Chicken nuggets may be the most beloved food in America. The quest for the best nugget is unending, and there's always a rogue nugget competitor out there to upend the title.
And when it comes to retail, Costco's brand Kirkland has swooped in with a chicken nugget that shoppers say is even better than other, much-beloved brand-name nuggets.
A recent debate about which chicken nugget at Costco really takes the crown pitted the Kirkland brand against Just Bare and Real Good nuggets.
Real Good was soon eliminated as the contender for the top spot since it's a keto product and "isn't meant to taste the best. It's meant to be passable for low carb consumers," as one Redditor pointed out.
That leaves the beloved brand Just Bare, which has been compared to Chick-fil-A's nuggets in the past. Its antibiotic-free chicken chunks are lightly breaded and crispy without the addition of artificial ingredients or preservatives.
On the other hand, the Kirkland Signature Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks are Just Bare's closest dupe, also made with antibiotic-free chicken breast chunks and a light breading.
Both are sold in 4-pound bags in the freezer section and have 16 grams of protein per serving. Prices vary, but the Kirkland version is usually about $5 cheaper than the brand-name nuggets.
Shoppers are divided on which brand is better, basing their votes on which ones their kids love, which bag has fewer long crumbs, which is less salty, better seasoned, and so on.
I actually think the Kirkland are better seasoned than the Just Bare," one customer praised the store-brand version. And many agreed. One said: "Kirkland nuggets are the best.
I've tried them all. They are very low fat, juicy and tastes like a chick filet nugget. I'll sometimes sauce them in an Asian sauce and serve them with rice."