Chicken nuggets are actually usually made from the same meat you see in the supermarket, namely broiler.
Most chicken nuggets start out as a split chicken breast. On the packaging you can read that the product contains "rib meat". Rib meat is simply a natural extension of the breast meat. It is NOT an additive or filler.
Other boneless chicken meat, such as legs and thighs, or the skin of the meat, can be added for flavor and texture. The meat can then be marinated to improve the juiciness and flavor of the meat.
The meat is then ground and shaped, just as you would form a meatball from a ground meat product. It is breaded and boiled, usually fried or fried in oil.
There is a wide choice of chicken nuggets when it comes to feeding your family, based on your budget, tastes, values or dietary restrictions. There are gluten-free nuggets, nuggets that are lightly breaded or have a whole wheat breading layer, all-white nuggets, grilled nuggets or organic nuggets.
ALL ingredients, including nutritional information, must be listed on the product label.
Remember that toobeeFederally inspected chicken processing facilities follow strict food safety standards and operate under the supervision of USDA inspectorsbeetime.
Chicken nuggets are excellent sources of protein, especially for growing children, as part of a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Chicken Nugget Myth vs. Facts
MYTH:Mechanically separated chicken is used to make chicken nuggets.
FACT:Mechanically separated chicken has been used in poultry products since 1969. It is mainly used as an ingredient in sausages, lunch meat or other processed products. It is not typically used in most chicken nuggets or meatballs, and it is not sold directly to consumers.
However, like all meat and poultry products, mechanically separated poultry is regulated and inspected by the USDA and the products containing itmust declare it as an ingredientOn the label.
Mechanical systems prevent wastage of nutritious meat and avoid the repetitive movements required to precisely trim the meat by hand.
MYTH:"Meat glue" is used to hold the chicken nuggets together.
FACT:Transglutaminase, called "meat glue" by some, is an enzyme that has been sold for almost twenty years and is mainly used in food service to bind together pieces of meat, such as a tenderloin or a strip of bacon for a fillet. . It is not used to make chicken nuggets. It is not necessary: protein is extracted with salt and phosphate, then breast or thigh meat is ground or chopped and then easily formed into a lump. The breading also helps hold the nugget together.
MYTH:"Retired Egg Layers" are used to make chicken nuggets.
FACT:“Retired egg layers” are NOT used for chicken nuggets. Burlags have little meat, and many are not processed into meat at all. The birds that produce the eggs that become broilers (which are not kept in cages and do not produce eggs for the table) usually become "pot chickens" or go into soup or other products that require lengthy cooking.
What the experts say
"There is no 'pink slime' in chicken nuggets."
–Dr. A.S. HERE. YESTERDAY. Casey Owens, associate professor in the Department of Food Science and member of the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science at the University of Arkansas.Read more about what Dr. Owens has to sayabout chicken nuggets and machine-separated meat in an interview with Beste Madfakta.
Additional resources/links
National Chicken Council response to a small University of Mississippi survey on chicken nuggets
Questions and answers about mechanically separated chicken
Dr. Owens answers the question: “What's in chicken nuggets???”
