How Does McDonald’s Make Their Chicken Nuggets?
McDonald’s chicken nuggets are a beloved menu item for people of all ages. But have you ever wondered how they’re made? In this article, we’ll take a behind-the-scenes look at the process of creating those tasty, bite-sized pieces of chicken.
The Raw Materials
Before we dive into the actual manufacturing process, let’s take a look at the raw materials used to make McDonald’s chicken nuggets. The company uses:
- White meat chicken (breast and rib meat)
- Wheat breadcrumbs
- Water
- Salt
- Sugar
- Spices (e.g. paprika, garlic powder, onion powder)
- Preservatives (e.g. sodium phosphates, sodium erythorbate)
- Textured soy flour (for added texture)
- Rice flour
- Vegetable oil for frying
The Manufacturing Process
McDonald’s chicken nuggets are manufactured through a process called breading, forming, and frying.
Breading
The first step in making chicken nuggets is to bread the chicken. This is where the magic happens!
- The chicken mixture is pumped into a breader machine, which coats the chicken with a mixture of breadcrumbs, spices, and preservatives.
- The chicken is then passed through a first fryer, where it is blanched in hot oil to remove excess moisture.
Forming
The breaded chicken is then formed into small nugget shapes.
- Spiral dies shape the chicken into the familiar nugget shape.
- The nuggets are then pressed to ensure the breadcrumb coating adheres evenly to the chicken.
Frying
The final step is to fry the chicken nuggets to a crispy golden brown.
- The nuggets are batched together and fried in a hydrogenated vegetable oil until they reach the desired level of crispiness (around 3-4 minutes).
- They are then drained of excess oil and seasoned with additional spices and salt.
The Finished Product
After all the steps mentioned above, the chicken nuggets are packed and shipped to McDonald’s locations around the world. When you order chicken nuggets at McDonald’s, you can rest assured that they are made with high-quality ingredients and undergo a thorough cooking process to ensure food safety and quality.
Fun Facts and Statistics
- McDonald’s sells over 4.2 billion chicken nuggets per year worldwide.
- The company has sold over 100 billion chicken nuggets in their history.
- McDonald’s uses 140 million pounds of chicken per year.
- The company has strict quality control measures in place to ensure every chicken nugget meets their high standards.