Demystifying McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets: How Are They Really Made?

McDonald’s chicken nuggets have been a popular menu item for decades, beloved by kids and adults alike. But there has long been mystery and intrigue around how exactly these bite-sized pieces of breaded and fried chicken are made. Are they really just pieces of whole chicken breast like McDonald’s claims? Or are there chicken feet, bones, and other unsavory parts blended in? Let’s unpack the process and see what really goes into making a McDonald’s chicken nugget.

Sourcing the Chicken

All of McDonald’s chicken nuggets are made with 100% real chicken breast meat. The meat comes from chickens raised by select trusted suppliers. Each supplier has their own rules and ways of doing things, but McDonald’s has strict rules that suppliers must follow when it comes to animal welfare, using hormones in feed, and the impact on the environment. There are no hormones or steroids added to the corn and soybean meal that the chickens eat.

From Whole Breasts to Mince

Once the whole chicken breasts arrive at the McDonald’s food processing facility, they are manually inspected and trimmed. Then the breasts are run through an industrial meat grinder to be minced into very small pieces.

Some key steps in the mincing process

• The grinder blade speed, temperature, and pressure are precisely controlled to achieve the ideal texture.

• The chicken is minced multiple times through progressively smaller grinder plates to achieve a very fine, consistent texture.

• The minced meat is tested regularly for size, texture, color, and other quality metrics.

Flavoring and Forming the Nugget

The minced chicken breast is placed in a large rotating tumbler where seasonings and flavors are added. Exact seasonings vary by region, but commonly include salt, spices, and natural flavors. The chicken and seasonings tumble together thoroughly mixing the flavors throughout.

Next, the seasoned minced chicken is pressed into the iconic oblong nugget shapes. It is compressed and formed using an industrial forming machine specialized for high volume nugget production.

Key aspects of the forming process:

• The minced meat is lightly compressed to remove air pockets and pack the meat tightly.

• The compressed meat is pressed into a rolling sheet.

• The sheet is cut using press dies into the nugget shapes.

• Nuggets are inspected for proper shape, size, and quality.

Breading and Par-Frying

The pressed nugget shapes are battered and breaded before being par-fried. The batter helps the breading adhere and adds flavor. The breading provides texture and flavor.

The automated breading process works as follows:

• Nuggets pass through a flour-based batter then into a breadcrumb mixture.

• The batter and breading fully coats each nugget.

• Excess batter and crumbs are shaken off.

• Nuggets are par-fried for 1-2 minutes at 350°F to partially cook and set the breading.

Flash Freezing for Freshness

After par-frying, the chicken nuggets are individually quick frozen (IQF). Each nugget is frozen solid within seconds as they tumble through a specialized IQF freezing machine.

The core temperature drops quickly during flash freezing, which keeps food fresh and safe. It also keeps nuggets from sticking together and lets them be packed loose instead of in blocks.

Delivery, Storage, and Final Cooking

The frozen chicken nuggets are sent to McDonald’s restaurants in bags that keep them from getting freezer burn. Nuggets are held frozen in restaurant freezers until needed.

To finish cooking, frozen nuggets are deep fried for about 3 minutes at 340°F until golden brown and 165°F minimum internal temperature is reached. After cooking, nuggets are held in warming trays until served hot and crispy to the customer.

Simple Ingredients, Complex Supply Chain

While the ingredients may be simple, McDonald’s chicken nuggets require a complex, highly orchestrated supply chain to produce. From chicken farm to freezer to fryer, each step of the process must adhere to strict procedures and controls to deliver a consistently delicious product.

So while mystery and myths still surround McDonald’s nuggets, the reality is they are made from simple, real chicken with just a few additions for flavor and texture. Now that you know what really goes into making chicken nuggets, you can enjoy your 20-piece with confidence!