Dr. Gourmet's Food Reviews

Chicken Nuggets and Tandoori Seasoned Chicken Nuggets

We've reviewed chicken nuggets a few times, and looking back over the reviews I can't find any that we thought were worth eating. While I am not a fan of convenience foods, I do realize that people are going to eat them, but it seems impossible to create a nugget that would amount to anything tasty. The fact is that most are eaten by kids, so finding one that is better tasting and better for your child is an accomplishment.

Three weeks ago we reviewed our first Saffron Road product after having avoided them for some time due to their not being widely available. All of the products we've tasted are good and a couple quite good. I saw their chicken nuggets and did avoid them because they are, after all, chicken nuggets, but thinking about this it seems that if anyone could make a good nugget, it would be Saffron Road. Their meats are humanely raised, antibiotic free, certified halal and many of their dishes are gluten free.

The two we tried are distinctly different. The plain chicken nuggets are more traditional - breaded little discs of chicken - while the tandoori seasoned version are chunks of whole breast meat. The latter is far more appealing, as the traditional chicken nuggets have a distinctly McDonalds look and feel. They do, however, taste much better than fast food, with a fresh chicken flavor and realistic texture. They are not too salty and the breading is light.

The tandoori seasoned version is much better and mild enough that it may appeal to kids. Each is a 3/4 ounce chunk of breast meat lightly dusted with tandoori spices. They are not overly spicy but full of flavor. The texture of the chicken is good but a little on the dry side.

Both come in with reasonable nutrition numbers at 120 calories for the tandoori and 160 for the traditional for a 3 ounce serving (about 6 nuggets). Neither has much saturated fat and there's no fiber. Sodium is reasonable at 390 mg for the tandoori and 340 mg for the chicken nuggets.

Chicken nuggets are part of America now and if it is something that your kids crave, these make a good alternative.