The Chicago Tribune tested grocery store chicken nuggets with chef Stephanie Izard, the first female chef to win Bravo's "Top Chef." Here are the results.
#6 (Tie): Bell & Evans Breaded Chicken Breast Nuggets
This pale, egg-shaped nugget looked like flaky white chicken rather than ground mystery meat, but it wasn't crisp. It was also dry: "It's like the Sahara Desert up in here," wrote one taster. $9 at Whole Foods.
#6 (Tie): Tyson Chicken Nuggets
That "traditional nugget" shape we're all somehow accustomed to was bland with a soggy breading. $4.50 at Jewel.
#5: Trader Joe's Chickenless Crispy Tenders
For reasons we don't understand, this oddly uniform nugget featured oatmeal in the breading (not good) and burned on one side — remember, these were cooked to package instructions. Tasters were not fans: "It's a trap! This isn't chicken!" from one. "Vile! Soft and putrid" from another. Surprisingly, given the strong reactions to this entry, it was not the most reviled. $3 at Trader Joe's.
#4 (Tie): Kirkwood Chicken Breast Nuggets
As one taster wrote, this entry had "a good crunch. A little too peppery, but at least they're trying." It had a fryer smell, with a crunchy coating, but it was hard to taste the chicken, and the spongy interior was off-putting to some tasters. $3.79 at Aldi.
#4 (Tie): Market Pantry Dinosaur-Shaped Chicken Nuggets
Deep brown in color, this nugget burned on one side, which may have dried it out. Good crunch, but dry, crumbly and minimal chicken-y flavor. $4 at Target.
#3 (Tie): Earth's Best Kidz Baked Chicken Nuggets
Even though this had a decent crunch, the meat was dry, but "not as dire of a situation as some of the others." It also had an unwelcome "sweet aftertaste," according to one taster. $5 at Whole Foods.
#3 (Tie): Tyson Dinosaur-Shaped Chicken Nuggets
A solid crunch and moistness caused one taster to proclaim these the right nuggets to eat after a night out drinking. The color was even, if pale, with onion and garlic powder scent, but beware of spongy meat. "Loved the texture, but not the unexpected taste," another taster wrote. $4.50 at Jewel.
#2: Kirkwood Dino Nuggets
Choice comments from our tasters: "I love dinos!" "Better crunch than some of the others. Extra points for dino shape." "Actually tastes (like it's) stamped out of chicken, but aroma-deficient." $6.79 at Aldi.
#1: Market Pantry
Except for being a touch salty, these nuggets were nearly perfect, with a peppery smell, crisp exterior and meat that looked and tasted like chicken. But one taster didn't like the color: "Too unnaturally tan — orange and bright. The Donald Trump of nugs?" $4 at Target.
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