Fried Chicken is dominating fast food. With the abundance of chicken sandwiches, tenders, and full-on hot chicken chains popping up across the fast food landscape, there is no doubt that fried chicken is just as popular (or maybe even more popular) amongst the masses than the mighty cheeseburger. But don’t forget, we wouldn’t live in this world if it wasn’t for the chicken nugget.

Back in 1983, McDonald’s dropped the heavily processed Chicken MgNugget and took the nation by storm, starting an obsession similar to what Popeyes’ chicken sandwich did in 2019. Now, forty years later, chicken nuggets are better than they’ve ever been — even McDonald’s chicken nugget is composed of all-white meat chicken, and for every heavily processed mystery meat nugget out there, there are whole pieces of chicken battered and fried on-site (shout out to KFC and Chick-fil-A).

Chicken sandwiches and tenders, with their bigger cuts of meat, might be more satisfying but the nugget still holds its own as the best fried chicken snack and the easiest to dip. So we’re going to help guide you to the best chicken nuggets in all of fast food by launching the biggest chicken nugget ranking on the internet. We tasted and ranked over 20 different chicken nuggets in search of the very best. Here is how they rank and which dipping sauces serve them best.

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21. Dairy Queen — Rotisserie-Style Chicken Bites

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

Yeck! Whose idea was it to make these? The word “rotisserie” is used very generously here — this chicken is dry as a bone with a salt and cheap onion powder flavor with an overly fragrant rosemary aftertaste.

Part of what makes rotisserie chicken special is the bone-in roasting, which leads to a tender and succulent perfectly cooked chicken. I guarantee there is none of that here.

Luckily, most Dairy Queen locations don’t even offer this snack option, which means there is less of a chance of your curiosity tempting you to give this a try.

The Bottom Line:

Go with the fried tenders instead. These aren’t even worth tasting for curiosity’s sake. They may just be the worst nuggets of all time.

Best Dipping Sauce?

Country Gravy. It makes the most sense with this non-fried chicken.

Find your nearest Dairy Queen here.

20. Jack in the Box — Chicken Nuggets

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

This chicken nugget has a few good things going for it — the breading is light and super crispy (think cornstarch-based rather than flour), it’s well seasoned, and it features a mix of garlic and pepper. But the actual chicken meat itself is weirdly flavorless.

It has a spongey wet texture, but no real flavor. So I wouldn’t exactly say these nuggets are tasty, but I can’t say they are gross either.

Best Dipping Sauce?

Frank’s Red Hot.

The Bottom Line:

Great batter, weird texture, flavorless chicken. If you like the breading of fried chicken more than the chicken itself, you might like these.

Find your nearest Jack in the Box here.

19. Sonic — Jumbo Popcorn Chicken

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

Crispy, moist enough to not be off-putting, with a strong black pepper-forward flavor. True to its name, these nuggets are pretty jumbo, big enough that you’ll need to at least take two bites before you’re finished. That makes it a bit more tough to dip, so make sure you ask for extra sauce with this one.

Here is the issue though, as fine as these are, Sonic has a lot better finger food — mozzarella sticks, chili cheese tots, and jalapeño poppers among them. Order those instead.

Best Dipping Sauce?

Sonic Signature sauce. It’s a little bit of lemon, a little bit of mustard, a little bit of mayo, and a little bit of BBQ resulting in a whole lot of flavor.

The Bottom Line:

Not bad but easily one of Sonic’s weakest snack offerings.

Find your nearest Sonic here.

18. Sonic — Honey BBQ Sauced Jumbo Popcorn Chicken

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

Better than Sonic’s non-sauced popcorn chicken but I find the level of sweetness here a bit off-putting. There is a slight sense of smokiness that pairs well with the black-pepper-forward flavor of the chicken, but the sweet aftertaste makes even a single nugget overwhelming.

Best Dipping Sauce?

Doesn’t need one. Any other sauce added just puts a stronger emphasis on the sweetness.

The Bottom Line:

As I said before, Sonic has plenty of better snack options. Get mozzarella sticks!

Find your nearest Sonic here.

17. Burger King — Chicken Nuggets

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

Dry with a soft texture, a strangely dusty breading, and an enjoyable black pepper-forward flavor. This nugget’s weak point is its spongey texture and the weird appearance of the meat. It looks like something you shouldn’t be putting in your body.

This tends to be the problem with Burger King. The chain’s food has some great flavors, but the quality always holds it back.

Best Dipping Sauce?

BBQ. Not only is it Burger King’s best sauce, but it’s also the best BBQ sauce in all of fast food. I know, I’ve tried them all.

The Bottom Line:

I’m always rooting for Burger King to up its quality. They still haven’t, but I’m hoping this fast food chain can turn itself around one day. At the end of the day, I’m going to suggest you skip these.

16. Sonic — Buffalo Sauced Jumbo Popcorn Chicken

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

A huge improvement over the non-sauced version, these nuggets are tossed in Sonic’s Buffalo sauce adding a spicy tangy dimension to the flavor profile. Sonic’s buffalo sauce is great offering a nice balance between acidic, spicy, and savory flavors.

Best Dipping Sauce?

Ranch, or your wing sauce of choice.

The Bottom Line:

I still think Sonic has better side options than the chicken, but these are a huge improvement over the non-sauced and Honey BBQ version of these chicken nuggets.

Find your nearest Sonic here.

15. Rally’s — Chicken Bites

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

Crispy and dusty breading dominated by pepper and garlic powder housing tender white meat chicken. These are good but Rally’s only sells them as a half-pound box with fries. That’s too many chicken bites!

An order of this just comes across as overwhelming, spend your money instead on a Mother Cruncher chicken sandwich.

Best Dipping Sauce?

An even split between Frank’s Buffalo Hot Sauce or BBQ. If you want spice, hit the Frank’s, if you rather have smokey notes with some sweetness, do BBQ.

The Bottom Line:

Good, but we wish Rally’s offered a smaller side order so we wouldn’t have to treat this box of food as a meal.

Find your nearest Rally’s here.

14. White Castle — Chicken Rings

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

A medley of pepper, onion, and garlic flavors with heavily processed white meat chicken. Do these Chicken Rings count as nuggets? I think so. Sure, they don’t have the iconic shape, but it’s still processed chicken that is battered and fried, so this is essentially a nugget.

It disturbs me that these are shaped like rings though. Why, White Castle? Did you somehow think that would be appetizing?

Best Dipping Sauce?

Zesty Zing Sauce. This mustard-based sauce is tangy and sweet and pairs well with the flavor of the chicken rings.

The Bottom Line:

Good, but barely mid-tier. If you can’t look past the shape we don’t blame you.

Find your nearest White Castle here.

13. Carl’s Jr — Chicken Stars

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

A bright buttery flavor with a heavy sharp textured breading and weird spongey chicken “meat.” These are disturbing on every level, the way they’re shaped like stars, the weird light color, and the strange meat slurry texture. And yet… I kind of like these?

Hear me out, sure they don’t exactly taste like chicken, but the flavor the crunch are good enough that ordering these as a side to any meal is an easy way to elevate said meal. Having said that, ordering this as your meal, that’s not something we can suggest.

Best Dipping Sauce?

Buffalo sauce, hot, buttery, delicious.

The Bottom Line:

If you can look past the star shape, these are a fine addition to any meal.

Find your nearest Carl’s Jr here.

12. Arby’s — Premium Chicken Nuggets

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

I don’t love the breading here as much as what Carl’s Jr or White Castle are doing, it’s powdery, dry, and pretty one note (black pepper) but the quality of the chicken is a significant cut about the cheap processed stuff.

True to its name, the chicken comes across as premium here, it actually tears, tastes, and looks like actual white meat chicken, rather than a slurry of meat.

Best Dipping Sauce?

Bronco sauce. It’s a mix of fruity apple and cherry notes. It’s an anomaly amongst dipping sauces, and for that novelty alone, we like it!

If you’re looking for something a bit savory, go for the Horsey Sauce, which is like a spicy mayo.

The Bottom Line:

Good, but from Arby’s, a place that “got the meats” we expect a little better.

Find your nearest Arby’s here.

11. Arby’s — Buffalo Boneless Wings

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

I’m not sure where Arby’s gets off calling these things “boneless wings,” they are, as far as I can tell, Arby’s chicken nuggets tossed in sauce. It’s an improvement, sure, but calling it a wing is misleading.

Yes, I’m aware that boneless chicken wings are essentially just chicken nuggets, but boneless wings tend to be a lot larger than these tiny bite-sized nuggets.

The buffalo sauce adds a buttery quality to this chicken, but it underdelivers on the heat you might expect from buffalo.

Best Dipping Sauce?

Ranch, it’s a natural pairing with buffalo sauce.

The Bottom Line:

They’re only available for a limited time so if you’re a fan of Buffalo sauce and Arby’s, we think this is worth a pick up.

Find your nearest Arby’s here.

10. Wendy’s — Chicken Nuggets

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

A bit buttery but the nugget itself is strangely airy as if actual air was pumped into the weird meat slurry to make the nuggets appear thicker. I find that off-putting (who wouldn’t), but the buttery and black pepper flavor and crispy texture are enjoyable.

Best Dipping Sauce?

Ghost Pepper Ranch, it’s creamy with buttermilk elements, black pepper, and a hint of heat for a kick of spice on the backend.

The Bottom Line:

Good, but it’s hard to justify ordering these when Wendy’s has a better nugget option.

Find your nearest Wendy’s here.

9. Arby’s — Hot Honey BBQ Boneless Wings

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

A slight improvement over the buffalo version, Arby’s Hot Honey BBQ is tangy and spicy, with floral sweet honey notes.

Best Dipping Sauce?

No sauce is necessary, the BBQ is more than enough.

The Bottom Line:

If you only have time for one limited-time-only chicken order from Arby’s in your life, this is the one.

Find your nearest Arby’s here.

8. Chick-fil-A — Grilled Nuggets

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

No, these aren’t ranked too highly — they’re f*cking delicious. Sure, grilled nuggets aren’t anyone’s first choice but what you have here is a nugget of chicken that is juicy and flavorful with charred notes, a hint of lemon, and a dose of black pepper.

They’re also relatively healthy, ordering an 8-count box of these feels like cheating they’re so tasty. Are they as good as Chick-fil-A’s fried nuggets? No way, but they’re damn good and will not disappoint.

Best Dipping Sauce?

Polynesian! Sweet, tangy, citrusy — a perfect pairing with chicken.

The Bottom Line:

Way more delicious than they look.

Find your nearest Chick-fil-A here.

7. Popeyes — Chicken Nuggets

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

I wanted these to be better, but they’re just not that great. The flavor and texture of the breading is significantly better than most of the competition. It’s crispy, light, crunchy, and the blend of garlic powder, salt, and pepper is perfect. The chicken inside is also very very juicy, offering one of the best mouthfeels of any chicken nugget in the fast food universe.

So what holds them back? The texture of the meat. It’s awful, biting into it breaks up the meat into cubes, it has this artificial texture to it that comes across as rubbery, making it Popeyes weakest chicken offering on the entire menu.

Best Dipping Sauce?

Honey if you like sweetness, Blackened Ranch if you’re like some heat and tang.

The Bottom Line:

It has that familiar Popeyes flavor that makes the brand so delicious and iconic, but the texture of the meat is so awful that we couldn’t put this chicken in the top 5.

Find your nearest Popeyes here.

6. The Habit — Crispy Chicken Bites

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

The breading here is that boring powdery black pepper-heavy flavor, but where this nugget excels is the chicken itself. It’s tender, flavorful, minimally processed, and super meaty — which makes up for the sub-par breading.

Pair this with your favorite sauce and it makes up for the lack of interesting flavors in the breading.

Best Dipping Sauce?

Classic BBQ for some smoke and tang.

The Bottom Line:

They are the sort of nuggets that need sauce, but once paired they become a high-quality chicken nugget.

Find your nearest The Habit here.

5. McDonald’s — Chicken McNuggets

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

Airy and crispy batter with a salty flavor and a hint of white pepper. I like the texture of the breading a lot, but this nugget sort of falls flat. It desperately needs sauce to elevate it.

McDonald’s Chicken McNugget is one of McDonald’s top sellers, and I think a side of these things is a must-order. But nuggets have come a long way since these first paved the way and in 2023 they come across as a bit lacking compared to some of the competition.

Best Dipping Sauce?

The Sweet and Sour adds some nice tang and sweetness to this otherwise flat-tasting nugget. The texture of the airy breading is nearly unbeatable though.

The Bottom Line:

The nugget that started it all is still very delicious, but there are better options out there that are significantly less processed.

Find your nearest McDonald’s here.

4. Wendy’s — Spicy Nuggets

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

Truly spicy at first bite. This nugget will ignite your palate with a strong cayenne pepper kick that finishes with some earthy black pepper notes. Even if you have a strong tolerance to spice, these nuggets come across as pretty damn intense.

The texture is crispy with a great mouthfeel. The big issue with these is that they are heavily processed. If you can look past that, these are some of the best nuggets in the game.

Best Dipping Sauce?

Ghost Pepper Ranch. It helps to emphasize the heat while adding some buttery and tangy counter notes that keep it from spinning out of control.

The Bottom Line:

The best heavily processed nugget in all of fast food.

Find your nearest Wendy’s here.

3. Shake Shack — Chick ’n Bites

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

A crispy light cornstarch-based breading that is akin to McDonald’s with tender juicy chicken that is minimally processed. The breading is seasoned with a mix of onion powder, garlic, and a gentle dose of black pepper. Altogether, these nuggets are great and high quality — being made from antibiotic-free whole-muscle chicken that is sous-vide cooked.

Unfortunately, as good as these are, in my experience, the quality is incredibly inconsistent. Sometimes I order these nuggets and they’re the best in all of fast food, but a majority of the time they’re a soggy mess with a breading that falls off the chicken too easily. For that, we have to knock it back a few spots.

Best Dipping Sauce?

Shack Sauce. It’s wonderfully flavorful with some sweetness, savory elements, a bit of tang, and a hint of spice. A natural pairing with chicken.

The Bottom Line:

Great when they’re great, but more often than not they’re soggy and dry and travel worse than any other nugget in the game. Once enough time hits these nuggets, they fall apart in the worst way.

2. KFC — Original Recipe Chicken Nuggets

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

I love these. The meat is tender and juicy, and the breading is crispy with that familiar 11 herbs and spices flavor profile that made KFC famous. There is a hint of garlic, onion, thyme, and black pepper all joining forces to produce a wonderfully flavorful result that takes the tastebuds on a journey.

KFC’s chicken nuggets were released this year and they’re easily our favorite new fast food chicken item

Best Dipping Sauce?

Honey BBQ. It adds a sweet counterpoint to the flavor profile which enhances the experience.

The Bottom Line:

Easily one of KFC’s best new menu options. I hope the brand adds Original Recipe tenders to the menu instead of forcing us to eat the less delicious Extra Crispy flavor profile.

Find your nearest KFC here.

1. Chick-fil-A — Chicken Nuggets

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

Meaty, juicy and tender with a strong blend of onion, garlic powder, and pepper flavors with an earthy floral paprika smokiness at the aftertaste. Chick-fil-A’s chicken is marinaded in pickle brine which helps to add a dark sort of tang to the flavor that makes the whole thing come across as more savory and also helps to lock in the juiciness, putting these nuggets in a different class than everything else in the fast food universe.

The nuggets are also fried in peanut oil which has a high smoke point and helps to get the chicken crispy and golden brown, without drying the meat out. If these nuggets were just a bit crispier, they’d be significantly better, but there is no real need to improve upon these already near-perfect nuggets.

Here is to hoping Chick-fil-A drops a spicy version of these soon.

Best Dipping Sauce?

Polynesian for some interesting fruity tang or Chick-fil-A sauce to up the savory qualities.

The Bottom Line:

Easily the best chicken nuggets in the fast food universe. Chick-fil-A is so far ahead of the competition that it’s… kind of crazy.

Find your nearest Chick-fil-A here.