The Best Fast Food Chicken Nuggets, Ranked & Reviewed
To find the best fast food chicken nuggets of all time, I visited seven popular chains to taste them myself. Below, you'll find my honest reviews, original photos and overall ranking. Of course, this list is totally subjective, so grain of salt…but I do consider myself a fast food connoisseur of sorts. Read on to find out my favorites. Spoiler: All of them are pretty valid for the cost.
(Note: Prices are rounded to the nearest half-dollar. Pricing and availability may vary by location.)
The Best Fast Food Desserts You Can Order Right Now, Ranked by a Food Editor
Taryn Pire
What It Is: white meat chicken in crispy, homestyle seasoned breading
Price (8-piece): $3
At a price point this cheap, odds are you're not getting a quality bird. But hey, it's fast food—you already knew that. That said, this is probably one of the more solid options on the Burger King menu (unless you're all about breading over meat; then it's Chicken Fries for you). My nuggets were black pepper-y and freshly cooked. The breading was crisp but less so than McDonald's (more on that later). That said, there was nothing wrong with these, but nothing outstanding either.
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Taryn Pire
What It Is: white meat chicken nuggets in Original Recipe breading
Price (five-piece): $4
The smell of these reminded me of rotisserie chicken, and the seasonings give rustic, like chicken soup. The nuggets were sort of a middle ground between two chicken nugget camps: traditional nuggets, made from mechanically separated chicken, and boneless wings or chicken pieces. They were considerably smaller than other boneless options on this list and more uniform in size, both nugget qualities in my book. But even though the chicken pieces were straight poultry instead of a ground mixture, they were still a bit dry and old-looking rather than juicy. This batch, in particular, was also too salty for my taste.
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Taryn Pire
What It Is: breaded, fried white meat chicken
Price (four-piece): $2
I'd only ever had the spicy nuggets at Wendy's, but there's a first time for everything. The chicken was juicy and freshly fried, and the breading was tasty and evenly salted, albeit a bit thinner and less crunchy than that of McDonald's nuggets. These were coated in more of a breading than a batter. While I still prefer the hot version, these nuggets were solid (and they tasted even better with honey mustard).
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Taryn Pire
What It Is: white meatboneless wings marinated in Louisiana spices and fired
Price (six-piece): $7
Popeye's is sort of in its own league, not just in terms of quality but also flavor profile (all those Louisiana spices and whatnot). I tried the chain's boneless wings, as they don't explicitly use the word 'nugget' on their menu. The chicken was very tender and succulent, and the pieces were comparatively large. The breading was very crispy and well-seasoned, although subtle in flavor compared to the hot iteration.
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Taryn Pire
What It Is: tender, juicy nuggets of fried, white meat chicken
Price (six-piece): $5
If it's a proper chicken nugget you seek, McDonald's is the best option. With a thick, batter-like breading that always reminds me of savory funnel cake (if that's a thing), the nuggets are dependably crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside and evenly seasoned with notes of black pepper and McD's signature onions. As long as they're fresh, they're going to slap. Have 'em with the chain's creamy Buffalo sauce, OK?
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Taryn Pire
What It Is: white meat chicken marinated in jalapeño buttermilk and coated in tortilla chip breading
Price (five-piece): $6
Yup, Taco Bell has chicken nuggets now—and they give the heavyweights a run for their money. The chicken is marinated in jalapeño buttermilk, which not only infuses the meat with plenty of flavor, but also tenderizes it. Meanwhile, the tortilla chip-based breading was crisp and tasty without being excessively spicy or overwhelming; in fact, it looked thinner than some others on the list, but packed a mighty crunch. The chicken looked natural, more like a boneless wing than a nugget, but the portion and individual, uniform size of each piece was also larger than most competitors. Try them with the new, delightfully swicy Mike's Hot Honey Diablo Dip Sauce.
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Taryn Pire
What It Is: seasoned pieces ofboneless chicken breast, freshly breaded and pressure cooked in peanut oil
Price (five-piece): $3
Chick-fil-A's offering was easily the juiciest, most succulent fast food chicken nugget of all. I got them in literally ten seconds after ordering, but they still tasted and looked very fresh. The nuggets are real chicken pieces instead of mechanically separated poultry. They're poppably small (meaning they offer nugget feel with a step up in quality, in terms of meat) and inconsistently sized, but that's the game you play with chicken pieces instead of molded nuggets. The breading was mildly seasoned but not bland in the slightest, making the nuggets an easy win and a crowd-pleaser, even for first timers.
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INDIANAPOLIS – Two Big Macs, a large fry and a large strawberry shake. That was Reggie Miller's order from the McDonald's on 38th and Illinois. On the nights when a young Miller would go out during his first few years in Indiana, local promoter Anthony 'Amp' Harris drove the Pacers legend in a Isuzu I-Mark to the fast food chain at 3 a.m. 'His long ass legs in a little bitty ass car,' Harris said with a laugh. 'I would ask him, 'What the heck are you eating that crap for?' 'I gotta gain weight,' Miller responded. Miller didn't go out often. But he went out with Amp. Stars trusted Amp. Stars trust Amp. In addition to promoting and curating community affairs like the 2025 Indiana Black Expo, Amp is a consultant to professional athletes, entertainers and corporations. Under his company Amp Harris Productions, Amp has planned events for Miller, Michael Jordan, former NBA MVP Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal, Colts legends Reggie Wayne and Edgerrin James and more accomplished athletes. 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Warning: Content below may be graphic for some By 21, Amp had made a name for himself through DJing. Amp grew up playing drums in church and his older brother's band rehearsed in their apartment growing up. At 13, Amp began to gravitate toward records and started to explore DJing. He went on a summer trip to New York, where he studied the city's famous DJs and musicians, including Kool DJ Red Alert, Grandmaster Flash and Busy Bee Starski. Upon returning to Indiana, he began working with Indianapolis-based DJ Tony Lamont, carrying record crates and doing planning for Lamont's production company. 'I was overwhelmed by that little needle making music come out of that round thing,' Amp said. At 13, Amp found one of his greatest loves but also experienced his greatest loss. A 58-year-old Amp still remembers the smoke. He can see the pieces of his brother's brain splattered on the wall inside his Indianapolis home. 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Amp would make it make sense,' James told IndyStar. 'He's a buffer system that would say, 'These people are good for you, and he's usually spot on.' He's full of information and is a true connector. Sometimes he sees things in you that you don't see in yourself, and that's good when you have to walk around with this guard as an athlete.' Added Wayne: 'A lot of times, guys use your stardom to get things accomplished, but Amp was never like that. He always wanted us to make sure our brand stayed clean and get us around the right people.' The Colts drafted Wayne in 2001. The three-time All-Pro helped lead Indianapolis to the 2007 Super Bowl championship. James introduced Wayne to Amp when the former Miami product arrived in Indianapolis. Wayne used to call Amp and ask him questions about the city and business-related ventures. Wayne credited Amp for teaching him the whereabouts of Indianapolis when he became a Colt. After experiencing Amp's influence in the city, Wayne started calling him the 'Mayor' before transitioning to the 'Governor.' 'He just doesn't know, but he's a politician. But a good one,' Wayne told IndyStar. 'He knows how to navigate and read people. It's to the point where I'm like, 'Hey, I saw you were at such and such. Why didn't you let me know?' 'I know you ain't gon like that,' Amp would respond. 'Well, how do you know?' asked Wayne. 'Because I know you,' Amp retorted. 'I'm like man, 'You not married to me, you don't know me man,' but he just has this ability to read people,' Wayne said. 'If he were an X-Men, he'd be Xavier.' What started as business with James and Wayne turned into a brotherhood. Throughout James' time in Indy, it was common for Amp to go to James' house or vice versa and for Amp to attend James' family functions. Today, James doesn't come to Indianapolis without connecting with Amp. Wayne and Amp frequently sat courtside together during the Pacers' playoff run to the Finals this season. Wayne and Amp are fans of different Pacers players, and their postseason debates turned into trash talk about which players they believe should've gotten more playing time. 'I play devil's advocate on purpose just to get him railed up,' Wayne said with a laugh. 'I told him that the cameras were going to catch us, and people were going to think we were fighting.' Both Wayne and James respect Amp for never asking for money since they met. James acknowledged that some may have an 'ulterior motive' when building friendships with star athletes like himself. Not Amp 'He never used us in any way,' Wayne said. Added James: 'When it's genuine, when you're talking about a real friend, that's what Amp and I's relationship is,' James said. 'That's a forever friend and family member. If I don't talk to Amp for three weeks, we pick up like it was yesterday." Though it appears easy, maintaining relationships isn't natural for the self-proclaimed introvert. Amp's best work is produced at 3 a.m. when no one is calling him. He's recharged by outdoor walks. He has set up concerts with 5,000 people where he's sitting in the back. 'One of my guys used to work the door for me at events, and people would say to him, 'Amp, why are you charging me all the time?' Amp said. He pauses and lets the question sink in. He then laughs before switching to third person to answer it himself. 'That's not Amp. He's in the back,' he said. Amp's preserved personality isn't new. When he first started DJing, Amp was terrified of people looking at him, so he ducked his head under the record table when he spoke on the mic. But Amp recognizes that personal preference to operate behind the scenes won't always contribute to his call to serve. After scrolling through his camera roll, chronicling stories behind hundreds of pictures that include the likes of NFL legend Jim Brown and four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry, Amp stopped at a photo of smiling kids at a local Boys and Girls Club. 'This is why I do it,' Amp said as he looked at the kids in the picture. 'What are people going to say when you're done? You're a great entertainer, you're a great athlete? That's your job, not who you are.' Amp enjoys the opportunities his work provides, in particular 'connecting the dots and being a voice for the voiceless.' However, he admitted he doesn't know how long he will continue. Amp sits at a blue and white table at Binkley's Kitchen and Bar in Indianapolis. In front of him rests a glass of water with a 'whole bunch of lemons, no ice.' That's his first request at most restaurants. It's about halfway through his two-hour conversation, and Amp sets down the fork he's using to eat his strawberry chicken salad. As fans spin to cool down the outside seating area, Amp reveals a friend recently asked him where he wanted to be in the next five years. 'I want to be equal to where I am at now or better,' Amp told his friend. 'That ain't an answer,' his friend said in frustration. He wanted Amp to provide a dollar amount, a dream event or a materialistic possession. If Amp never plans another event, he's content. You say you want to be equal to where you are now. Where are you now, Amp? 'At peace,' he said. Amp's peace and joy are found in watching his daughter Rachel excel. Rachel is a senior marketing major at Howard and hopes to attend Georgetown in fall 2026 to pursue a Master's in business administration. She's an aspiring sports and entertainment executive. 'Everything I did before my daughter was self-absorbed. The day she was born, I no longer lived for myself. I lived for her," Amp said. "And that's why I don't let this business get to me. When you are intentional about who you are and not what you do, what you do becomes secondary." Rachel said, 'A lot of what I want to do is because of him,' and applauded her dad for always emphasizing the importance of building relationships, a skill she applies in college and career pursuits. 'I'm blessed to have a father whom I can look up to not only as a dad but as a role model. He's able to talk to any person from any background. My dad is a great father because he's a friend to everyone,' Rachel said. 'He's thankful for what life has taught him and everything he has had to face. So, I think it's a no-brainer for him to think about other people and give back. 'His tendency is to always give back to where he came from because I don't think he'll ever forget that part of himself that went through hardship.' Amp won't forget.
