History of chicken nuggets

Among the most popular dishes in all restaurants, bars and fast-food places we must mention the chicken nuggets. The secret of the popularity of this dish is very simple, since it is a well-known product, easily understandable to interest the buyer and very delicious that can satisfy your appetite quickly and pleasantly. In addition, many consumers consider this food product as a dietary meal, which makes chicken nuggets doubly popular.

The origins of chicken nuggets

The literal meaning of the word “nuggets comes” is “nuggets of gold”.

The first versions of the chicken nuggets appeared during the California Gold Rush in 1850. A century later, chicken nuggets were presented in the world of gastronomy, getting their name thanks to the surprising resemblance of shape and color with real gold nuggets. In fact, it is true, the small golden pieces of chicken meat covered with crispy breadcrumbs are very similar to gold! How appetizing they are and how different their taste is: traditional, with cheese, ham and even sesame! Exceptional taste and natural composition! It is the perfect dish to give a touch of celebration to a family lunch, or to eat as a snack with friends, perhaps served with a sweet-and-sour sauce or with cubes of cheese.

The history of modern chicken nuggets

Few people know that chicken nuggets are a relatively new product on the market, and its invention is the result of the work of the American scientist Robert Baker.

Robert was born at the beginning of the previous century, and during his university years, he studied plant varieties. Baker returned to work at his home Cornell University, where he began to study the particularities of chicken meat and become interested in how people cook and eat this type of meat. Baker created the first portion of nuggets by mixing the minced chicken fillet with a special food additive that made the minced meat thicker and more adherent. For frying, the scientist invented and used a special breading, which did not lose its crunchy properties and did not crumble after freezing.

Robert Baker's dish did not immediately become popular, even though the scientist did not receive a patent for the recipe or even tried to keep it in secret. Unwilling to make a profit from his invention, Baker devoted his life to science: he founded the Institute of Food Science and Marketing at Cornell University, and later began to participate in research at the Institute of Food Technologies. The recipe of nuggets published in the 50s, only 30 years after its publication has entered the large networks of restaurants, where nuggets have become really popular, first becoming the favorite dish of Americans, and then also of the inhabitants of other countries.

What chicken nuggets are made out of?

It is worth noting that frozen chicken nuggets appeared on the world fast-food market not long ago, particularly in the eighties of the last century. The real nuggets come from the chicken breast. This part of the chicken is known to be very dry, which is why it is rarely ordered by visitors of the restaurants. At this point the creative entrepreneurs decided to grind the breast into minced meat, and then bread and fry the meat, which made the meat juicy and tender. Modern chicken nuggets differ slightly in composition from their predecessors, but the principle of preparation is always the same.

The chicken carcass is cut and the carcass is transported along the conveyor belt. The chicken nuggets are prepared using the breast, ribs and cuttings. Afterwards, the pieces of the chicken carcass are minced. Later, the spices and marinade are added to the forcemeat. The resulting filling is formed into pieces, covered with oil and breading. At the end, the nuggets are slightly raw inside, and the final heat treatment takes place directly in the cooking points - bars and restaurants.

What's the real secret and benefit of chicken nuggets?

The greatest secret in the preparation of delicious nuggets is their breading. The breadcrumbs can be prepared on the basis of breadcrumbs, sesame, cheese, corn flour and much more. In fact, today many chicken nuggets suppliers offer different varieties of this particular product. If we want to talk about the benefits of the chicken nuggets, it should be noted that this product is highly respected by restaurateurs and owners of premises. Chicken nuggets are delivered in the form of frozen semi-finished products, which guarantees a long duration and ease of storage. The nuggets are prepared in the fryer in 4 minutes, a simple and fast way, which does not require the presence of a super professional and trained staff.

Among the health benefits of chicken nuggets, we must emphasize:

• only the leanest part of the chicken - the fillet - is used for the production of nuggets. Therefore, the fat content is quite low which allows you to follow the dietary requirements.
• nuggets are a great snack, quickly appease hunger and the feeling of saturation lasts a long time.
• the golden rind that covers each piece of meat completes the delicate taste and helps to preserve the tenderness of the meat.

If we look at the first patented chicken nuggets, still on sale today in the best fast food retail chains, they are hardly a healthy and light food. First and foremost because of the origin of their meat. Chicken is a meat that is considerably at risk because of the intensive farming from which it often comes and where potentially harmful substances are used. The healthiest and best nuggets are made from the meat offered by the EUPoultry company. EU chicken meat is an example of very high quality meat with great health benefits. All the company's products are certified according to international standards, so the nuggets made from EUPoultry chicken meat are the tastiest and healthiest.

Today, nuggets have become a true traditional dish around the world - it' s hard to imagine a football game or home party without a bucket of this delicious product. People all over the world are truly in love with Baker's invention, and many housewives make nuggets with their own hands at home, so there are hundreds of variations of this recipe. The taste of nuggets varies from restaurant to restaurant, and for many people these differences are very significant. Try this wonderful dish too and find your favorite taste!