Flashback Friday: An Autopsy of Chicken Nuggets

Photo: flickr/PetroleumJelliffeEver wondered what fast food chicken nuggets are actually made of? So did these researchers, and they actually went so far as to examine formalin-fixed sections of nugget under a microscope. If you enjoy eating these junk food favorites, we suggest you stop reading here. But if you really want to know the results, read on…The Autopsy of Chicken Nuggets Reads “Chicken Little” “PURPOSE: To determine the contents of chicken nuggets from 2 national food chains. BACKGROUND: Chicken nuggets have become a major component of the American diet. We sought to determine the current composition of this highly processed food. METHODS: Randomly selected nuggets from 2 different national fast food chains were fixed in formalin, sectioned and stained for microscopic analysis. RESULTS: Striated muscle (chicken meat) was not the predominate component in either nugget. Fat was present in equal or greater quantities along with epithelium, bone, nerve, and connective ...