Chicken McNuggets were introduced nationwide by the end of 1983. Within one month of their launch, the McDonald’s corporation had become the largest purchaser of chicken in the United States, surpassed only by KFC.
McNuggets as they commonly known are small pieces of formless chicken that have been battered and deep fried. It took six months for McDonald to develop McNuggets, small pieces of reconstituted chicken held together by stabilizers that were bread, fried, frozen and shipped to the outlet, where they were reheated.
They were cooked in beef tallow, like McDonald’s fries. The chain soon switched to vegetable oil, adding ‘beef extract’ to McNuggets during the manufacturing process in order to retain their familiar taste.
McDonald’s contracted with Tyson Foods to maintain an adequate supply of chicken. When Chicken McNuggets debuted in 1983, they were an immediate success.
The Chicken McNuggets, French fries and barbecue sauce with a toy prize is one of the specialty meals for children at McDonalds.
In 1980, most chickens were sold whole, today about 90 percent of chickens sold in United States have been cut onto pieces to produce outlets or nuggets.
Chicken McNuggets
