Does McDonald’s use real chicken in its Chicken McNuggets? The answer is a resounding yes. A visit to a McDonald’s food factory tells you exactly that. That box of sumptuously crispy McNuggets served to you in a McDonald’s restaurant comes with a lot of hard work, skill and a streamlined methodology for processing and production inside a McDonald’s facility.
Not very long ago, former ‘Mythbusters’ host Grant Imahara managed to take a tour of one of Mcdonald’s Tyson Food factories in Tennessee to find out exactly how the McNuggets are made.
Workers at the plant butcher down a whole chicken (it’s people who do it and not machines). Breast, rib and tenderloin are then separated and the skin is removed. This is followed by adding a little bit of skin for flavour before sending the meat to a grinder that gives the chicken a meaty texture, something you can find at a grocery store.
The ground chicken is then combined with spices, flavour enhancers and preservatives in a giant machine that gives the final blended product. And there you go. The nuggets are formed. Each nugget then gets a tempura batter coating before being partially cooked, flash-frozen and transported to McDonald’s restaurants. The nuggets are also evaluated in a sensory kitchen. It is made sure that the nugget is light golden brown and juicy with firm texture.
So there it is. No mystery. McNuggets are made from pure white meat chicken. Perhaps it’s time for you to lay your hands on a few nuggets now. Isn’t it?
