Chicken nuggets are a popular fast food made from minced chicken and other fillers. Homemade versions can be healthier, but most restaurant-prepared nuggets are high in salt and fat. They are a popular food among children and come in a variety of shapes.
Chicken nuggets are a breaded and fried finger food that comes in many different forms and preparations. Most commonly, they have an unidentified shape that is roughly circular or rectangular. The original McDonalds Chicken McNuggets were created in 1979 and have achieved considerable popularity in the years since. These nuggets are made from minced chicken and other fillers and ingredients. Even though McDonald’s Nuggets boast that they have all white meat chicken, only about 50 percent of any McDonald’s nuggets are chicken. The rest either coats the nuggets or serves to hold them together as integral pieces.
In most fast food restaurants, chicken nuggets are breaded and fried to order. Other restaurants can also purchase pre-breaded varieties to drop into the fryer. Nuggets are also sold in retail stores and can come in cooked or fried varieties. While healthier, baked varieties may contain extra oils and fillers that may not make them as healthy as you might think. A popular food among children, nuggets are also offered in a variety of appealing shapes, including shapes resembling dinosaurs.
There aren’t many recipes for making chicken nuggets from scratch, although they can be found. This is probably because chopping the chicken would be relatively labor intensive. An easier and slightly healthier option is to use small pieces of white chicken meat. Alternatively, chicken tenders can be used.
One of the benefits of making chicken nuggets at home is that they can be made much healthier, with less or no salt and fillers. Coat the tenders or strips with egg or milk and roll them in breadcrumbs. Repeating the process a second time will also make the strips crispier if they are baked rather than fried. Alternatively, homemade chicken strips can be fried. Frying them in monounsaturated or polyunsaturated oil will help reduce their fat content.
While it’s a treat or tasty meal, you should be aware of the nutritional content of chicken nuggets. Most restaurant-prepared chicken nuggets contain high levels of salt and fat. As long as these are just an occasional treat, it’s not likely they’ll make much of an impact on an otherwise healthy diet.
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