When it comes to fast food burger showdowns, Wendys is less often featured than the McDonalds-Burger King rivalry thats practically as old as fast food itself. The third largest burger franchise and seventh largest restaurant chain in the country, however, is hidden in plain sight. And with more than 6,000 locations across the U. S. and Canada, it probably wont be hard to find a Baconator when the mood strikes.
Of course, youre not just confined to a burger and fries when you hit the Wendys drive-thru. Much like its biggest counterparts, Wendys has a whole slate of chicken offerings on its menu. The oldest and most iconic are Wendys famous chicken nuggets, which have been a menu staple for decades. And many say they rival, if not beat out, the nuggets from their fast food competitors (via Thrillist). But how much do you really know about those nuggets you’re eating? Keep reading to find out what Wendy’s famous chicken nuggets really are.
Chicken nuggets are a popular food especially with kids. The bite-sized pieces of breaded and fried chicken are easy to eat and have an appealing flavor. However some people question what exactly is in those nuggets, especially fast food versions like Wendy’s chicken nuggets. Are Wendy’s chicken nuggets really made from real chicken meat? Let’s take a closer look.
What are Chicken Nuggets Made Of?
In their simplest form, chicken nuggets are made from real cuts of chicken meat that are ground up, combined with binders and flavorings, breaded and fried. However, mass-produced fast food chicken nuggets often contain a lot more ingredients
A typical fast food chicken nugget contains:
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Chicken meat – This is generally not whole chicken breast, but mechanically separated chicken. The meat is pulverized and ground up, allowing the use of less desirable cuts.
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Binders: These are made of things like wheat flour, egg whites, starch, and gums and keep the nugget together.
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Breading – For crunch, nuggets are coated in seasoned breadcrumbs.
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Flavorings – Often chicken nuggets contain powdered chicken broth or seasoning mixes for flavor.
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Preservatives – To maintain freshness, preservatives like sodium phosphates are added.
So while chicken is the main ingredient, there are a lot of other additives used to create the taste, texture and shelf-life of fast food chicken nuggets.
Are Wendy’s Chicken Nuggets Made from Real Chicken?
According to Wendy’s own ingredients information, their chicken nuggets do contain real white meat chicken as the first ingredient. However, they also contain a significant number of other ingredients:
- Chicken, chicken broth, chicken fat
- Breading (wheat flour, yeast, salt, wheat gluten, dried honey, dried molasses)
- Seasonings (vinegar powder, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, spices)
- Binders (corn starch, maltodextrin, modified food starch)
- Flavorings (chicken type, chicken broth type)
- Hydrolyzed corn/soy/wheat gluten protein (for flavor)
- Beef extract (for flavor)
- Preservatives (citric acid, carrageenan)
There are a lot of other things besides real chicken that are used to give the nuggets flavor, texture, and help them get crispy when they’re fried.
According to Wendy’s, their chicken nuggets are made from whole muscle white meat chicken. The chicken breasts are cut into nugget sized pieces, battered and breaded before being cooked. This results in a nugget that is around 50% chicken.
How Are Wendy’s Chicken Nuggets Made?
The process Wendy’s uses to make their chicken nuggets includes:
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Trimmed chicken breasts are manually cut into nugget sized pieces.
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Meat glue is added to bond the smaller pieces of meat together.
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The nugget pieces are battered in a flour-based coating and then breaded.
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Nuggets are par-fried until golden brown. This cooks them most of the way through.
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Nuggets are flash frozen for transport and storage.
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At restaurants, the par-fried nuggets are fried again until fully cooked and served.
Are Fast Food Chicken Nuggets Healthy?
Chicken nuggets from Wendy’s do have real chicken in them, but they also have a lot of:
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Fat – The frying process adds a lot of fat. A 6-piece serving can contain 15-20g.
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Sodium – With all the seasoning and salt in nuggets, a small order can have over 600mg of sodium.
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Preservatives – To maintain freshness, numerous preservatives are used.
Additionally, the high temperature frying process can degrade the natural fats in chicken into less healthy trans fats and oxidized cholesterol.
So while Wendy’s chicken nuggets provide protein from real chicken, the high levels of fat, salt and additives mean they should only be an occasional indulgence.
Tips for Healthier Chicken Nuggets
If you want a healthier chicken nugget option, here are some tips:
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Make them yourself – From scratch, you control ingredients. Use real chicken breast and minimal binders.
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Opt for baking instead of frying – Baking avoids added fats from frying. Coat in egg and breadcrumbs and bake until golden.
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Use whole grain breading – Opt for whole grain breadcrumbs versus white breadcrumbs.
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Use Greek yogurt in place of egg – This reduces cholesterol and calories.
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Season simply – Use basic herbs instead of pre-made seasoning packets full of salt.
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Add veggies – Mixing in grated zucchini or spinach to the meat adds nutrients.
While not the healthiest choice, Wendy’s chicken nuggets can be an occasional treat. Making nuggets yourself results in a healthier, less processed option that still satisfies that crispy chicken craving!
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Wendy’s chicken nuggets made from pink slime?
No, Wendy’s chicken nuggets are not made from pink slime. The main ingredient in them is chopped and shaped white meat chicken.
What part of the chicken is used in Wendy’s nuggets?
Wendy’s states they use whole muscle white meat chicken breasts that are trimmed and cut into nugget-size pieces.
Are the chicken nuggets at Wendy’s frozen or fresh?
Wendy’s chicken nuggets are par-fried and frozen to be transported to restaurants. They are fried again when ordered to warm and crisp them.
What is in the breading of Wendy’s chicken nuggets?
The breading contains wheat flour, yeast, salt, wheat gluten, honey, molasses and other seasonings.
Do Wendy’s chicken nuggets contain MSG?
No, Wendy’s chicken nuggets do not contain MSG according to their ingredients list. However, they do contain autolyzed yeast extract which contains naturally occurring MSG.
Are Wendy’s spicy chicken nuggets made differently?
Wendy’s spicy chicken nuggets have all the same ingredients as the original nuggets, with the addition of cayenne pepper spice and other flavorings.
Can you get gluten-free chicken nuggets at Wendy’s?
No, Wendy’s does not currently offer a gluten-free chicken nugget option. Their nuggets contain wheat-based breading.
Wendy’s nuggets contain additives
While Wendys claims to pride itself on using real, fresh, and high quality ingredients in all of its food, there is more than meets the eye when it comes to the label, and Wendys chicken nuggets are no exception. A peek at the ingredients list shows that Wendys uses at least one additive in its nuggets, in the form of sodium aluminum phosphate. According to Healthline, this additive used in fast food and other processed foods for a variety of purposes, including thickening, leavening, and as a preservative.
While sodium phosphates have been “generally recognized as safe” for consumption by the FDA, that doesnt mean they dont come with negative health effects. The American Heart Association (AHA) reported on a UT Southwestern Medical Center study that linked phosphate additives, like the ones you find in Wendys nuggets, to lower physical activity and more sedentary habits. And overtime, this can lead to increased risk for cancer and other diseases, and mortality. The AHA also noted that “previous studies have linked higher phosphate intake to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death, particularly in people with kidney disease.”
You can get Wendy’s nuggets at a lower price depending on how you order
Heres a little secret — if you know how to order the right way, you can save money on every single Wendys chicken nugget you ever eat. Let us explain. Wendys offers customers three different sizes of chicken nuggets, depending on how big of a craving youre having. However, counterintuitively to what you might expect, the cost per nugget actually goes up if you order in higher quantities. Several sleuthy customers on Reddit have worked out the math to figure this out. So basically, if you order more nuggets in smaller quantities, youll always be saving yourself some money.
We also looked at a local Wendys menu to test the theory out, and it held true: A four-piece nugget order is priced at $0.99, which comes out to roughly $0.25 per nugget. The ratio stays the same for the six-piece, which is priced at $1.49. But when you order the 10-piece nuggets at $4.69, the price per nugget almost doubles to $0.47. So technically, you could get a dozen nuggets (in the form of two six-piece orders) for about $3, which is less money than a single 10-piece order. And if youre really smart, you could get a built in discount on your 10-piece by simply ordering a four-piece and a six-piece together for just under $2.50. Were not sure if Wendys has caught on to their pricing problem yet, so keep this under wraps.