All 11 fast food chicken nuggets in Mass., ranked worst to best
Where's the best place to get a giant order of chicken nuggets to try and deal with all of life's problems? I set out to every fast food and drive-thru spot in Massachusetts that serves nuggets to try and figure it out.
You may be asking yourself: What qualifies as a fast-food chicken nugget? It's a great question, since fast-food chains have been delving deep into the thesaurus to find alternative names.
But I had to draw the line somewhere. As a result, I excluded chicken tenders and boneless wings. Everything else was up to my discretion. If you have a problem with my definition, please don't hesitate to pull up your email and write to srestrepo@masslive.com.
Where's the best place to go for nuggets? Here are my rankings:
All 11 fast food chicken nuggets in Mass., ranked worst to best
An order of spicy chicken nuggets from Wendy's.(Nick O'Malley/MassLive)
11) Wendy's Spicy Chicken Nuggets
I just don't get it. Normal Wendy's nuggets are good. But the spicy version just does not taste good.
They start out tasting like normal nuggets before an abrupt wave of poorly balanced spice kicks in. It just burns for a little bit without much flavor.
An order of chicken nuggets from KFC.(Nick O'Malley/MassLive)
10) KFC Chicken Nuggets
These have a good texture and some high-quality chicken inside. But they're way too salty to be palatable.
I felt physically unwell and dehydrated after eating two of these.
It's a shame, because these would be pretty good otherwise.
An order of grilled chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-A.(Nick O'Malley/MassLive)
9) Chick-fil-A Grilled Nuggets
I love that these exist. They're a much healthier option for those looking to mainline chicken into their bodies.
But that doesn't address the major issue here: wetness.
Chicken nuggets are meant to be eaten with your hands. It just feels uncomfortable to grab these with your bare hands. I feel like I'm doing something morally wrong, like eating a rotisserie chicken by myself over a kitchen sink.
An order of chicken nuggets from Burger King.(Nick O'Malley/MassLive)
8) Burger King Chicken Nuggets
These are my baseline nuggets. They're OK. There's nothing terrible about them. But there's nothing great either.
The seasoning in the breading is a little aggressive. It's a nugget that tries to do a little too much.
An order of Premium Chicken Bites from Sonic.(Nick O'Malley/MassLive)
7) Sonic Premium Chicken Bites
This is one of a few entries on the list that will stretch the definition of "fast food chicken nugget."
Have a problem? Too bad. It's my list and I'm mad with power.
I'm not mad about eating these. The chicken bites have solid breading and some high-quality meat inside.
An order of chicken fries from Burger King.(Nick O'Malley/MassLive)
6) Burger King Chicken Fries
These just barely made it into the rankings. But at the end of the day, I had to admit that these are just really long chicken nuggets in a weird shape.
They're great for those looking for more crunchy coating and more opportunities to dip into sauces.
An order of chicken nuggets from Wendy's.(Nick O'Malley/MassLive)
5) Wendy's Chicken Nuggets
Normal Wendy's Chicken Nuggets are a major upgrade over their spicy siblings. They're crispy, craggly and have a pleasant seasoning that doesn't go overboard.
An order of Chicken Nuggets from Shake Shack.(Nick O'Malley/MassLive)
4) Shake Shack Chick'n Bites
Is Shake Shack fast food? I'm ruling, "Yes." They've started to incorporate drive-thru ordering, so I threw them in.
It's a good thing I did. These are pretty darn good. They have a tight breading and a wonderful texture. They're a little oily, but that's only because they're the closest to legit fried chicken.
An order of chicken nuggets from Taco Bell.(Nick O'Malley/MassLive)
3) Taco Bell Chicken Nuggets
In terms of pure flavor, these nuggets should be in contention for the top spot. But I've got some issues.
First, the sauces are way too crazy at Taco Bell. They should just have some honey mustard or sweet & sour. I don't need "Super Diablo Volcano Avocado Death Metal Dirtbike Backflip Sauce" or whatever they're promoting now.
Second, these are a limited-time offering. To be a great nugget, you need to be consistent. You need to be there when the hungry masses need you. Taco Bell hasn't earned that trust yet.
An order of chicken nuggets from McDonald's.(Nick O'Malley/MassLive)
2) McDonald's Chicken McNuggets
McDonald's Chicken McNuggets have been the golden-brown standard for years. That's because they know their role.
They're not the best-seasoned or best-cooked. Instead, they do just enough to have a nice texture and have just enough chicken flavor to avoid being bland.
They're the vanilla ice cream of chicken nuggets. They're the protein foundation upon which the sauces build a flavor empire.
There's no blend of flavors quite like a Chicken McNugget and a tub of sweet & sour sauce.
An order of chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-A.(Nick O'Malley/MassLive)
1) Chick-fil-A
It should be little surprise that a chain that specializes in chicken has the best chicken nuggets. Although it makes me wonder where the heck KFC went wrong.
Chick-fil-A's rendition checks all the boxes of a great chicken nugget. They have a great crunch. The interior chicken is sublime. The breading is pleasant and complements the sauces.
Plus, they're the only place where you have the option of Chick-fil-A sauce.
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"I ate it so you don't have to" is a regular food column about off-beat eats, both good and bad. I picked the name years ago and now we're sort of stuck with it.
You can send any praise/food suggestions to nomalley@masslive.com . Please send all criticisms and complaints about Nick hating Wendy's spicy nuggets to srestrepo@masslive.com. You can check out the rest of the series here .
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