Ingredients in 6 Popular Fast Food Chicken Nuggets

Today we take a look at the many ingredients found in fast food chicken nuggets. We selected six of the top fast food restaurants in the nation measured by popularity and sales.

Although Burger King nuggets are highly popular, we excluded them from our report because the restaurant does not publish ingredients by menu item.

Stacks of chicken nuggets from McDonald's.

Ingredients Guide

This guide provides lists of ingredients in chicken nuggets for select fast food restaurants:

Chick-fil-A
Dairy Queen
KFC
McDonald’s
Popeyes
Wendy’s

Definitions of Select Ingredients

Here are brief definitions of ingredients that are common in processed foods, but not generally well known to guests of the restaurants.

Dimethlypolysiloxane is a silicone-based polymer. It’s commonly used as an antifoaming agent when frying foods in oil.
Used in nuggets from Chick-fil-A, Popeyes, and Wendy’s.
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), the sodium salt of amino acid glutamic acid, is produced by the fermentation of starch, sugar beets, sugar cane or molasses.
Used in nuggets from Chick-fil-A, KFC, and Popeyes.
Sorbitan Monostearate (SMS, Span 60), made from a sugar alcohol derived from corn or fruit and animal fats, is primarily used as an emulsifier to enhance the activation of yeast. It’s often found in mayo, sauces, and bread.
Used by Dairy Queen.
Tricalcium Phosphate is used as an anti-caking agent.
Used by KFC.

Common Ingredients

In addition to the less well-known ingredients listed above, many of the formulations use common ingredients, including salt, seasoning, and vegetable oils.

Common Ingredients used by all Six Restaurants
Chicken, Chicken Breast, or Chicken Tenderloin, Rib Meat
Flour enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, and folic acid.
Leavening with sodium bicarbonate (may also include sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, and/or sodium aluminum sulfate)
Salt and Spices
Vegetable Oils (may include soybean, peanut, canola, and/or partially hydrogenated soybean oils)

Chicken nugget pieces with text list of ingredients.

List of Ingredients by Restaurant

Chick-fil-A

Contains MSG
Contains Dimethylpolysiloxane
Made with egg, wheat and peanut oil

Here is the complete list of ingredients in Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets.

Ingredients in Chick-fil-A nuggets:Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Meat Nuggets, Enriched Bleached Flour, Fully Refined Peanut Oil (with dimethylpolysiloxane, an anti-foam agent), Sugar, Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Pasteurized Nonfat Dry Milk, Leavening, Spices, Water, Soybean Oil, Paprika, and Pasteurized Egg.

Ingredients in Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets:

Enriched Bleached Flour includes malted barley flour, niacin, iron thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, and folic acid.
Sodium bicarbonate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate are used for Leavening.

Check Chick-fil-A Allergen Guide

Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets with summary of macronutrients. — Chick-fil-A Nuggets

Check ingredients in Chick-fil-A Chicken Strips

Dairy Queen

Dairy Queen’s chicken strips are breaded and fried in vegetable oil. Here is the complete list of ingredients. The strips are part of the restaurant’s chicken strip basket.

Ingredients in DQ chicken strips:Uncooked Chicken Tenderloin Fritters containing a solution of Water, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Salt, and Sodium Phosphates.

Ingredients in chicken strips breading:Unbleached and Enriched Wheat Flour, Water, Bleached Enriched Wheat Flour, Modified Corn Starch, Yellow Corn flour, Salt, Spices, Leavening, Bread Crumbs, Onion Powder, Soybean Oil and Paprika

The Unbleached and Enriched Wheat Flour and the Bleached Enriched Wheat Flours include niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, and folic acid.
Sodium bicarbonate, sodium aluminum phosphate, and monocalcium phosphate are used for Leavening.
Bread Crumbs are made with Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour, corn syrup solids, dried yeast, soybean oil, salt, mono and diglycerides, malted barley flour, ammonium sulfate, calcium propionate, and sorbitan monostearate.

Wheat flour, sodium bicarbonate, and corn starch are used by multiple restaurants.

KFC

Breading used for KFC Tenders contains MSG

Here is the list of ingredients in the KFC Extra Crispy Tenders.

Ingredients in KFC chicken:Chicken Tenderloins (or Chicken Breast Strips) containing up to 25% of a solution of Water, Seasoning, Potassium and Sodium Phosphates.

Seasoning includes modified potato starch, salt, onion powder, chicken flavor, and spice extractive.
The Chicken Flavor is made with maltodextrin, autolyzed yeast extract, chicken fat, and dehydrated cooked chicken.

Ingredients in KFC breading:Wheat Flour, Salt, Tricalcium Phosphate, Spices, Monosodium Glutamate, Corn Starch, Sodium Bicarbonate, Garlic Powder, Canola Oil, Citric Acid, Natural Flavorings, Sugar, Corn Syrup Solids, Calcium Silicate (added as an Anti Caking Agent) and may also include Modified Corn Starch and Spice Extractives.

Check KFC Allergen Menu and List of Gluten Friendly Foods

Check the ingredients in KFC Chicken Pot Pie

McDonald’s

Vegetable starch used in McNuggets includes pea starch.

Here is the list of ingredients in McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets.

Ingredients in McNuggets:White Boneless Chicken, Water, Vegetable Oil, Enriched Flour, Bleached Wheat Flour, Yellow Corn Flour, Vegetable Starch, Salt, Leavening, Spices, Yeast Extract, Lemon Juice Solids, Dextrose, Natural Flavors.

Vegetable Oil includes one or more of the following: canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, and hydrogenated soybean oil.
Enriched Flour includes bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, and folic acid.
Vegetable Starch is made with modified corn, wheat, rice, pea, and corn.
Baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, and monocalcium phosphate are used for Leavening.

If you have a food allergy, consult with your physician before deciding if this food is right for you.

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

Contains BHT, MSG, Dimethylpolysiloxane, and artificial colors
Popeyes’ nuggets are not dairy-free. The batter contains nonfat dry milk.

The breading is set in vegetable oil and the nuggets are cooked in beef tallow.

Here are the ingredients in the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen’s Chicken Nuggets.

Ingredients in Popeyes chicken tenders:Boneless Chicken Breast Strips contains solution of Water, Seasoning, Modified Food Starch, Sodium Phosphate, Carrageenan, Chicken Broth, Mild Seasoning.

Seasoning includes modified corn starch, salt, natural flavor, monosodium glutamate, onion powder, garlic powder, maltodextrin.
Mild Seasoning includes modified corn starch, monosodium glutamate, salt, dried onion, dried garlic, dried celery and spices including paprika, natural flavor (oleoresin capsicum, polysorbate 80 added for emulsion and stability)

Ingredients in batter:Water, Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Salt, Sugar, Yellow #5, Yellow #6, Red #40, Soybean Oil, Mustard, Dried Whole Eggs, Nonfat Dried Milk, Powdered Cellulose, Corn Syrup Solids, Sodium Bicarbonate, Natural Flavor

Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour includes niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid.

Ingredients in shortening used to cook Popeyes fried foods:Beef Fat, BHT, Citric Acid, Dimethylpolysiloxane.

Check Popeyes Full Allergen Menu

Box of Popeyes chicken tenders and text list of ingredients.

Wendy’s

Here is the list of ingredients in Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Nuggets.

Ingredients in Wendy’s chicken:Chicken Breast with Rib Meat, Water, Seasoning, Sodium Phosphates.

Seasoning includes salt, natural flavors (including extractives of celery seed), and spices.

Ingredients in breading:Wheat Flour, Water, Modified Corn Starch, Salt, Wheat Gluten, Spice, Gum Arabic, Extractives of Paprika, Yellow Corn Flour, Leavening, Yeast, Natural Flavors, Sugar, Breading Set in Vegetable Oil.

Sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate are used for Leavening in the Breading.

Ingredients in cooking oil:Soybean, Canola, Corn and/or Cottonseed, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, and Dimethylpolysiloxane.

View Wendy’s Full Allergen Menu

Wendy's spicy chicken nuggets and list of ingredients.

Nutrition facts, prices, and ingredients are based on available information as of the date of publication. Restaurants and food manufacturers may change their recipes without notice. Check directly with the food provider for the most up-to-date information. NutritionandIngredients.com does not provide health or wellness advice or dietary recommendations. All reports and reviews published on this site are for informational purposes only. Unless otherwise stated, %DV is based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Always consult your physician for any healthcare or dietary advice.