What are McDonalds chicken nuggets made out of?

FAST food chain McDonald’s are renowned for their tasty and quick meals – whether you want a quick cheeseburger or a treat for tea.

But what exactly goes into some of our favourite meals? We take a look at their renowned McNuggets…

Usain Bolt revealed he ate an estimated 1,000 McNuggets during the 2008 Beijing Olympics

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Usain Bolt revealed he ate an estimated 1,000 McNuggets during the 2008 Beijing OlympicsCredit: Alamy

What are Mcdonald’s chicken nuggets made out of?

Contrary to popular belief, McDonald’s chicken nuggets are made from 100% chicken breast meat, according to the fast-food giant.

But the chicken only adds up to 45 per cent of a McNugget – as the rest of the recipe is a combination of batter, seasoning and oil.

They are lightly battered before being covered in a second coat of tempura batter, which gives them the signature crisp we all know and love.

After being partially cooked in a fryer, they are cooled, frozen, and packaged up to be sent to McDonald’s restaurants where they are fully cooked.

Why were McDonald’s chicken nuggets launched?

After chicken nuggets were invented by Robert C. Baker in a lab at Cornell University in 1963, it didn’t take long for the public to fall in love with them.

And in 1977, chicken became known as the “healthier” meat after Congress released “Dietary Goals for the United States,” urging Americans to favour lean protein like poultry and eat less red meat.

McDonald’s owner Ray Kroc was inspired by this food trend to cater to the public’s wants and began to develop a convenient swap for red meat to sell in his restaurants.

McDonald’s Chairman Fred Turner decided upon “a boneless piece of chicken,” that they would sell “almost like French fries.”

After some trial and error to create the perfect chicken nugget formula, they hired Keystone Foods to automate the chicken-chopping process and Gortons to create a batter that could be produced on a mass scale.

McDonald’s introduced the McNuggets nationwide, created a chicken craze, and never looked back.

McDonald's nuggets were an instant hit with consumers

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McDonald’s nuggets were an instant hit with consumersCredit: Youtube

Was the pink slime rumour true?

The pink slime rumour that plagued McDonald’s McNuggets has repeatedly been debunked by the food chain.

“We don’t know what it is or where it came from, but it has nothing to do with our Chicken McNuggets,” Nicoletta Stefou, the supply-chain manager at McDonald’s Canada said.

Pink slime is the product of meat being mechanically processed and treated with anti-microbial ammonia – but McDonald’s does not use this method.

McNuggets have been made with all white meat since 2003 and the restaurants stopped using mechanically processed beef in 2011.

McDonald’s FAQ page reads: “The [pink slime] photo is not a representation of how we create our Chicken McNuggets®, or for that matter, any item on our menu.”

What is the world record for the most amount of chicken nuggets ever eaten?

The Guinness World Records crowned former New Zealand beauty queen and medical student Nela Zisser as the world’s new record holder for eating chicken nuggets.

She managed to scoff a record 10.5 ounces of chicken nuggets – 16 nuggets – in just 60 seconds.

The 28-year-old also has held records for eating a whopping 22 Big Macs in one hour.

But it seems Usain Bolt could be hot on her tail to take the title – as the sprinting legend revealed he chowed down on an estimated 1,000 McNuggets during the 2008 Bejing Olympics.

Among other celebs, Kim Kardashian also revealed she is a fan of McDonald’s famous nuggets, as well as her little sister Kylie Jenner.