McDonald’s chicken nuggets were almost never invented

McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets have been on the fast food chain’s menu since the 1980s, but did you know they almost had a very different history?

The idea for Chicken McNuggets came from failed experiments by McDonald’s CEO René Arend, according to McDonald’s website.

At the time, Arend was working on “onion pieces,” but the recipe wasn’t quite working.

“In a passing conversation in 1979, chairman Fred Turner suggested that Arend ditch the onions and start working with chicken. Shortly thereafter, the Chicken McNugget was born,” according to McDonald’s website.

McNuggets were tested in several markets and were an immediate hit. In 1983, they were added to menus in the United States.

At the time of their release, McNuggets were available in quantities of six, nine and 20 pieces.

Today, McNuggets are available in boxes of four, six, 10, 20 and 40, McDonald’s said.

McNuggets made their international debut the following year, according to McDonald’s website — and were initially sold at McDonald’s locations in Canada, Japan, France and Germany.

A YouTube video posted in 2014 by McDonald’s Canada offers a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of McNuggets.

The process starts with whole chickens – and the breasts are separated and put in a container.

These breasts are then ground and seasoned; then a small amount of chicken skin is added as a binder, McDonald’s Canada said.

The ground chicken mixture is then cut into four shapes – called “Bow Ties” (or “Bones”), “Balls”, “Bells” and “Boots”.

These four forms are then cleaned, beaten, fried and frozen, the company said.

The nuggets are sent to McDonald’s locations, where they are fried again to complete the cooking process.

“These shapes were created to ensure even cooking and make the nuggets fun and easy to eat,” according to a description in a 2023 YouTube video from McDonald’s of the McNuggets shape.

The original dipping sauces for McNuggets were “Honey, Sweet and Sour, Hot Mustard and Barbecue,” according to McDonald’s website.

In the 41 years since McNuggets were added to the menu, there have now been more than 25 different McNuggets sauces in the United States, the website added.

In 2003, a new McNuggets recipe was released, consisting only of white chicken meat, McDonald’s said.

McDonald’s did not provide any additional information about an investigation into its parts.