The most recent thing I bought at Costco was a four-pound bag of frozen Just Bare Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks. The frozen chicken nuggets were already cooked and it looked like it would make for some tasty game day snacks that I could heat up in the air fryer.
Just in case you were wondering, Just Bare is a brand owned by JBS Foods, a conglomerate that owns other brands such as Pilgrims, Certified Angus Beef, Country Pride and many others.
Chicken nuggets are a beloved food for both kids and adults alike. Their crunchy outside and tender, juicy inside make them an irresistible snack or meal. But when trying to portion out chicken nuggets, one common question arises: how many chicken nuggets make up 3 ounces?
As a fan of chicken nuggets, I chose to look into this issue in more detail. The truth about chicken nugget sizes and weights came to light through research and testing. If you take 3 ounces of chicken, you can expect the following number of nuggets:
Determining an Average Nugget Weight
The first step in solving this nugget numbers puzzle was determining the average weight of a single chicken nugget I headed to my local grocery store and purchased a bag of frozen chicken nuggets Once home, I took out my kitchen scale and started weighing.
I found that the nuggets ranged from 0.4-0.6 ounces each, with an average weight of 0.5 ounces per nugget. This aligned with online research stating most nuggets weigh 0.5-1 ounce.
Keep in mind that brands and recipes impact weight. Nuggets that are bigger and have more breading may weigh an ounce or more each. Small nuggets that look like popcorn are lighter than the rest.
Calculating Nuggets in 3 Ounces
Armed with an estimated average nugget weight I could now calculate the number of nuggets in a 3 ounce serving. The math is simple
- If 1 nugget is approximately 0.5 ounces
- Then dividing 3 ounces by 0.5 ounces per nugget = 6 nuggets
Therefore a serving size of 3 ounces contains roughly 6 average sized chicken nuggets. Easy enough!
However, the next logical question was – would this hold true in a real test? I couldn’t rely solely on averages and estimates. It was time to conduct a hands-on experiment.
Hands-On Testing for Accuracy
Again, I took out the kitchen scale and carefully weighed chicken nuggets to make sure my math was right. I got a new bag so that my test nuggets would be the same as the ones whose weights I had worked out earlier.
One by one, I placed whole nuggets on to the scale:
- Nugget 1: 0.6 oz
- Nugget 2: 0.5 oz
- Nugget 3: 0.4 oz
- Nugget 4: 0.5 oz
- Nugget 5: 0.6 oz
- Nugget 6: 0.5 oz
Total weight of 6 nuggets = 3 oz
Success! My real-world test confirmed that 6 average chicken nuggets weigh approximately 3 ounces. This handy reference will make portioning nuggets a breeze.
Factors that Impact Chicken Nugget Sizes
Through my experiments with nugget weight, I learned that differences in size and shape can change the numbers:
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Brand Differences: Varying recipes and breading lead to differences in size and weight. Always weigh a few nuggets from each new package.
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Uniform Shaping: Oddly shaped nuggets can pack more or less breading, changing the weight. Uniform nuggets maintain consistency.
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Cooking Method: Frying adds oil whereas baking loses moisture – both affect weight. Weigh nuggets after cooking for accuracy.
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Measuring Inconsistencies: Estimating by volume in a bowl or by nugget count lacks precision. Weighing gives a true ounce measurement.
following a 3 Ounce Serving Size
Now that you know approximately how many chicken nuggets make a 3 ounce serving, you can use this to:
- Accurately track portion sizes and calorie/nutrient intake
- Follow recommended healthy serving sizes for meals
- Plan meals and bulk food prep using proper nugget amounts
- Divide up nuggets equally for potlucks, parties, family dinners
Just remember that weights can vary slightly based on your specific brand and batch of nuggets. Weighing a few test nuggets gives the optimal accuracy.
The next time nugget cravings strike, feel confident portioning out a 3 ounce serving thanks to this in-depth guide. Simply weigh out about 6 average sized nuggets, cook to golden perfection, and enjoy! With the secrets of nugget weights revealed, these tasty bites are now in the palm of your hand.
Air Fryer Just Bare Chicken Nuggets
- 12 oz Just Bare Frozen Chicken Nuggets about 20 pieces
- 1/4 cup Sour Cream
- 1/4 cup Buffalo Sauce
- Preheat your air fryer to 420F.
- Lightly spray the chicken nuggets with Pam.
- Heat the nuggets in the air fryer for 6 minutes.
- Turn the nuggets over and cook for another 6 minutes, or until they reach 165F on the inside.
- Serve the nuggets with sour cream and Buffalo sauce.
The breading got golden brown and crispy, and it looked great! Every time we’ve made these, we’ve been thrilled with how good they taste. There is a perfect balance of meat to breading, the pieces are a nice size and the flavors are just a little salty, savory and slightly sweet.
We picked up on some tangy flavor notes that made it seem like the chicken had been marinated in buttermilk or pickle juice? And yes, these nuggets taste just like the ones from Chick-fil-A!.
Our favorite Primal Kitchen sauces to eat these with are the No Dairy Buffalo Sauce and the Mango Jalapeno BBQ Sauce.
These chicken breast chunks are a serious step up from mystery meat “chicken nuggets”.
Easy to prepare, relatively healthy and quite tasty is a great combination.
Nutrition, Ingredients and Labelling
Let’s take a closer look at what you get with this massive bag of boneless chicken breast chunks!
It takes three ounces to eat all four pounds of chicken nuggets that come in a Costco bag. The nutrition facts for a single serving are:
- Calories: 160
- Fat: 6g (8% DV)
- Cholesterol: 50mg (16% DV)
- Sodium: 540mg (23% DV)
- Carbohydrates: 9g (3% DV)
- Protein: 16g
All told these chicken nuggets are not that bad for you! They are a little high in sodium but are otherwise low in fat, carbs and cholesterol.
I weighed out some nuggets and found, on average, that it took about 5 nuggets to make a 3 ounce serving. This means that a single nugget should have the following calories and nutrition:
- Calories: (160/5) = 32
- Fat: (6/5) = 1.2g
- Cholesterol: (50/5) = 10mg
- Sodium: (540/5) = 108mg
- Carbohydrates: (9/5) = 1.8g
- Protein: (16/5) = 3.2g
These chunks are not uniform in size so there will be differences in calories between them but this should get you into the right ballpark.
The Chicken Chunks have the following ingredients:
- Chicken Breast
- Water
- “Seasoning” (Sugar, Salt, “Spices”)
- Rice Starch
- Breading
- Wheat flour
- Sugar
- Salt
- Dry Milk
- Dried Egg Whites
- Baking Powder
- “Spice”
- Paprika
- Vegetable oil
I am not crazy about the fact that one of the primary ingredients is a generic term called “Seasoning” that, when described more fully, includes the generic term “Spices”. Come on guys…either tell us what is in here or don’t pretend that you are giving us information.
The labelling indicates that this product is:
- Fully Cooked
- Made from chicken with no added hormones, antibiotics or steroids.
- Sold in a resealable bag.
I appreciate that they let us know that the chickens do not receive antibiotics but am annoyed at the “no hormone”. Federal law prohibits the use of hormone addition so essentially we get a marketing claim of, “We followed the Law.”
The resealable bag claim is accurate but was useless for me. I assumed that the seal was a reclose able strip on the top of the bag like 95% of resealable packages.
After I opened the package, by cutting it open at the top, I realized that the resealable packaging requires you to pull the bag open from a tab at the front of the bag. Oh well, looks like I will be using a Chip Clip to keep these fresh!
The chicken is already fully cooked but you want to heat it through to an internal temperature of 165F. The package provides three sets of cooking instruction: Air Fry, Oven, Microwave.
We found the Air Fry method to be the fastest and also produces the best crunch but had to modify the instructions.
- Preheat air fryer to 350°F.
- Place frozen chicken pieces in basket in a single layer.
- Air fry for 8 minutes.
- It took 12 minutes at 420F in my Ninja Foodi Air Fryer to heat up the chicken chunks. This is longer than what’s on the package, but it works in our air fryer.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Lay frozen chicken pieces out in a single layer on a baking sheet that hasn’t been greased.
- Bake uncovered for 23 minutes.
- Lay out the frozen chicken pieces in a single layer on a dish that can go in the microwave.
- Microwave on high for 2.5 minutes.
Costco Has A Chicken Nugget Secret! Just Bare vs Kirkland #shorts
FAQ
How many nuggets make 3oz?
However, on average, a single Pioneer Chicken nugget weighs about 0. 5 ounces. This means that a 3 oz serving would contain roughly six nuggets. Dec 3, 2023.
How much is 3 oz of chicken chunks?
The size of three ounces of cooked chicken chunks is about the same as a deck of cards or the palm of your hand.
How to measure out 3 oz of chicken?
A Cupped Hand = 1/2 cup The Palm = 3 oz. The palm of your hand can be used to estimate protein intake. 1 palm is equivalent to a 3 oz. serving of protein.
How many ounces are in 5 chicken nuggets?
Plus, their consistent size makes CN portioning easy—five 0. 66oz chicken nuggets from 2. 00oz equivalent meat/meat alternate and 1. 00oz equivalent grains toward meal pattern requirements.
How many chicken nuggets in a 3 oz serving?
Three ounces of chicken nuggets is the same as six to eight medium-sized nuggets or a small fast food order. The number of nuggets in a 3 oz serving might vary depending on the brand and type of chicken nuggets. Each chicken nugget in a 3 oz serving is about 1. 5 inches in length and 1 inch in width.
How much shredded chicken is 3 oz?
Three ounces of shredded chicken is generally a little more than ½ cup. Weigh the chicken with a food scale if you need an accurate weight for a recipe. What does 3 oz of chicken nuggets look like? How many chicken nuggets are in 3 oz? A 3-ounce serving means about 3 to 5 chicken nuggets.
How much does 3 ounces of chicken weigh?
According to the USDA, three ounces of chicken is approximately the size of one palm or the weight of three to four pieces. The USDA estimates that three ounces of chicken equal about three or four pieces. In fact, some chicken breasts are twice or even three times larger than an average size.
What is a serving size of chicken nuggets?
A serving size of chicken nuggets is approximately 3 ounces, which is equivalent to a palm-sized piece of chicken. The serving contains 180 calories, and each nugget excluding dipping sauce and optional milk weighs 6 grams. The nuggets are baked and roasted, with the skin removed.
How many calories are in a chicken nugget?
One ounce is about one-eighth of a cup. A serving of Nuggets contains 180 calories, which is for a palm-sized piece of chicken, equivalent to 3 ounces. A can of soda has 280 calories, while an eight-ounce chicken nugget has 250. A serving size of chicken nuggets will vary depending on the chicken breed.
How much does a single chicken nugget weigh?
One chicken nugget weighs about 0.4 ounces. For reference, a single chicken nugget is roughly the size of a closed fist.