The chicken nuggets of New Zealand, ranked from worst to best

Sorting the soggy from the sensational.

In theory it’s a glorious thing; a small, golden morsel that conjures memories of childhood, before your taste buds were ravaged by maple-bacon crisps and canned margs, when every nug was a blessing from the gods (your parents). Convenient and comforting, chicken nuggets have become such a household staple that a nationwide shortage in 2022 ruffled feathers.

The commercial chicken nuggets we know and (maybe) love were conceived by Cornell University’s Robert C Baker in the 1950s to solve the problem of surplus meat, and thanks to the popularisation of freezer technology and rise of convenience food, they quickly caught on. A godsend for harried parents, they’re generally categorised as “kids’ food” and, much like children, they're small and unsophisticated. 

Nuggets is a descriptive moniker. The golden (ish) batter or crumb encases a nugget-like interior made from ground, boneless chicken meat that’s par-fried quickly before snap freezing. Due to the mechanised processing involved, there have been accusations of chicken nuggets using substandard ingredients and, in the case of McDonald’s, viral visuals of “pink slime”. Nugget makers have spent years trying to shrug off the criticism – including recent categorisations as an ultra-processed food. 

A comb through the Australasian Food Standards Code shows no nugget-specific rules, but it defines poultry meat as “muscular tissues, including adhering fat and skin”. Packaged nuggets sold in New Zealand list chicken, flour, thickeners and seasoning among the many ingredients (but no offal, which must be declared according to our labelling laws.) Waitoa uses free-range chooks. Tegel’s are “made from 100% chicken breast”, which accounts for 45%-60% of its nuggets, depending on the kind. The rest is coating, a proportion that’s standard among its competitors. 

The playing field is crowded. We selected 10 varieties for Spinoff testing, which felt like a Sisyphean task. As plate after plate of beige lumps landed on the table our testers grew frustrated and helpless. A look of abject despair crossed Robbie Nicol’s face. Veronica Schmidt threw up her hands in frustration. A hollow-eyed Henry Oliver looked up imploringly. 

But we ate our way through the lot, with each assigned a colour to retain anonymity. All were cooked in air fryers following standard* packet instructions: 180 degrees for 10 minutes. Testers provided marks out of 10 which were later tallied and averaged for the final scores. Feedback was profuse. Stomachs were clutched. Some nugs suffered searing criticism. Here they are, ranked from worst to best.

10) Ingham's Chicken Nuggets Tempura Coated

$16.49 for 1kg from New World

3.4/10

“Mushy”, “spongey”, “sludgy” and “oddly soft”, according to our testers. Though these were largely flavourless, there was an aftertaste Robbie Nicol likened to baking soda. (There are raising agents among the ingredients, which is the longest list of the lot.) “A sad nug,” declared Tina Tiller, who usually finds the good in everything. Ben Fagan was one of few who did, awarding a generous 7/10. “Tastes like it came out of an old white oven in 2004.” 

9) Pams Chicken Nuggets Tempura Coated

$11.99 for 1kg from New World

3.8/10

A suspiciously moist nugget that was also greasy and bland. Testers complained about colour, flavour and hand-feel. Henry Oliver described his as soggy and flavourless. Sophie Albornett called hers “a little mid”. Tina dished out a 1.2/10, calling Pams definitively “not yumbo” (crushing). Sorry Pam.

8) Tegel Free Range Chicken Nuggets Crumbed

$16 for 900g from Woolworths

4.5/10

This dense, rubbery nug offered a hit of nostalgia thanks to the vibrant, very orange crumb (so 1990s). However, “fake” and “cheap” were among the concerns. Although made from 100% free-range chicken breast, it accounted for only 32% of each nugget. Testers noted an admirable crunch, but the flavour was widely panned as “meh” and “bland”. Henry scored his 0.5/10 due to too little flavour and too much rubberiness. “Disgusting.” Hayden Donnell was, unsurprisingly, a crumb hater. “Not what I want from a nug,” he said, calling this contender “spiritually and literally” reminiscent of fish fingers. Robbie suggested smothering these nugs in tomato sauce and giving one to a child who hates flavour, but Tina wasn’t sold on the idea. “The kids would get these little crumbs all over the place.”

7) Woolworths Chicken Nuggets Tempura Battered

$12.59 for 1kg from Woolworths

4.6/10

A divisive nugget that was commended for colour, size and flavour. “A juicy wee nug,” judged Hayden. “Almost too supple, but so tasty.” However, it proved texturally upsetting for many. Zoe Madden-Smith questioned the structural integrity of the batter. Several people found these nugs too wet. Accusations of catfishing were lobbed by Sophie, who found hers far too greasy. “Went soggy immediately,” complained Robbie. He reckoned a surplus of oil was to blame and said it coated his mouth for a long time afterwards. These did have the highest fat content and most saturated fat of all our nugs, contributing to the chart-topping 1,000kj/100g energy count.

6) Waitoa Free Range Chicken Nuggets Gluten Free

$13.59 for 450g from New World

5.2/10

These, shockingly, tasted like chicken. Not fish, not calamari, not nothing – actual chicken. You’d think that would be enough to earn Waitoa high marks, but diverging opinions can kneecap a nugget’s chances. Waitoa – described by one tester as “uggo” – suffered the widest spread of scores. The median, 6.05, was the second highest of all the nugs, but a brutal 0 and 1 dragged the average down to sixth place. At the other end of the spectrum, Isaiah said these tasted “actually healthy”, like breast meat. Ben called his “a cut above for sure”. They were certainly the bougiest looking of the bunch, but Zoe pointed out that they were still nuggets. “You’re not fooling anyone.” And fooled we weren’t. “Why does it look like that?” Robbie asked. “Why aren’t these nicer? I’m losing my mind.”

5) Woolworths Chicken Nuggets Crunchy Crumbed

$12.59 for 1kg from Woolworths

5/7/10

A cheerful orange nugget described as “friendly” by one tester, these were tasty and moist with a good crumb – my favourite nug! Even Hayden conceded. “Pretty good for a crumbed nug.” Unfortunately Ben and Robbie reckoned Woolworth’s crunchy crumbed nuggets were far too bland. (They just don’t get it.)

4) Tegel Free Range Chicken Nuggets Tempura Battered Gluten Free

$10.49 for 400g from New World

5.8/10

Although this was one we (mostly) agreed on, as the maxim goes, if you appeal to everyone you please no one. Certainly not Hayden, who was moved to anger by this nug’s middlingness. “As Jesus said, if you are lukewarm I will spit you out of my mouth and that’s what I want to do here.” Sacha Laird was more forgiving; “It’s fine. It’s a nugget.” Though bland, this was “reasonably reasonable”, according to Veronica, who cooks nuggets all the time for her kids on rushed weeknights. “My children would like these.”

3) Woolworths Essentials Battered Chicken Nuggets

$10 for 410g from Woolworths

5.9/10

This was among our most polarising nuggets, described as “pale”, “concerning” and “weird” and earning everything from a nine to a one. Sacha, who has young children and is well versed in the way of the nugget, was unimpressed by the “spongey faux meat texture” and disconcertingly sturdy batter. Hayden insisted he felt spiritual pain. Perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea, but despite the criticism – or because of it? – this was described as the OG nug. “It’s giving kid's birthday at Chipmunks,” judged Cal. “Actually good,” insisted Zoe. “Most crispy by far.” Ben was a fan too, declaring this underdog “classically delicious”.

2) Tegel Take Outs Chicken Nuggets Free Range Louisiana Style

$16.49 for 750g from New World ($21.99 per 1kg)

6/10

A shockingly greige nugget. The colour was “awful”, according to Sophie, who found these “visually hideous" and “unforgivable”. Yikes. Henry was in a more generous mood, complimenting the seasoning, but most testers found that too much – Robbie likened it to eating an Oxo cube. “The main experience is several tons of salt and pepper.” He’s right; these contained twice as much sodium as most other varieties. But that clearly appealed to our ravaged adult palates, because Tegel Take Outs clawed their way to the number two spot. “More flavour than any of the nuggets on the list,” Tina reckoned, giving a 9/10. Cal welcomed the “flavour sensation” after eating so many “bland and insipid nuggets”.

1) Tegel Free Range Chicken Nuggets Tempura Battered

$16 for 900g from Woolworths

6.5/10

This plate was finished first, which is always a good sign, and Spinoffers agreed that this Tegel nug was the least shit of our lineup. Sophie was impressed by the seasoning. “Really into this,” she said. “Hope it's cheap.” These benefited from a tempura-style batter and Isaiah appreciated the crunch factor, scoring an 8/10. Ben went higher, dishing out a 9/10. “Old faithful. The nuggets that made me believe in nuggets.” 

*A word to the wise: nuggets are actually better when cooked at a higher heat (200 degrees) for 15 minutes.