Wendy’s Crispy Chicken Nuggets

Wendy's chicken nuggets with chart of calories per macronutrient by size.

Made with 100% white-meat chicken, Wendy’s chicken nuggets are breaded and fried in vegetable oil. Choose from a variety of dipping sauces, including Sweet & Sour, Buttermilk Ranch, Honey Mustard, Ghost Pepper Ranch, or BBQ.

Three order sizes are available: four pieces, six pieces, or ten pieces.

An order of six crispy chicken nuggets (excluding a dipping sauce) has:

  • 270 calories
  • 17 grams fat
  • 14 grams carbs
  • 15 grams protein

Read this fast food report for an in-depth review of nutritional information, calories, ingredients, and allergens in Wendy’s Crispy Chicken Nuggets.

Crispy Chicken Nuggets Nutritional Information

Nutrition facts are based on the standard formulation for a single order without choice of dipping sauce.

Daily Value

Daily value (%DV) indicates how much of a specific nutrient is in crispy chicken nuggets, relative to the recommended daily limit. Use the %DV to compare menu items and select the best option for your dietary goals.

As shown in the chart below, Wendy’s nuggets are high in saturated fat and sodium.

% Daily Value

Use the %DV to determine if the food contains a low (5% or less) or high (20% or more) level of specific nutrients.
Red indicates %DV is high

4 Piece

6 Piece

10 Piece

Saturated Fat

13%

18%

Cholesterol

10%

17%

Sodium

17%

%DV based on 2,000 calories

  • A 6-piece order has 570mg sodium, a quarter of the recommended daily limit
  • 6 grams saturated fat in 10 nuggets is 30% of the daily limit

Calories per Serving

Here is a summary of the total calories, by order size:

  • One chicken nugget has 45 calories
  • A 4-piece order of Wendy’s crispy chicken nuggets has 180 calories
  • A 6-piece order of Wendy’s crispy chicken nuggets has 270 calories
  • A 10-piece order of Wendy’s crispy chicken nuggets has 450 calories

Calories by Macronutrient

Review the table below for a summary of the calories by macro by order size.

Calories by Macronutrient

4 Nuggets

6 Nuggets

10 Nuggets

Calories from Fat

105

155

260

Calories from Total Carbs

35

55

90

Calories from Protein

40

60

100

Total Calories

180

270

450

Wendy's chicken nuggets with chart of calories per macronutrient by size.

Dietary fat contributes over half of the total calories. Carbohydrates and protein each contribute about 20%.

Wendy’s Crispy Chicken Nuggets

% calories from fat, carbs and protein
CALORIES FROM fat
58%
CALORIES FROM CARBS
20%
CALORIES FROM Protein
22%

Summary of calories by macronutrient is a rounded estimate based on nutrition facts provided by Wendy’s fast food restaurant. Actual calories may vary by location.

ESTIMATED FITNESS TIME TO BURN 450 CALORIES (10 pieces)

  • Walk 2 hours 25 minutes
  • Play Golf (riding cart) 1 hour 50 minutes
  • Cycle 40 minutes

An order of Wendy’s spicy chicken nuggets have 10 calories more than the classic crispy style nuggets.

Order SizeCrispy NuggetsSpicy Nuggets
4 pieces180190
6 pieces270280
10 pieces450470

Calories in Dipping Sauce

Choose from a variety of dipping sauces, from a simple packet of ketchup to spicy ghost pepper ranch.

The following list summarizes total calories per packet of Wendy’s dipping sauce flavors.

  • Ketchup has 10 calories
  • BBQ Dipping Sauce has 40 calories
  • Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce has 40 calories
  • Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce has 70 calories
  • Buttermilk Ranch Dipping Sauce has 90 calories
  • Ghost Pepper Ranch Dipping Sauce has 100 calories

Compare nutrition facts in Chicken Strips from Chick-fil-A and an order of McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets. Check the amount of saturated fat and sodium to determine if the fast food chicken is the best option for your diet plan.

Total Fat

A single crispy chicken nugget from Wendy’s has 3 grams total fat, including just under one gram of saturated fat.

The following data table is a summary of total fat, saturated fat, and daily value (comparison of fat per serving as a percentage of recommended limit), by order size.

Amount of Fat and Daily Value

Total Fat

12g

17g

29g

Daily Limit

78g

78g

78g

Daily Value

15%

Saturated Fat

2.5g

3.5g

6g

Daily Limit

20g

20g

20g

Daily Value

13%

18%

Daily Limit and Daily Value per U.S. FDA general adult nutrition guidance based on 2,000 calories.

According to the FDA, saturated fat ‘is a nutrient to get less of.’ General guidelines recommend individuals limit calories from saturated fat to less than 10% of total calories.

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving (%DV)

Red indicates %DV is high.

4 Nuggets

6 Nuggets

10 Nuggets

Calories

180

270

450

Total Fat

12g (15%)

17g (22%)

29g (37%)

Saturated Fat

2.5g (13%)

3.5g (18%)

6g (30%)

Trans Fat

0g

0g

0g

Cholesterol

30mg (10%)

50mg (0%)

80mg (27%)

Sodium

380mg (17%)

570mg (25%)

950mg (41%)

Carbohydrates

9g (3%)

14g (5%)

23g (8%)

Dietary Fiber

0g (0%)

1g (4%)

1g (4%)

Total Sugars

0g

0g

0g

Protein

10g

15g

25g

%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.

  • Avoid high level of saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium with a 4-piece order
  • 6 pieces or more is high in total fat and sodium
Order of Wendy's crispy chicken nuggets and text list of ingredients.
Wendy’s Crispy Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients and Allergens in Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients in the chicken, breading, and cooking oil used to make Wendy’s Chicken Nuggets.

Ingredients

Chicken

Chicken Breast with Rib Meat, Water, Sodium Phosphates, and Salt.

Batter and Breading

Wheat Flour, Water, Bleached Wheat Flour, Salt, Modified Corn Starch, Spices, Leavening, Dextrose, Yellow Corn Flour, Garlic Powder, Citric Acid, Yeast, Spice Extractives, and Xanthan Gum.

Cooking Oil

Nuggets are cooked in vegetable oils that may include one or more of the following: Soybean oil, Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Cottonseed Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, and Dimethylpolysiloxane.

  • Sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate, and sodium aluminum phosphate are used for Leavening in the Breading.
  • Breading is set in soybean oil or vegetable oil.
  • Dimethylpolysiloxane is a silcon-based polymer used to reduce foaming during the frying process.

Crispy Nuggets vs Spicy Nuggets

Here is a quick comparison of the ingredients in Wendy’s crispy nuggets vs. spicy nuggets.

Crispy NuggetsSpicy Nuggets
Excludes the seasoning used in Spicy NuggetsChicken seasoning includes salt, natural flavors (including celery seed), and spices.
Breading includes bleached wheat flour and sodium aluminum phosphate.Breading includes gum arabic and sugar.

Allergens

The ingredients used in a 10-piece order of Wendy’s crispy chicken nuggets include wheat.

In addition, the chicken nuggets may be cooked in the same fryer and with the same oil used to prepare other menu items that contain egg, fish, milk, soy, and other possible common allergens.

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

Fast Food Chicken Nuggets Nutrition

This table offers a simple way to review and compare the nutrition facts in chicken nuggets from popular fast food restaurants, including Burger King, McDonald’s, Shake Shack, and Wendy’s.

RestaurantMenu ItemCaloriesFatCarbsProteinSodium
Burger KingChicken Nuggets (4pc)19012g11g9g490mg
Burger KingChicken Nuggets (8pc)39025g23g18g990mg
Chick-fil-AChicken Nuggets (8pc)25011g11g27g1210mg
McDonald'sChicken McNuggets (6pc)25015g15g14g500mg
Wendy'sSpicy Chicken Nuggets (4pc)19012g9g10g480mg
Wendy'sSpicy Chicken Nuggets (6pc)28018g13g15g720mg
Wendy'sSpicy Chicken Nuggets (10pc)47031g22g26g1190mg
Wendy'sCrispy Nuggets (10pc)45029g23g25g950mg
Shake ShackChicken Bites (6pc)30019g15g17g780mg
Shake ShackChicken Bites (10pc)51032g26g29g1,300mg
10 piece Wendy's spicy chicken nugget order and text '470 calories.'
There are 470 calories in one serving of 10 spicy chicken nuggets.

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.

Nutrition facts, ingredients, and images courtesy of The Wendy’s Company.

  • Image of Nuggets courtesy of The Wendy’s Company.
  • Original designs by Nutrition & Ingredients for purposes of research and commentary related to fast food nutrition.

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