Friday, July 26, 2019
A Definitive Guide to Every Fast Food Chicken Nugget and Finger
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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These Food Mashups Deliver 2-For-1 Glory
Food mashups have a tendency to go one of two ways. They either make us say, “What the heck is this and why does it exist?” (looking at you Peeps beer) OR wonder “Why the heck didn’t this exist until now, and why didn’t I think of it?!” (see: avocado hummus).
‘Stuffed Puffs’ chocolate stuffed marshmallows—which any s’mores-loving fool would naturally need and just dropped at Walmart nationwide—is definitely a “why didn’t we think of this?” collaboration. I mean, really anything that gets a toasty, melty s’more ready faster, should be considered for some sort of MacArthur genius grant. (As of July 25, though, they do have some stiff competition from this House Wine + Cheez-Its combo box.)
Stuffed Puffs Chocolate Filled Vanilla Marshmallows, $3.98 at Walmart
Finally back in stock, just in time for summer!
That got us thinking about some of the other brilliant food mashups—some obvious and some not so—that deliver a welcomed two-for-one bang for your buck. From peanut butter and jelly in a jar to taco-flavored Doritos, here are a few of the best “twofers” or food mashups in world history.
Goober Peanut Butter and Jelly (pack of three), $18.57 on Amazon
Peanut butter and jelly has got to be the most well known of all food power couples. It’s only natural that someone, in this case, Smuckers, would think to put them together in one conveniently packaged jar, just oozing with childhood nostalgia.Buy Now
Ritz Bits S’mores, $11.69 on Amazon
There’s no denying we love a good s’more. Chocolate, marshmallow, and graham crackers are a classic and winning combination, around a campfire, or anywhere really. While nothing is as good as the real thing, hot off the flames of a smoking fire, we were flabbergasted to learn it took so long for someone to pre-package this fearsome threesome for those on-the-go moments.Buy Now
Peanut Butter Stuffed Pretzels, $17.50 on Amazon
The only thing that might be better with peanut butter than jelly or chocolate is a crunchy, salty pretzel. There is a reason these little protein-packed lovelies are sold in massive 52-ounce tubs, and that’s because you’re going to mow through it faster than you thought possible!Buy Now
Mayochup, $11.79 on Amazon
If you’ve ever spent time in Europe you’ve likely encountered “mayochup” in its natural habitat. Sweet, umami ketchup mixed up with smooth and satisfying mayonnaise are as good together as (if not better than) they are on their own. It might not be the most gourmet-sounding mashup, but Heinz has given us the green light to smear this stuff on burgers, hot dogs, french fries, and anything else we can think of. Summer BBQs will never be the same!Buy Now
Taco-Flavored Doritos (pack of three), $19,96 on Amazon
While it wouldn’t be wise to order Taco Bell‘s genius Dorito’s Locos Tacos in bulk over the internet, you can stock up on these taco-flavored Doritos tortilla chips as the next best thing! Buy Now
Kettle Chips Dill Pickle Chips, 6 bags for $11.84 at Walmart
Ever have pickle juice run all up on the potato chips sharing a plate with your deli sandwich? Good, right? Well, you can relive that magic without even having to wait for a sandwich to be made thanks to these Kettle Dill Pickle Krinkle Cut Potato Chips.Buy Now
Heinz Mayomust, $11.99 on Amazon
Heinz coming in hot with another condiment mashup. You know that burger is getting both mayo and mustard so why not save yourself the trouble of a second scoop and smear? Mayomust to the rescue!Buy Now
Heinz Mayocue, $13.48 on Amazon
We’re starting to wonder if there is anything Heinz won’t mix with mayo but honestly, we hope they never stop with the mayo mashups, because there are very few things in life that mayo can’t make better. Except for ice cream, but it gets an A for effort, anyhow.Buy Now
Great Value Crunchy Graham Cracker & Marshmallow Creme Swirl, $2.48 at Walmart
And we’d be remiss if we didn’t include at least one more great s’mores-inspired product. This diet-friendly (kidding) spread has all the fixings smooshed into one jar of s’mores-y goop. Buy Now
What’s your favorite food mash-up? Let us know in the comments!
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Swipe 20% Off Your Entire Order at Our Fave Cookware Marketplace
If you’ve been looking for one of those dog days of summer super sales on cookware and kitchen gear, this might just be the time to pounce. Right now one of our favorite kitchen and cookware marketplaces, Sur la Table, has deep summer savings on some of our fave luxury cookware brands like Le Creuset and Staub.
Starting today through Monday, July 29, use code SCOOP19 at checkout for 20 percent off your entire purchase (no minimum) at Sur la Table. The deal does not exclude sale or clearance items but does include a stunning All-Clad 10-piece cookware set we’re gagging over, and a way too fun gas-powered outdoor pizza oven.
Related: This Century-Old Cast Iron Cookware Brand Is Down 50%
Whether you’re snooping around for new stainless steel cookware, a party-pleasing ice cream maker, or some chic new grilling tools, make sure to check out our top pics for Sur la Table’s big mid-summer sale.
All-Clad D3 Stainless Steel 10-Piece Set, $560 (was 699.95)
If you’re looking for a summer splurge on a top of the line set, now is the time to grab an All-Clad stainless steel cookware set – with 20 percent savings. This 10-piece set includes an 8-inch skillet, a 10-inch skillet, 2- and 3-quart. saucepans with lids, a 3-quart sauté pan with a helper handle and lid and an 8-quart stockpot with a lid. This cookware set will help you tackle every and any task in the kitchen.Buy Now
Cuisinart Classic Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream, & Sorbet Maker $47.95 (was $59.95)
Easily whip up your favorite frozen summer treats with this Cuisinart gadget. The best part is, it’s fully automatic, so just add in your ingredients and press the button -your frozen yogurt, ice cream, or sorbet will be ready in under 20 minutes.Buy Now
KitchenAid Spiralizer Attachment $79.95 (was 99.95)
We love this fun KitchenAid stand mixer spiralizer attachment. Try out the newest healthy food trends such as zoodles (zucchini noodles), spaghetti squash, and more with this nifty tool. Buy Now
Pizzeria Pronto Outdoor Pizza Oven $264.95 (was $329.95)
This portable pizza oven will allow you to have endless pizza parties this summer. Bring it along on a camping trip, to a friend’s house, or simply place it on your patio, then whip up some pizzas in under fifteen minutes.Buy Now
Nespresso Essenza Mini-Espresso Machine by De’Longhi, $103+ (was $129+)
Their most compact espresso machine yet, this is the perfect appliance for any kitchen or office. With hundreds of flavors of Nespresso pods to choose from and a milk frother, you’ll be able to recreate your favorite caffeinated drinks easily in your own home.Buy Now
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