From lunches to an after-school snack, chicken nuggets remind me of my childhood.
The small pieces of breaded chicken may be more popular among kids and teens, but I still enjoy eating them occasionally.
While I typically get nuggets from a drive-thru rather than preparing them at home, I decided to see if I could get something similar in the frozen aisle of a Canadian grocery store.
I went to a few local grocery stores in my hometown of Victoria, B.C., including Real Canadian Superstore, Walmart and Thrifty's, which is similar to Metro in Ontario.
I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of options and ended up with five brands of nuggets to try: No Name, Compliments, President's Choice, Janes and Great Value.
A Great Value chicken nugget, a No Name chicken nugget, a Compliments chicken nugget, a President's Choice chicken nugget and a Janes chicken nugget.Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
I cooked them all up for a taste test using a simple set of guidelines: the perfect chicken nugget should have tender meat on the inside and a crispy coat on the outside.
I decided to rank them out of five based on how much I enjoyed them, keeping these two qualities at the forefront.
Here's how the taste test went.
Great Value Chicken Nuggets
Asymina holding a Great Value chicken nugget.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
Price: $5.97 for 800 grams
Price per 100 grams: $0.75
Great Value chicken nuggets are made with chicken breast cutlets, and the box says they're free from any artificial flavours and colours.
While that sounds great and the nuggets look comparable to all the other ones, the flavour (or lack thereof) was quite disappointing.
The chicken was bland and the breading wasn't crispy enough.
The saving grace here was that you could still get through eating them by dunking them into the dipping sauce of your choice.
At $5.97 for a box of nuggets, I was really hoping I would like these simply because they're so affordable, but I definitely won't be buying them again.
Rating: 1/5
No Name Chicken Nuggets
Asymina holding a No Name chicken nugget.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
Price: $6.49 for 908 grams
Price per 100 grams: $0.71
Next up are No Name chicken nuggets which again are made with white meat (and chicken skin according to the box).
Sadly these ones weren't any better than the Great Value ones and if you were randomly choosing between the two you may even mix them up because they taste very similar.
The chicken is bland and the breading is a letdown.
Again, you can help these ones out by dunking them into a sauce.
Rating: 1/5
Compliments Chicken Nuggets
Asymina holding a Compliments chicken nugget.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
Price: $8.49 for 700 grams
Price per 100 grams: $1.21
The Compliments brand of nuggets, made with white meat, was certainly a step up from the previous two.
The crunch that came with biting into the nugget was much more satisfying and the breading was overall tastier.
While the chicken had more flavour than No Name and Great Value, it still left something to be desired.
However, I wouldn't be opposed to eating these again if I had to because paired with dipping sauces and a side of fries, they could make for a good meal.
Rating: 3/5
President's Choice Chicken Nuggets
Asymina holding a President's Choice chicken nugget.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
Price: $7 for 700 grams
Price per 100 grams: $1
I rarely buy President's Choice food and these chicken nuggets made me realize I should try more items with this brand.
At first glance the nuggets looked like they had plenty of meat packed in between the breading and the coating wasn't too thick.
After just the first bite I could tell the difference in the flavour of the chicken. The packaging says "perfectly seasoned white meat" and it really is.
Looking at the ingredients list you can tell PC adds way more spices and seasonings to their nuggets and it makes all the difference.
I would definitely pick up a box of these nuggets again and store them in the freezer for when I need a quick meal.
Rating: 4/5
Janes Chicken Nuggets
Asymina holding a Janes chicken nugget.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
Price: $10.97 for 700 grams
Price per 100 grams: $1.57
I've purchased Janes chickens nuggets in the past and eating them this time made me remember how good they are.
The chicken breast that's used is flavourful and paired with the crispy breading, the combo makes the perfect nugget.
The winning factor with these nuggets and what makes them stand out from the rest is the crunchy coating. The wheat crumbs are seasoned well and you can even see the pepper flakes on each piece of meat.
That pepper gives the nuggets just the right amount of heat and it's honestly so good I didn't even need any dipping sauces to go with this brand.
The packaging says "pub style" on it and the nuggets do resemble something you could get at a pub or restaurant.
These could pair well with a side of French fries, sweet potato fries or a salad for a healthier option.
Rating: 5/5
While I enjoyed trying all of the chicken nuggets, the final two are the only ones I would repurchase.
The Janes brand, which I found at Walmart but can be found elsewhere as well, was the tastiest out of the five. Since it is the priciest option as well, I wouldn't mind going with the President's Choice nuggets to save some money.
While chicken nuggets can be eaten on their own, especially the Janes ones, they also go perfectly with a side of fries.
Narcity's Mira Nabulsi compared three brands of frozen French fries that you can find at Canadian grocery stores, so if you want to have a full nuggets-and-fries meal waiting for you in the freezer, check out her fry comparison to see which brand you should try.
Or if you are in the mood for something a little different, I recently taste-tested four pierogi brands that can be found in Canadian grocery stores and there's one I would buy again.
These prices are confirmed at the time of publishing, but they can change at any time. Taxes and fees may not be included.
