Chicken McNuggets

During the 1970s, chicken consumption greatly increased in the United States, largely due to fast food chains such as Kentucky Fried Chicken, Chicken Delight, and Church’s Chicken. At the same time, the medical profession praised the health advantages of chicken over hamburgers. This caused a stir in the fast food industry, and in 1979 Fred Turner, McDonald’s chairman, set out to devise a chicken product that could easily be eaten while driving. It took six months to produce McNuggets, small pieces of reconstituted chicken held together by stabilizers, breaded, deep fried, frozen, and shipped to the outlet, where they were reheated. They are served with various dipping sauces.