There’s a reason why we compare everything we eat to chicken. Chicken is familiar, chicken is basic (in a non Uggs-wearing, Frappucino-sipping way), chicken—when deep-fried, salted, and dipped in various sauces—is a gift from the culinary gods. Thus, it’s no surprise that nearly all of our favorite fast food burger joints have somehow integrated chicken nuggets or fingers into their menus. Even Burger King has taken fried chicken seriously with their questionable, albeit innovative chicken fries.
If you’re pining for poultry, but aren’t sure where to get your fix, we’ve created a definitive guide to every type of fast food chicken nugget and finger from across the country. From its geography and nutritional information to its sauce variety and ingredient composition, no battered and fried bird has been left unturned. The only hard decision is where to go and which dip to accompany your greasy feast. Because frankly, with this many options, it’s important to satisfy your craving correctly.
Scroll down to check them all out!
McDonald’s
McDonald’s
Type: Nuggets
Where: All 50 states
Serving Size: 6 Nuggets; Calories: 270
What to Know: Perhaps the most famous nugget on this list, McDonald’s chicken nuggets are now made with no artificial preservatives; a far cry from the pink slime controversy that damaged their rep in 2012. The fried boot, bell, ball, and bow-ties are also 100 percent white meat with no artificial colors and flavors, boasting some of the most famous dipping sauces like sweet ‘n sour, sweet chili, and the best of all, hot mustard (RIP in select markets).
Related Reading: A Guide to McDonald’s Fries Around the World | Which Country’s Big Mac Is the Least Healthy?
Wendy’s
Wendy’s
Type: Nuggets
Where: All 50 states
Serving Size: 6 Nuggets; Calories: 270
What to Know: They’re not as crispy as McDonald’s, but they share the same nutritional profile per serving. It’s all clearly a matter of fried chicken preference. You’d also be remiss to not order a Frosty for dessert. Since McFlurry machines are almost always broken, Wendy’s may edge out the golden arches in the long run.
Related Reading: How to Make Healthier Versions of Your Fast Food Faves
Burger King
Burger King
Type: Nuggets, Fries
Where: All 50 states
Serving Size: 6 nuggets; Calories: 260 | Box of fries; Calories: 290
What to Know: If there’s anything that separates Burger King’s nuggets and chicken fries from the pack, it’s the unique seasoning that highlights black pepper and garlic powder. Though the texture is a bit frozen bag-esque, there’s no denying that these guys are some of the juiciest in the bunch.
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A
Type: Nuggets, strips, grilled nuggets
Where: All states except Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada North Dakota, and Vermont.
Serving Size: 8 nuggets; Calories: 260 | 3 strips; Calories: 350 | 8 grilled nuggets; Calories: 140
What to Know: Dieters, rejoice! Chick-fil-A is the only fast food joint to offer a grilled nugget option for those hoping to eliminate saturated fats. They don’t taste as good as their fried sisters, though. In fact, not many nuggets and strips taste as good as their famous breaded variety with signature Chick-Fil-A sauce (combo between BBQ and honey mustard). With “chick” in its name, their chicken options have no other choice but to live up to the hype.
Jack in the Box
Jack in the Box
Types: Nuggets, strips
Where: Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Washington
Serving Size: 5 nuggets; Calories: 238 | 4 strips; Calories: 563
What to Know: If you’re a ranch connoisseur, Jack in the Box’s buttermilk ranch sauce is said to be one of the best. The nuggets themselves are pretty standard, though notoriously inexpensive. You can get five for $1.29 in select markets. What a steal!
Culver’s
Culver’s
Type: Tenders, buffalo tenders
Where: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Serving Size: 4 tenders; Calories: 540 | 4 buffalo tenders; Calories: 460
What to Know: Culver’s upped the ante with the introduction of their buffalo variety, but if you’re looking for a tender with lots of breading, this isn’t the one for you. We’ll always take the extra meat, though.
Sonic
Sonic
Type: Popcorn, strips
Where: All states except Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, and Vermont.
Serving Size: Small popcorn; Calories: 330 | 3 strips; Calories: 350
What to Know: Sonic is known for their shakes, but their Arby’s-esque strips with extra breading and seasoning can steal the show from its Master Blasts. Order the popcorn chicken for a lesson in portion control. Once you pop, the fun literally won’t stop.
Steak ‘n Shake
Type: Fingers
Where: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.
Serving Size: 3 strips; Calories: 370
What to Know: Steak ‘n Shake may be famous for its butter-lathered burgers, but its chicken game is stronger than ever with a platter featuring three diner-style fingers and fries. We’re just disappointed with the chain’s lack of sauce variety (aside form its famous Thousand Island-inspired Frisco dressing, of course.)
Checkers
Checkers
Type: Bites
Where: Alabama, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Serving Size: Half pound; Calories: 760
What to Know: Chicken bites are dangerous and remind us of the Popplers from Futurama (which actually turned out to be larvae for an alien race). Since you can only order these by the half pound, you’re pretty much guaranteed a meal in the 700+ calorie range. And that’s before the fries. And the soda. And the sauce. Oh, and the dessert.
Church’s
Church’s
Type: Tender strips
Where: All states except Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia.
Serving Size: 3 strips; Calories: 240
What to Know: If you like your tenders big and juicy, look no further than Church’s Chicken. This is the type of chicken you’ll want to wake up for on a Sunday morning after mass.
KFC
KFC
Type: Tenders, popcorn nuggets
Where: All 50 states
Serving Size: 3 tenders; Calories: 390 | Large nuggets; Calories: 570
What to Know: The Colonel doesn’t mess around with his secret recipe, so it’s no surprise that the famous batter tastes equally as tasty without the nuisance of chicken bones. Unfortunately for us, the Colonel also doesn’t mess around with calories, with a large nugget raking in 570 calories per serving. Worth it? Absolutely.
Carl’s Jr/Hardee’s
Hardee’s
Type: Stars, tenders
Where: Carl’s Jr: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Hardee’s: All states except Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, and Washington.
Serving Size: 4 stars; Calories: 170 | 3 tenders; Calories: 260
What to Know: Carl’s Jr. gets an award for creativity with its star-shaped nuggets, but they may remind you of the nuggets you ate in those Kid Cuisine TV dinners. Underwhelming, sure, but their juicy tenders (which remind of us of T.G.I.Friday’s) more than make up for it.
Popeyes
Popeyes
Type: Nuggets, Tenders
Where: All states except Maine, Montana, Utah, and Vermont.
Serving Size: 6 nuggets; Calories: 230 | 3 tenders; Calories: 340
What to Know: Cooked in a batter similar to Church’s Chicken (but nearly a third higher in calories), Popeyes also reigns supreme in the fried chicken department But yikes! The lip-smackingly delicious nuggets and tenders contain controversial trans fat, which must be completely eliminated within the next two years. Your move, Popeyes.
Arby’s
Arby’s
Type: Tenders
Where: All states except Rhode Island and Vermont.
Serving Size: 3 tenders; Calories: 360
What to Know: Arby’s reminds us constantly (and annoyingly) that they “have the meats,” but their tenders also have a lot of breading. While it may be too much for some to stomach, we dig this nostalgic tender that was always the best alternative to roast beef sandwiches.
A&W
A&W
Type: Tenders
Where: All states except Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana, and Maine.
Serving Size: 3 tenders; Calories: 260
What to Know: They love to brag about their chicken being “hand-breaded,” but we are not convinced that you’ll actually find a factory full of chicken tender breaders. If that’s the case, we support the cause whole-heartedly.
Dairy Queen
Dairy Queen
Type: Strips
Where: All 50 states
Serving Size: 4 strips; Calories: 470
What to Know: It may seem blasphemous to order chicken from a fast food restaurant that is famous for selling chocolate-dipped frozen yogurt, but a splurge is a splurge, so it makes sense to us. We also kind of dig that grainy, crumbly consistency from chicken strips’ past. These taste like they came straight out of the ’90s and we don’t hate it.
Related Video: How to Make Easy Baked Chicken Fingers
from Food News – Chowhound https://ift.tt/2pSH9b2
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment