's always a chicken option, including chicken nuggets. Although the brand's flame-broiled burgers are timeless, its chicken nuggets need some TLC. They're on the dry side and don't pack any flavor at all. Their one saving grace? A perfect amount of meat to breading: the exterior is plentiful without overtaking the whole nugget.

#2 McDonald's

• Crispiness: 3

• Flavor: 4

• Meat to Breading Ratio: 5

The home of the "McNugget" has dominated the fast-food nugget market for decades. Their signature smell, taste, and even shape can take you back to your childhood. The McNugget recipe has never changed, which is telling to just how popular and well-loved it is. These nuggets have a nice chewiness to them and savory flavor throughout, which is what we long for in a minced nugget that has spices added directly to the meat. They even come with an array of dipping sauces for even more flavor.

#1 Wendy's

• Crispiness: 4

• Flavor: 5

• Meat to Breading Ratio: 5

McDonald's purists might strike after reading that I put its competitor in first place, but I've always thought Wendy's crispy chicken nuggets are superior to McDonald's. They have an overall better flavor with a more robust mixture of spices in the meat and breading, while still tasting like real white meat chicken. Plus, they are the crispiest amongst this group of nuggets, unlike the McNugget that can sometimes seem undercooked.

Fast Food Whole Meat Chicken Nuggets, Ranked

#3 Chick-Fil-A

• Crispiness: 2

• Flavor: 2

• Meat to Breading Ratio: 4

It's a known fact that Chick-Fil-A chicken is brined in pickle juice, and that's true of the brand's nuggets, too. However, I found it to be a bit too salty and overpowering on it's own (vs when it's piled on one of the chicken sandwiches). They're very meaty, and do not disappoint in the meat to breading category, but there are still better whole meat chicken nuggets out there.

#2 Shake Shack

• Crispiness: 3

• Flavor: 4

• Meat to Breading Ratio: 5

Don't get me wrong, Shake Shack's nuggets are good. They're crispy, fried fresh to order, and juicy. However, they could be crispier (see my #1 pick below) and like Chick-Fil-A, they're a bit too salty for my taste. Also beware: They are they most expensive option.

#1 Popeyes

• Crispiness: 5

• Flavor: 5

• Meat to Breading Ratio: 5

If you've read our rankings on fast food crispy chicken sandwiches, then you already know I also ranked this Louisiana-themed chain number one once already. Popeye's treats its nuggets just like it does all its other chicken offerings and that is enough said. They're so crispy that the breading looks craggy on the outside, the flavors are perfectly balanced thanks to the brand's signature blend of spices, and the chicken is juicy and tender. The perfect chicken nuggets.