The Best Cut Of Meat For Homemade Chicken Nuggets Is Also The Juiciest

Grocery store frozen aisles are full of pre-made chicken nuggets, which are certainly great for families looking for a quick and simple meal. In the same vein, it's always easy to crunch down on an order of McDonald's chicken nuggets. But for some people, nothing can beat a homemade touch, even if it requires much more patience and preparation. If cooking from scratch is your foray, choosing the perfect ingredients is an important step, and when it comes to chicken, not all nuggets are created equally.

The majority of chicken nuggets are made from white meat, mainly the breast area. However, around half of each nugget contains fat and connective tissue, which chicken breast majorly lacks. Because of this, these fillers have to be mixed in from other parts of the chicken. As a workaround, some chefs opt to make nuggets from the thigh instead.

The reason fat is so important? Chicken nuggets made from fattier cuts of meat are tastier, juicier, and won't dry out while cooking. That sounds good, but it isn't the only thing that makes thigh meat desirable.

Other than just being juicer, chicken thigh meat has a different flavor than breast meat. Breast meat may provide a more tender bite, but thigh meat offers a more intense taste and a more prominent texture.

Some may worry that dark meat isn't as nutritious as white meat, which although technically true, doesn't make a significant difference. According to Lifehacker's health editor Beth Skwarecki, chicken thigh only has 64 more calories than breast meat. If the skin is left on, the calorie count rises to about 100 more, which Skwarecki finds worth it for the flavor difference alone.

The process of making chicken nuggets from thigh meat isn't much different from how you usually make homemade nuggets. To create a chicken mixture, you'll need skinless thighs, salt and pepper, and optionally, monosodium glutamate. If you'd like, you can adjust the thigh to fit your needs by trimming off excess fat. The breading and sauce are made just like you normally would. Be careful not to make one of the mistakes everyone makes when cooking chicken thighs.

So, if you're in the mood for a juicer chicken nugget at a lower price point, thigh meat is the way to go.