16 Fun Facts About Chicken Nuggets You Must Amaze
Are you a fan of chicken nuggets? Here are some fun facts about everyone’s favorite bite-sized treat that you may not know!
Two fast food chains in the United States have been found to have chicken nuggets that are low in meat and high in waste. Approximately 50-60% of the nuggets are made up of fat, skin, nerves, blood vessels.
In the 1950s and ’60s, Americans weren’t suffering from heart attacks, and doctors finally got a clue that saturated fats and red meat might be a factor. For a burger joint like McDonald’s, that meant sales were falling. To attract consumers, the fast-food chain began working on chicken items to round out its beef menu, according to Time. The result: chicken nuggets.
Fun Facts About Chicken Nuggets You Must Amaze.
Old hens
The first nuggets went on sale back in 1980. At that time, however, people preferred to eat them whole, because when you bit into them, you could see how grey the meat was inside. They say that the reason for this was the meat of old hens that no longer laid eggs.
2. They were created by a chef who worked for Queen Elizabeth II
Who better to formulate a recipe for the world’s largest fast-food chain than someone with real experience? To help make a change to McDonald’s menu that would turn around its reputation, the company turned to Rene Arend, a Luxembourg-born chef whose resume included preparing dinner for Queen Elizabeth II and the King of Belgium.
3. They were not the first chicken dish
You wouldn’t expect even a chef with those credentials to create the perfect recipe on his first try. His first idea was a fried chicken pot pie, but it failed in testing. The team also tried fried chicken, but it failed to raise the excitement with restaurants like KFC dominating the market.
4. They weren’t the first nuggets either
McDonald’s almost gave up on the chicken idea altogether and came out with a completely different item: onion nuggets. The latter hit the market in the 1970s and actually inspired the Chicken McNugget, which debuted in the early 1980s. Onion nuggets were pulled from the menu after their meaty cousin stole the show.
5. The McRib was created because there wasn’t enough chicken to make McNuggets
In a 2009 interview, Arend said that when McDonald’s first introduced the nuggets, they were such hot sellers that every franchise wanted to get their hands on them. At the time, McDonald’s couldn’t keep up with demand, so the chef claims he created the McRib so other franchises would still have a new menu item, without requiring the low-supply chicken.
6. They do not contain “pink slime”
A viral video of “pink slime” purportedly coming from McDonald’s gave McNuggets a bad reputation — but the image wasn’t actually from the chain, who insists they never used it. The disgusting-looking “pink slime” is known as lean, finely textured beef in the meat industry, and many suppliers use it. The sticky substance is treated with ammonium hydroxide, but it’s completely safe to eat. Regardless, McDonald’s stopped using ammonia in its products (including McNuggets) in 2012, after a push from the public.
7. Those iconic shapes have names
You’ve probably noticed that chicken nuggets always come in the same four shapes, but did you know that each one has a name? The “circle” is round, the “bone” looks like a rounded rectangle, the “boot” has a protruding edge, and the “bell” is shaped like a diamond. No matter what you call it, a McNugget by any other name would taste just as good.
8. There are four ways for a reason
Although it may not be the most scientific reason. According to McDonald’s Canada website, “The four ways we made McNuggets were the perfect balance of ease and fun. Three would have been too few, five would have been crazy.”…Hard to argue with that logic.
Making chicken nuggets at home is a great way to ensure you have fresh, healthy ingredients. There are countless recipes available that range from the simplest to the most elaborate, allowing you to customize the dish to your own taste. When making homemade nuggets, you can experiment with different seasonings, sauces, and cooking methods, making the meal even more special and personalized.
