CONOR POPEreviews chicken nuggets

Big Al’s Chunky Chicken Bites €3.25 for 198g €16.41 per kg

These small nuggets are 77 per cent breast – way ahead of the competition. The chicken is actually very good too and it does not look like it has been pulped and then reshaped in order to form a perfect little nugget. They are widely available at almost all of the big retailers in the State. The batter is nice and crunchy and the chicken is full of flavour. While some of its rivals bled grease, these were actually fine on that score. The individual pieces are on the small side and they are the most expensive option tasted.

Verdict: Nice but dear ***

M&S Chicken Breast Chunks €4.19 for 340g €12.32 per kg

These are coated with breadcrumbs, not just any old breadcrumbs, but “individually baked farm- house loaves”. Really? Individually baked? In spite of the needless marketing nonsense, these are lovely. The batter is excellent – which is lucky because there is loads of it – and the chicken is top notch. They are not too salty and the rest of the seasoning is very nice.

They are not remotely greasy and because they came from a store we trust, we’d have no problem feeding them to small children who, incidentally, loved them. They are relatively cheap too.

Verdict: Very good indeed *****

Birds Eye Chicken Nuggets €3.89 for 250g €15.61 per kg

This is made with 57 per cent breast with the rest of the ingredient list being made up of batter, bread- crumbs, vegetable oil and marinade. The batter was a bit disappointing and we reckoned that the whole thing was lacking in flavour. It wasn’t bland exactly but it did lack the seasoning and flavour we found else- where. Birds Eye assures us that these are made with chicken breast and we don’t doubt them for a second but it does not look like the actual breast of chicken which suggested to us that it had gone through extensive processing to give it its perfect shape.

Verdict: Bland. And expensive **

Tesco Breaded Chicken Nuggets €2 for 450g €4.44 per kg

These are the cheapest of the lot.

In fact they were so cheap that we put them in the oven with a very heavy heart and we were deeply concerned that they would rival the Tesco Value fish fingers in the please-God- don’t-make-us-eat-these-again stakes.

They didn’t and were surprisingly nice. The batter was crispy and while the chicken – again we are assured it is breast – had a soft and mushy texture that was unappealing, it was nicely flavoured.

Verdict: Cheap but okay ***