In snack report, we try the latest snacks so you don’t have to. Today: the new Impossible chicken nuggets.
The only thing better than a surprise chicken nugget is a surprise chicken nugget that nothing had to die for. Last week, when Impossible sent us two bags of their latest Impossible Chicken Nuggets Made From Plants, spirits were absolutely sky high. The Spinoff has a decorated, colourful, feared and revered history of reviewing meat alternatives from meat-free burgers to meat-free sausages, but we’ve never had the chance to nosh on a nug. Until now.
Without an oven or an air fryer on site, the cooking process was spiritually challenging. The Spinoff was forced to zap them in the microwave for three or so minutes. To counteract the natural microwave moosh-ification, The Spinoff then went off script and popped the nuggets into the sandwich press to crisp them up and give them a lovely golden hue. Flanked by a trough of artisanal dipping sauce (Tuimato), the nuggets began their orbit around the office.
“It’s giving me 2003,” announced Matt after his first bite. “I’m in Ranfurly.” He did not elaborate on what that meant, but did identify the “moosh” factor immediately, generously comparing the texture to a tofu shiitake dumpling. “I could easily eat a half doz [dozen]”. Dynamic vegan duo Alice and Natalie were both complimentary of the texture. “They are very good” said Natalie. “Firm” mused Alice. “And a really good chew to it. This is the best nugget I’ve had.”
The crumbed coating caused a stir with many, offering a delectable crispness to every bite. “The crunchy crumb is adding what high-end chefs call mouthfeel,” said Bianca. “Good crumb”, said Ben, “if you hadn’t said anything I wouldn’t have known.” Calum was so charmed that he even went for a nugget sans sauce. “Nicer than all but a McDonald’s nugget,” he proclaimed. There was praise across the board for the realistic “sinewy bits” left in the nuggets’ wake.
The vegans in the room noted the gentle umami flavours, more subtle than the earthier Quorn nugget offerings. “It tastes like health,” said Jin. “It doesn’t taste very healthy,” said Shanti. Others offered “undertones of schnitzel”, and “Chicken McCheese patty”. Toby (Manhire) couldn’t tell that it wasn’t real chicken, but quickly added that chicken nuggets are mostly known for their “MDF” quality. Toby (Morris) was similarly overjoyed. “Yeah,” he shrugged. “That’s a nugget”.
Stewart was the only taster who wasn’t completely won over by the Impossible nugget, and even then he still praised it as “good stuff” – just not as good as the Let’s Eat nuggets. As a point of comparison, the Impossible bag o’nuggets retails at $14.99 for 383 grams, and the Let’s Eat box o’nugget is $13.80 for 400g. The Spinoff saved one last nugget for our beloved editor and snack aficionado Madeleine, who returned from a meeting to a room temperature meat-free surprise at her desk.
“Very soft,” she said, “I would eat 50 of them.”
Impossible chicken nuggets: 9/10, possibly 10 if we had an oven.
