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There is no problem that can’t be solved with chicken nuggets. Tough day at work? Chicken nuggets. Going through a breakup? Chicken nuggets.
There are plenty of fast food restaurants slinging excellent nuggets, but I’m not here to debate that today. This is all about the best frozen chicken nuggets, which are comfort on demand when you can’t be bothered to go through the drive-thru. Plus, baking or air frying nuggets at home is quick and guarantees the crispiest, most piping-hot nuggets that you’ll ever have. Here’s how my frozen chicken nugget taste test went down.
The Tasters
I thought I knew my favorite when I embarked on this tasting journey of 14 different frozen chicken nugget brands available to order on DoorDash, but I was wrong. I recruited four nugget-obsessed friends to help me taste through a mountain of them — and one who was gluten intolerant, tasting just the four gluten-free options.
The Methodology
All of these were nuggets — meaning ground meat that’s battered or breaded and fried, not popcorn chicken, chicken bites, or chicken tenders that are made of whole pieces of meat. They were all fully cooked, only requiring heating and crisping. We baked all 14 bags and boxes of nuggets on parchment-lined sheet pans at the same temperature and time for efficiency: 400°F in a convection oven, which is somewhere between an air fryer and a standard oven. It took on average at least 15 minutes — and up to 25 — to get to ideal crispiness across the trays, and they were flipped halfway through.
To rank them properly, we tried them first solo, then dipped in our favorite sauces. As we tasted, we noted the flavor and seasoning, juiciness of the interior meat, crust color, and crunch factor. We ate them in three rounds so they’d be in prime tasting condition and ranked them on a scale of 1 to 10. In the end, we picked five winners — including a gluten-free option that even the gluten-eating tasters would go back for. Enjoy the fruits, or should I say nuggets, of our labor.
The Results
Tyson Chicken Nuggets
This is the bag that many of us grew up with, so we understand it has the added positive bump of nostalgia. But Tyson truly makes the platonic ideal of a great tasting chicken nugget with an even, deep golden brown crust that gives way to an audible crunch when you bite down, along with a moist, meaty interior. It’s well-seasoned in that it isn’t too salty nor bland and has a good breading-to-meat ratio. The only thing that makes this nugget experience better is dinosaur shapes, which Tyson comes through with (look for the “Fun Nuggets”).
Pilgrim’s Chicken Nuggets
None of the tasters were familiar with this new brand, but the juiciness of these nuggets astounded us. It had a slightly bouncy texture and was the meatiest out of our top pick. It had a little more spice — not heat, but spices — for a well-rounded flavor. Pilgrim’s nuggets resembled a fast food nugget, though we couldn’t determine which one, which is a high compliment.
PERDUE Panko-Breaded Chicken Nuggets
Panko, a Japanese-style bread crumb, is my preferred coating for breading just about anything. Here, panko added a nice airiness to the crust, making it feel lighter. The flavor was not as salty as some of our other favorites. The pronounced crunch made tasters wish we had an ASMR mic to capture the bites, and the crust held up particularly well to dunking and dipping, even a few hours after initial tasting.
John Soules Food Chicken Nuggets
Don’t be fooled by the slightly pale color of the crust; these chicken nuggets are incredibly crunchy. They’re also packed with an intensely chicken-y flavor. John Soules’ nuggets are on the smaller side, which makes them the most snackable option that can be eaten in one bite (as opposed to the two-biters on this list). We went back for seconds and thirds of these nuggets, even after working our way through 14 bags, because they were so easily poppable.
PERDUE Simply Smart Organics Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets
“Wow” echoed around the room when we all tried this nugget because it didn’t taste gluten-free. The coating was generously crisp — thanks to a combination of rice flour, corn flour, and cornmeal — and a seasoning that balanced savory with a hint of sweet that complemented the tender chicken inside. These were some of the best tasting chicken nuggets and are great for both gluten-free and gluten-full folks to enjoy.
PHOTO CREDIT:
Photography: Paul Quitoriano
Art Direction: Sarah Ceniceros Gomez
