What is Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate?

McDonald's Chicken McNuggets Nutrition & Ingredients

The famed Chicken McNuggets from McDonald’s are made with all white chicken meat that is breaded and fried. Choose from a variety of dipping sauces, such as Tangy Barbecue, Creamy Ranch, or Honey Mustard.

There are 250 calories, 15 grams fat, 15 grams carbohydrates, and 14 grams protein in a 6-piece serving of chicken McNuggets (excluding dipping sauces).

Read this report for an in-depth overview of the nutrition facts, ingredients, and allergens in McDonald’s McNuggets.

McDonald’s McNuggets Nutritional Information

Nutrition facts are based on order size. McDonald’s McNuggets are available in orders of four, six, or ten pieces.

Stack of four chicken nuggets from McDonald's.

Calories

Here is a summary of total calories by order size.

An order of 4 chicken McNuggets has 170 total calories
An order of 6 chicken McNuggets has 250 total calories
An order of 10 chicken McNuggets has 410 total calories
An order of 20 chicken McNuggets has 830 total calories
An order of 40 chicken McNuggets has 1,650 total calories

YOU SHOULD KNOW

There are about 40 calories per chicken nugget.

Review the table below for a summary of the calories by macronutrient in a 4-piece, 6-piece, and 10-piece order of McNuggets.

Calories by Macronutrient

	4 Nuggets	6 Nuggets	10 Nuggets
Calories from Fat	90	135	215
Calories from Carbs	40	60	105
Calories from Protein	40	55	90
Total Calories	170	250	410

Stacks of chicken nuggets from McDonald's.

Over half of the total calories are derived from total dietary fats. Carbohydrates make up nearly one quarter of the total calories, and the remaining 22% is from protein.

McDonald’s McNuggets

% calories from fat, carbs and protein

calories from fat

54%

calories from carbS

24%

calories from Protein

22%

The summary of calories by nutrient is a rounded estimate based on the nutrition facts provided by McDonald’s fast food restaurant. Actual calories may vary by location and with the addition of any dipping sauce.

An average adult would need to run at a moderate pace for approximately 20 minutes to burn off the calories from a 6-piece order of chicken nuggets.

Here is a list of the approximate times required to burn off the 250 calories, by type of exercise.

FITNESS TIME TO BURN 250 CALORIES (6 nuggets)

Run 20 minutes
Walk 1 hour 20 minutes
Cycle 20 minutes

Estimate based on moderate level of activity by an adult with average BMI.

McDonald's fried chicken nuggets with data table of nutrition facts.

Check nutrition facts in McDonald’s full menu.

Here are the nutrition facts for McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets, based on each order size: 4-pieces, 6-pieces, and 10-pieces.

Nutrition Facts

Serving size: 1 Order of McNuggets (%DV)

Red indicates %DV is high.

	4 Nuggets	6 Nuggets	10 Nuggets
Calories	170	250	410
Total Fat	10g (13%)	15g (19%)	24g (31%)
Saturated Fat	1.5g (8%)	2.5g (12%)	4g (20%)
Trans Fat	0g	0g	0g
Cholesterol	25mg (8%)	40mg (13%)	65mg (21%)
Sodium	340mg (15%)	500mg (22%)	850mg (37%)
Carbohydrates	10g (4%)	15g (6%)	26g (9%)
Total Sugars	0g	0g	0g
Added Sugars	0g (0%)	0g (0%)	0g (0%)
Protein	9g	14g	23g

%DV based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calorie needs vary and your %DV may be higher or lower. Provided for informational purposes only. Consult with your physician for dietary or healthcare advice.

Daily Value

Daily Value (%DV) measures how much of a specific nutrient is in one serving, relative to the recommended limit.

Use %DV to determine if the level of nutrients is low (5% or less) or high (20% or more). Compare foods and balance choices based on your diet plan.

As shown in the chart below, an order of six or more chicken McNuggets is high in sodium.

%DV	6 Nuggets	10 Nuggets
Saturated Fat	12%	20%
Sodium	22%	37%
Added Sugars	0%	0%

4g saturated fat in 10 pieces is 20% of the recommended limit
500mg sodium in 6 nuggets is 22% of the daily limit

Based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Dietary Fats

The amount of dietary fats per serving depend on order size. A 10-piece order contains 24 grams total fat, including 4 grams saturated fat, which is a 20% daily value.

To calculate %DV, divide the amount of a nutrient in one serving by the FDA-recommended daily limit.

	per Serving	Daily Limit*	Daily Value
Total Fat	24g	78g	31%
Saturated Fat	4g	20g	20%

*Based on FDA general nutrition advice for an adult following 2,000 calorie daily diet.

YOU SHOULD KNOW

A single chicken nugget contains approximately 85 milligrams of sodium.

McDonald’s Nuggets Ingredients and Allergens

Ingredients

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

Chicken Nuggets

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/or hydrogenated soybean oil.
Enriched Flour includes bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, and folic acid.
Vegetable Starch is from modified corn, wheat, rice, pea, and corn.
Leavening agents include baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate.

Sodium Acid Pryophosphate (SAPP) is an inorganic water-soluble compound comprised of sodium cations and pyrophosphate anion. It’s created by neutralizing phosphoric acid with sodium hydroxide or sodium carbonate to create monosodium phosphate. Dehydrated monosodium phosphate is SAPP.

SAPP is commonly used as a leavening agent in breads or to enhance flavor in foods.

McDonald’s chicken McNuggets contain sodium acid pyrophosphate.

Stacks of Chicken McNuggets from McDonald's.

Brief Descriptions of Select Ingredients

Monocalcium Phosphate, an inorganic compound, is used as a leavening acid to react with baking soda and provide aeration and volume.
Niacin is a form of vitamin B3.
Thiamin Mononitrate is a nitrate salt form of Vitamin B1.
Dextrose, a type of sugar nearly identical to glucose usually derived from corn or wheat, is often used as an artificial sweetener or preservative.

Allergens

McDonald’s McNuggets are made with wheat.

Note that the product may also be cooked in a common fryer that is used to prepare other menu items that contain allergens.

If you have a food allergy, check the full allergen guide for McDonald’s menu. Consult with your physician before deciding which food is right for you.

Fast Food Chicken Nuggets

Nutrition Facts for Fast Food Nuggets

Here is a table summarizing the nutrition facts of chicken nuggets available at select fast food restaurants.

<< Swipe table right to left for more nutrition facts

Restaurant	Menu Item	Calories	Fat	Carbs	Protein	Sodium
Arby's	Chicken Tenders (3pc)	370	18g	28g	23g	1190mg
Burger King	Chicken Nuggets (4pc)	190	12g	11g	9g	490mg
Burger King	Chicken Nuggets (8pc)	390	25g	23g	18g	990mg
Chick-fil-A	Chicken Nuggets (8pc)	250	11g	11g	27g	1210mg
McDonald's	Chicken McNuggets (6pc)	250	15g	15g	14g	500mg
Wendy's	Spicy Chicken Nuggets (4pc)	190	12g	9g	10g	480mg
Wendy's	Spicy Chicken Nuggets (6pc)	280	18g	13g	15g	720mg
Wendy's	Spicy Chicken Nuggets (10pc)	470	31g	22g	26g	1190mg
Wendy's	Crispy Nuggets (10pc)	450	29g	23g	25g	950mg
Shake Shack	Chicken Bites (6pc)	300	19g	15g	17g	780mg
Shake Shack	Chicken Bites (10pc)	510	32g	26g	29g	1,300mg

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

Nutrition facts, ingredients, allergens, and nuggets image source: McDonald’s. Original designs by Nutrition & Ingredients for research and commentary related to fast food nutrition