A classic for kids (and kids at heart), McDonalds Chicken McNuggets have been at the top of public scrutiny for decades. Many parents rely on them for quick and easy dinners, but are they really something we should be feeding our children — or eating ourselves?.
“The Chicken McNugget has been constantly improving since its creation in the 1980s,” says registered dietitian Sarah Pflugradt, RDN, CSCS. Though chicken nuggets are fast food and shouldn’t be eaten every day, she says they’re also not the worst thing you could eat.
We took a deep dive into whats actually in a McDonalds chicken nugget and what that means for your health.
People often eat McDonald’s chicken nuggets, but some wonder if they are too high in calories and fat to be a healthy item. This article goes into great detail about what’s in McDonald’s chicken nuggets and whether or not they are recommended for weight gain.
Nutritional Content of McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets
A 4-piece serving of McDonald’s chicken nuggets contains
- 170 calories
- 12 g fat
- 1.5 g saturated fat
- 0 g trans fat
- 20 mg cholesterol
- 340 mg sodium
- 6 g carbohydrates
- 1 g fiber
- 9 g protein
The chicken nuggets are made from breast, rib, and tenderloin meat and are topped with a standard fast food breading.
Compared to other McDonald’s menu items, the nuggets are lower in calories than burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, and breakfast sandwiches which can range from 250-500+ calories.
But for the size of the serving, nuggets still have a fair amount of fat and sodium. Most of the fat comes from frying and breading, and the salt is added to make it taste better.
Are McDonald’s Nuggets Considered Fattening?
Whether a food is fattening depends on a few key factors
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Calorie density – How many calories are packed into each gram of food.
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Fat content – High fat foods tend to be higher in calories.
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Portion size – Larger portions mean more overall calories consumed.
Because they are fried in a lot of fat, chicken nuggets have a moderately high calorie density. Even though chicken is low in calories on its own, the number of calories goes up a lot when it is battered and fried.
The fat content (12g per 4-piece serving) is quite high given the small portion size. For comparison, a skinless chicken breast of the same weight would have around 2-3g of fat.
Additionally, the small 4-piece serving size means many customers eat 2-3 servings in one meal which exponentially increases the calories, fat, and sodium.
So while a single serving of nuggets is not too high in calories, the preparation method, fat content, and typical portion sizes consumed mean they are one of the more fattening items on the McDonald’s menu.
Healthier Alternatives to McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets
If you love chicken nuggets but want to lighten up the calories, here are some alternatives:
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Grilled chicken sandwich or wrap – Ask for no mayo or cheese to cut about 150 calories.
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Artisan grilled chicken sandwich – A slightly healthier breaded chicken option with fewer calories than nuggets.
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Salads with grilled or crispy chicken – Load up on veggies and go light on dressing for lower calorie option.
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Apple slices or fruit as a side – Aim for apple slices instead of fries to save about 150 calories.
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Nugget dipping sauces on the side – Sauces like sweet & sour or barbecue can add 50-100+ calories per packet.
Making some simple swaps or sides can help turn a meal with nuggets into a more balanced option.
The Bottom Line
McDonald’s chicken nuggets are high in calories, fat, and sodium compared to leaner protein options. The preparation method and typical large portion sizes make them one of the more fattening entrees on the menu.
However, nuggets can be worked into an overall healthy diet in moderation and by balancing them out with lower calorie sides and sauces. Choosing grilled chicken or salads when possible are also healthier alternatives when dining at McDonald’s.
White Boneless Chicken
The number one ingredient in chicken nuggets from McDonalds is 100 percent white boneless chicken breast meat.
There used to be a myth that the meat was full of waste, but their current recipe only calls for chicken breast. As for what percentage of the nugget is white meat chicken, the chicken makes up a portion of the chicken nugget, while the other twelve ingredients make up the rest.
The vegetable oil in chicken nuggets is a mixture of canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil and hydrogenated soybean oil. While most plant oils are primarily unsaturated fat (except for coconut and palm oils), the process of hydrogenation increases the amount of saturated fat in any oil, according to Consumer Reports.
“A four-piece nugget has 1. 5 grams of saturated fat, which is within both the U. S. government and American Heart Associations guidelines for saturated fat intake. “It’s something to be aware of and cut back on, but not to worry about in small amounts,” says Pflugradt.
Some of the breading on chicken nuggets is made from bleached wheat flour that has been made healthier by adding folic acid, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, and riboflavin.
Enriching grain products has helped alleviate some common nutrient shortfalls. Enriched grains are the number one source of folic acid for people assigned female at birth in the United States, and adding folic acid to grains has helped decrease the rate of neural tube defects caused by folate deficiency during pregnancy by 35 percent, according to a May 2019 article in Advances in Nutrition.
Yellow Corn Flour
Yellow corn flour is a whole-grain flour added to the Chicken McNuggets batter. Its a source of carbohydrates but also provides a decent amount of iron, a mineral that helps oxygen travel through the blood, per the National Institute of Health (NIH).
McDonalds chicken nuggets use a blend of vegetable starch from corn, wheat, rice and peas. Starch is a carbohydrate found in plants. Adding vegetable starch to batter increases the crispiness of the breading as its deep fried, per a February 2004 paper in European Food Research and Technology.
A four-piece McDonalds chicken nugget serving has 330 milligrams of sodium. If you sit down to a 10-piece order, youll be eating 840 milligrams of sodium in just one meal.
A high-sodium diet can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and even contribute to osteoporosis by causing calcium to leach out of your bones, per the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The American Heart Association recommends less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day. A four- or six-piece chicken nugget meal does have some sodium, but if you consider the other foods you eat in a day, they can still fit in a sodium-controlled diet.
To help the chicken nuggets puff up during the heating process, McDonalds adds a blend of several different leavening agents, including baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, calcium lactate and monocalcium phosphate to the batter.
All of these additives are regulated by the FDA and approved for use in food.
The spices used in McDonalds chicken nuggets are not disclosed, but theyre used to add flavor to the batter.
Yeast extract is added to enhance foods flavor, much like the additive monosodium glutamate (MSG), as it also contains the amino acid glutamate.
Glutamate is an amino acid naturally found in the body and often added to foods for an umami taste. Its needed for neuron and brain function and also plays a role in memory and cognition, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
While eating too much MSG has been associated with symptoms such as headaches, numbness, tingling or flushing, yeast extract has much less glutamate and is unlikely to cause any type of reaction, per the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Food Theory: The Many Lies of McDonalds Chicken Nuggets
FAQ
Are McDonald’s chicken nuggets fattening?
While the nuggets are moderately low in calories and contain a fair amount of protein, they’re also packed with sodium. Four nuggets contain 340 milligrams of sodium, which totals up to 15% of your daily value.
How unhealthy are McDonald’s chicken selects?
| Nutritional Information | Per Portion | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy (kcal) | 154.2 | 18% RI* |
| fat (g) | 8.6 | 28% RI* |
| of which saturated (g) | 0.9 | 11% RI* |
| carbohydrates (g) | 8.6 | 8% RI* |
Is McDonald’s chicken nuggets 100% real chicken?
What’s in Chicken McNuggets®? McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets® are made with 100% white meat chicken and no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.
How many calories are in 10 nuggets from McDonald’s?
A 10-piece serving of McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets contains 410 calories, according to McDonald’s. This information is available on McDonald’s website.