McDonald's Chicken Nuggets Vs. Burger King Nuggets: These Two Chains Go Head-To-Head In Our Ultimate Food Battle
When it comes to fast food chicken nuggets, some say McDonald's sets the bar.
McDonald’s has the best chicken nuggets I’ll die on that hill
Others say Burger King has the top nuggets.
random opinion: burger king has the best chicken nuggets
Some more specifically say that McDonald's chicken nuggets are better than Burger King's.
mcdonald’s chicken nuggets are wayyyy better than burger king’s. don’t @ me.
While others say the opposite, insisting Burger King's nuggets are better than Mickey D's.
Burger King chicken nuggets are better than McDonald’s. I said it.
We're Chris and Krista, and today, we've acquired chicken nuggets from McDonald's and Burger King, and brought them back to our laboratory (a random table in an unoccupied corner of the office) to be analyzed and rated based on their appearance, their value, and their taste as a standalone chicken nugget.
Before we get started, we established a few rules for the head-to-head...
Ready? Let's get started with a closer look at these nuggets and how they rate aesthetically.
Here's what a McDonald's Chicken McNugget looks like up close IRL vs. in a promo photo:
McDonald's describes their McNuggets as "tender and juicy," adding that they're "made with all white meat chicken and no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives." And, for 10 pieces, it's 420 calories.
And here's what a Burger King chicken nugget looks like through a camera phone vs. at a professional photoshoot.
Burger King describes their nuggets as, "Bite-sized white meat chicken coated in crispy homestyle seasoned breading." Ten of these babies come in at 482 cals.
In terms of APPEARANCE, here's how we rate them:
CHRIS: They both look as advertised, like tasty nuggets. I like the crumby appearance of Burger King's because they remind me of the classic school cafeteria nuggets, but McDonald's has their own glorious golden look that glows all majestically like the briefcase from Pulp Fiction. No complaints.
MCDONALD'S: 5/5
BURGER KING: 5/5
KRISTA: I agree with Chris that they both do a pretty good job with the presentation, and both looked pretty close to the photos that were advertised for each of them. However, something about Burger King's nuggets looked more appetizing to me. They ~felt~ closer to something homemade and less like what they were (a frozen — dare I say processed — nugget). But, both did A-OK.
MCDONALD'S: 4.3/5
BURGER KING: 4.8/5
Since nuggets vary in size and shape, we tried to just get a general idea of each establishment's general nugget side, which usually seemed to be about 2.2-2.5 inches tall and 1.5 inches wide (slide to compare).
We also weighed a couple nuggets from each restaurant, and as you'll see below, BOTH WEIGHED EXACTLY 0.5 ounces. However, cost-wise, McDonald's charged $4.49 for 10 McNuggets — about 44 cents per nugget. Meanwhile, Burger King's cost $6.39 for 16 nuggets — 40 cents per nugget.
Here are our VALUE ratings:
CHRIS: Burger King winning in value by four cents is a narrow but potentially significant victory because if we'll drive to different pumps to save a few cents on gas, why wouldn't we choose our chicken nuggets the same way? I'm not sure that analogy checks out, but my point is that Burger King gets a higher score for their slightly cheaper offerings. That said, chicken nuggets aren't very large, and I remember times when EACH of these places offered 10 nuggets for $1, so nostalgia won't allow me to stand and applaud these inflated prices.
MCDONALD'S VALUE: 3.5/5
BURGER KING'S VALUE: 4/5
KRISTA: As Chris said, four cents is not super significant, but it's four cents PER NUGGET, which means a 16-nugget meal is 64 cents cheaper at BK. So, as the frugal-est one of them all, I FEEL like BK wins...BUT, On the other hand, I am now struggling with the burden of knowing I have to get 16 NUGGETS at BK when I really only want 10 (we are going off what BK in LA offered, and they did not offer a 10-piece near us) — and I might pay a little more just so I don't eat six extra nuggets I really don't want and end up sick like I did years back hahaha! I realize I am way too into this analysis, but the fact that I can't order a 10-piece at BK messes with my head. So, they are both equal on this one.
MCDONALD'S VALUE: 3.5/5
BURGER KING'S VALUE: 3.5/5
Let's start with McDonald's McNuggets! Now, we will be analyzing their dipping sauces, too, and factoring them into the scoring, but before allowing condiments to influence our taste buds, we tried each of their nuggets all by themselves.
CHRIS: This was a very crispy blast from the past, because I used to eat these all the time, but it had been awhile. I thoroughly enjoyed the crust-to-chicken ratio and all of the mouthfeel offerings, with a crunchy exterior and chewy (but not in a gross way) interior. 8.7/10
KRISTA: I'm not gonna lie. When I was 10 years old, I went to a birthday party and ordered a 20-piece McNugget accidentally. I forced myself to eat them all even though I was bursting at the seams because I didn't want my friend's mom to get mad at me for wasting food. I went home ill and hurled nuggets for hours. I've never been able to look at a McNugget the same, and it was only recently that I was able to eat them again. All that being said (and sorry for the TMI), BUT THIS IS STILL NOT BIASED WHEN I SAY: I think they're meh. The breading doesn't have much flavoring, and you really have to rely on the dipping sauce. 6.8/10
Now, let's discuss Burger King's
CHRIS: Whoaaaa, Burger King brought the FLAVOR. Their nuggets have a more crumbly crust versus McDonald's crispy, shell-like coating, and I was really into it. You can tell they go wild at the spice rack, and when you have just the nugget by itself, Burger King was clearly the superior bite in my humble opinion. 9/10
KRISTA: OK BK, coming in hot with the SEASONED-TO-PERFECTION BREADING. I see you! I enjoyed the crispness and the flavor. This wasn't like McDonald's where you needed the sauce; this nugget I could enjoy sans the sauce. The meat didn't taste rubber-y or too "fake" — a pretty good nugget, IMO. 8.9/10
AS FOR THE SAUCES, we selected the same four from each location — Sweet and Sour, Ranch, BBQ, and Honey Mustard...
And shockingly, our ratings were a bit one-sided...
CHRIS: Clean sweep! All of Burger King's sauces were superior. I was stunned because I thought I loved McDonald's dipping options, and I suppose I do, but I love BK's more. Not only did BK's sauces pack a more powerful savory punch, but a couple had better consistency than a couple of McDonald's. As usual, BURGER KING IS BEING SLEPT ON.
MCDONALD'S SAUCES: 8/10
BURGER KING SAUCES: 9.4/10
KRISTA: Wow, the sauces from each place really, truly are very different. The BK ones — across the board — had better consistency and flavor. There's not much more to say than the fact that all of the Burger King sauces are just better — trust.
MCDONALD'S SAUCES: 7.9/10
BURGER KING SAUCES: 9/10
TOTALS:
MCDONALD'S: 47.7/60
BURGER KING: 53.6/60
FINAL THOUGHTS:
CHRIS: After recently testing Burger King's fries, a Whopper, and now, their nuggets, I'm convinced BK is being slept on. They are among the top of the top tier when it comes to fast food, and they deserve to be respected as such.
KRISTA: Burger King gets the Nugget Nod on this one. They truly have a superior nugget than McDonald's. Since Burger King doesn't use the slogan "Have It Your Way" anymore, they do stay true to their new one: "You Rule" because you rule, I rule, your nuggets rule — great job, BK!
