I tried chicken nuggets from 6 fast-food chains and ranked them from worst to best

by Adi Gunawan 05 September 2026 6 min read 34x views

I tried chicken nuggets from 6 fast-food chains and ranked them from worst to best

Before the chicken tender became the hottest fast-food must-have, location was the humble and hearty chickenhearted nugget.

Its mini size made it the cleanable broadside dish, post-work snack, or, arsenic millennials will recall, the cleanable drunchie (drunk munchie).

One measurement fast-food brands are attempting to capitalize connected chicken's popularity, particularly among Gen Z diners, is by adding — aliases upgrading — chickenhearted nuggets connected their menus.

Most recently, connected September 1, Burger King released an updated type of its classical chickenhearted nugget successful consequence to customer feedback that its originals were "rubbery," "dry," and "disappointing." The aforesaid time besides saw the return of McDonald's Spicy Chicken McNuggets, which will beryllium disposable for a constricted time.

Here's really six fast-food concatenation chickenhearted nuggets ranked, from worst to best.

My slightest favourite nuggets came from Wendy's.

Cost: $7.49 — excluding taxation and extremity — for a 10-piece serving astatine a Wendy's successful New York City.

All prices listed present whitethorn alteration successful different markets.

The chickenhearted nugget was crispy, but alternatively of being juicy, the chickenhearted tasted a small chewy.

Like Burger King and McDonald's, Wendy's is chiefly a burger chain. So, it should travel arsenic nary astonishment that its chickenhearted nuggets are beautiful unremarkable, successful my opinion.

They were decently seasoned, and the breading had a batch of flavor, but they were besides beautiful small. Wendy's nuggets decidedly enactment much arsenic a broadside crockery than a logic to spell to the chain.

KFC's nuggets were a small bare-bones.

Cost: $7.31 — excluding taxation and extremity — for a 10-piece serving astatine a KFC successful New York City.

KFC's nuggets were the slightest breaded retired of the ones I tried.

They were a small bland, but I thought the chickenhearted itself tasted higher value than the nuggets from Wendy's, Burger King, and McDonald's. It was much shreddable and paired good pinch the chain's comeback sauce, but I would person liked much breading to springiness it that crunch.

I'd astir apt urge the chain's chickenhearted tenders aliases fried chickenhearted complete its nuggets.

McDonald's nuggets were a classic.

Cost: $2.39 — excluding taxation and extremity — for a four-piece serving astatine a McDonald's successful New York City, aliases $5.79 for a 10-piece serving.

The nuggets from McDonald's were predictably good.

mcdonalds chickenhearted nugget dunked successful ranch

McDonald's chickenhearted nuggets are the worldly of legend. They've been astir since the early '80s, and there's thing astir the tempura-style fried chickenhearted nuggets that keeps maine coming backmost for more.

They're ever crispy, ever salty, and ever accordant — I cognize what to expect pinch a McDonald's nugget. That being said, I thought they were a touch excessively salty.

Burger King precocious upgraded its chickenhearted nuggets.

burger king nuggets connected bluish background

Cost: $5.19 — excluding taxation and extremity — for a 10-piece astatine a Burger King successful New York City.

The nuggets were crispy and paired good pinch the chain's sauces.

Released September 1, the caller chickenhearted nuggets are crispier than the original nuggets, and were updated to see a much flavorful marinade and caller packaging, Burger King said.

I thought the nuggets had conscionable the correct magnitude of crunch and flavor, and held their ain arsenic a stand-alone entrée connected the Burger King menu.

While they were very akin to McDonald's nuggets, they were somewhat cheaper, giving them the edge.

Chick-fil-A

Cost: $9.19 — excluding taxation and extremity — for an eight-piece serving astatine a section Chick-fil-A successful New York City.

The nuggets were flavorful and juicy, pinch conscionable the correct magnitude of seasoning successful the breading.

While immoderate of the different nuggets leaned connected the drier side, these nuggets were moist and would apt brace good pinch practically immoderate dipping sauce.

Each nugget was connected the smaller broadside — despite being the astir costly of the ones I tried — but packed a batch of spirit into a mini bite.

The exterior felt hard. However, erstwhile I spot in, the chickenhearted was highly juicy and flavorful.

These chickenhearted nuggets, coated successful a blend of breadcrumbs and crunchy tortilla chips, stood retired from the title pinch their well-balanced flavor.

They were salty, pinch a subtle maize sensation from the tortilla-chip breading. They reminded maine much of a boneless helping than a chickenhearted nugget.

Paired pinch the chain's Hidden Valley occurrence ranch sauce, a modular creamy ranch condiment pinch a flimsy hint of heat, and jalapeño chromatic mustard, an different operation of tangy mustard and beardown yet balanced jalapeño flavor, these nuggets blew maine away.

The nuggets were initially rolled retired arsenic a limited-time offering, but Taco Bell continued to bring them backmost successful 2025 and 2026 arsenic it expanded its crispy-chicken menu.

Here's hoping they'll beryllium backmost again soon.