Name: Chicken nuggets — bite-sized pieces of chicken, either formed from minced chicken meat and skin or made from whole pieces, coated in batter or breadcrumbs, and deep-fried or baked. They are a popular fast food and children's meal.
Description
Chicken nuggets were developed in the 1950s by Robert C. Baker, a food scientist at Cornell University, who devised a way of binding minced chicken, and were popularised by fast-food chains in the 1980s. They are now among the most widely eaten chicken products in the world.
Nuggets vary in quality: some are made of whole chicken breast, while many are made of mechanically separated or ground chicken, with skin, fat and additives, bound with starch and fried in oil. They are typically served with dipping sauces, and are often eaten by children, so quality and portion size matter.
Main nutrition value
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Chicken nuggets provide some protein, but often have a lot of fat, salt and refined carbohydrate from the coating and frying, and less protein than plain chicken.
How best to be consumed
Chicken nuggets are an occasional meal, best baked.
- Choose nuggets made of whole chicken breast, with a short ingredient list.
- Bake or air-fry instead of deep-frying, and avoid heavy dipping sauces.
- Cook thoroughly, until piping hot throughout (at least 74°C), including frozen ones, and follow the pack instructions.
- Serve with vegetables, salad or fruit, to make a balanced meal.
- Make homemade nuggets from diced chicken breast, with a breadcrumb coating, for more control.
Overconsumption could cause…
Chicken nuggets are a processed food, best occasional.
- High salt (sodium), which can raise blood pressure over time, particularly in cured, canned and processed products.
- Raised LDL cholesterol and heart disease risk from the saturated fat in fattier cuts, skin and processed products, so choose lean cuts and trim visible fat. Deep-frying adds fat and calories.
- Food poisoning from Salmonella and Campylobacter, which are common on raw poultry, so cook it to 74°C, avoid washing raw poultry (which spreads bacteria), and keep it away from ready-to-eat food. Frozen nuggets that look cooked may still be raw inside.
- Choking in small children, so cut up for them and supervise.
- Additives, and ultra-processed food, which are linked to poorer health when eaten in large amounts.
Wikipedia — Chicken nugget, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_nugget
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