The 5 healthiest and tastiest frozen nuggets to buy according to our editors (2024)

FAQs

Which nuggets are the healthiest? ›

"Chick-fil-A's Grilled Nuggets are one of the best fast-food options out there," shares Marisela Gomez Raffo, RDN, LDN. "High in protein and low in fat and carbohydrates, they are grilled instead of fried, which reduces the overall amount of fat compared to most other fast food chicken nuggets," she adds.

The Verdict: Most varieties of processed chicken nuggets should be eaten sparingly. Besides offering little nutritional value, there contain an overwhelmingly high amount of preservatives.

If you want the Platonic ideal of a chicken nugget, look no further. Tyson chicken nuggets taste even better than they did when we were kids. They are delightfully crispy, seasoned with just enough salt, and the meat is nice and juicy without being too soggy. If you want a nostalgic snack, Tyson is the brand for you.

Try to find brands that have at least 12 grams of protein per serving. Look for light breading if possible. Sometimes nuggets are mostly breading with very little meat which makes them higher in carbs and lower in protein. Consider the amount of fat but especially saturated fat.

Made with all white meat chicken and simply seasoned with a crisp, golden breading, these nuggets are delicious no matter what you dip them in.

I should note that Just Bare has the highest price per ounce of any of the other brands we tested. At Kroger, a 24-ounce bag is $12.99. Perdue's Simply Smart Organics Breaded Chicken Breast Nuggets were our runner-up—still crispy but the chicken texture isn't quite as tender as Just Bare.

Nothing deep fried is healthy. Frozen nuggets are meant to be either baked or fried, and long period of freezing already destroys the protein in them. So try and avoid frozen chicken nuggets as much as you can unless it is for convenience.

We start with all white-meat chicken cut from the tenderloin, breast and rib and mix it with a marinade for flavor and juiciness and to help them keep their fun shape. Once everything is mixed, we create the four famous Chicken McNuggets® shapes—bell, boot, ball and bone.

Which store bought nuggets taste like McDonald's? ›

But Pilgrim's owns another brand, Country Pride, that sells its Tempura Raw Chicken Breast Nuggets at Walmart stores—in addition to Kroger-owned stores. Haracz says these two products are virtually the same—so if you see either of them, you've struck McNugget gold.

#1 Wendy'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.

A meal of 20 chicken nuggets is not too much food for you, but it is high in sodium and lacking in nutrition, other than protein. As long as you don't eat this for lunch every day, it is fine. Your young, growing body needs other nutrients found in vegetables, fruit and dairy products.

One of the top restaurant chains serving a 6 pack of chicken nuggets was found to contain a quarter of your daily recommended dietary intake. Nuggets are fried in hydrogenated oil and contain high amounts of sugar, fat, and preservatives. This makes them an unhealthy choice, especially if you eat them often.

A chicken nugget is a food product consisting of a small piece of deboned chicken meat that is breaded or battered, then deep-fried or baked. Developed in the 1950s by finding a way to make a coating adhere, chicken nuggets have become a very popular fast food restaurant item, and are widely sold frozen for home use.

“For those aiming for healthier choices, it's advisable to opt for grilled over fried items, be selective with sauces and dressings, and consider portion sizes to align with your nutritional goals,” he said.

Nuggets are fried in hydrogenated oil and contain high amounts of sugar, fat, and preservatives. This makes them an unhealthy choice, especially if you eat them often.

A meal of 20 chicken nuggets is not too much food for you, but it is high in sodium and lacking in nutrition, other than protein. As long as you don't eat this for lunch every day, it is fine. Your young, growing body needs other nutrients found in vegetables, fruit and dairy products.

Is Chick-Fil-A healthier than McDonald's? Since “healthy” is a subjective term, picking the healthiest option can be tough. But, in general, since Chick-Fil-A focuses on chicken, which is lower in calories, fat, and cholesterol than beef, we'll give the “healthier” title to Chick-Fil-A over McDonald's.