'Despite what the internet may tell you, dark meat isn't less nutritious as white,' says Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN. 'Since chicken nuggets naturally contain added oils that ups the fat content, I recommend choosing all white meat chicken nuggets,' she says.īut that doesn't mean dark meat is bad for you. Moskovitz assures us it's OK for both kids and adults to eat nuggets, especially when paired with whole grains and fresh veggies. RELATED: These are the Best Fast-Food Chicken Nuggets Additionally, if you're aiming for a lower calorie and saturated fat diet, then white meat may be a more productive choice.'

That said, you don't need to eat strict white-meat protein unless you have a history of hyperlipidemia or heart disease. 'In fact, dark meat has about twice the amount of saturated fat as white meat poultry. 'White meat is leaner and therefore lower in calories and cholesterol-raising saturated fat than dark meat,' says Lisa Moskovitz, RD, CEO of The Virtual Nutrition Experts and author of The Core 3 Healthy Eating Plan. While some are 100% white meat, others may contain rib meat, dark meat, or dare we say mystery meat that you probably want to think twice before consuming. But not all chicken nuggets are created alike. Not only are they easy to prepare (just bake and eat) they're actually a pretty great source of protein. Something, we will not earn a commission.Ĭhicken nuggets are a staple of most kids' diets-and some adults, too (shh, we won't tell).

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Costco baked chicken