The Unhealthiest Fast Food Chicken Nuggets, Ranked

Let’s be honest, 80% of your childhood nutrition consisted of nuggets and whatever sauce packet you could rip open with your teeth. But now that you know what sodium does to your blood pressure, it’s worth asking: which fast-food nugget is actually the worst for you?

A study by telehealth platform PlushCare ranked nine fast-food nuggets by calories, saturated fat, sugar, and sodium — and while most were salty little bombs, one chain managed to blow past the rest with saturated fat levels nearly double (or more) than anyone else on the list.

9. McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets (10 pc)

Unhealthiness Score: 18

1. Energy: 5
2. Saturated Fat: 4
3. Sugar: 0
4. Sodium: 9

Millennials can sigh in unison, as childhood favorites McDonald’s nuggets are the least offensive on the list. With 430 calories and 750 milligrams of sodium, it’s not exactly the poster child of nutrition, but it is nevertheless the least unhealthy of the bunch.

8. KFC Kentucky Fried Nuggets (10 pc)

Unhealthiness Score: 19

1. Energy: 4 points
2. Saturated Fat: 0 points
3. Sugar: 0 points
4. Sodium: 15 points

Zero saturated fat is a shocker from KFC — especially considering the nuggets are fried (we’re guessing in Colonel Sanders’ tears). But the sodium, clocking in at 140 milligrams per nugget, more than makes up for it. One word: brined.

7. Wendy’s Crispy Chicken Nuggets

Unhealthiness Score: 20

1. Energy: 5 points
2. Saturated Fat: 5 points
3. Sugar: 0 points
4. Sodium: 10 points

Middle-of-the-road nuggets — fine for the occasional drive-thru fix, but nothing to write home to your cardiologist about. A four-piece from Wendy’s delivers 180 calories and 12 grams of fat, which is pretty tame by fried standards.

6. Chick-fil-A Nuggets (8 pc)

Unhealthiness Score: 22

1. Energy: 3 points
2. Saturated Fat: 3 points
3. Sugar: 0 points
4. Sodium: 16 points

The golden child of fast food (and the winner of our fast-food chicken nugget ranking) takes a salty hit here, with an eight-piece serving up 1,210 milligrams of sodium. At this rate, cardiologists probably deserve their own cult following too.

5. Jack in the Box Chicken Nuggets (8 pc)

Unhealthiness Score: 22

1. Energy: 5 points
2. Saturated Fat: 4 points
3. Sugar: 0 points
4. Sodium: 13 points

Jack’s nuggets fly just under the radar. Slightly heavier in fat than Chick-fil-A with 27g but a little lighter on the salt.

4. Burger King Chicken Nuggets (8 pc)

Unhealthiness Score: 25

1. Energy: 6 points
2. Saturated Fat: 6 points
3. Sugar: 0 points
4. Sodium: 13 points

An eight-piece order piles on 245 calories, 16 grams of fat, and 495 milligrams of sodium, Burger King’s nuggets are the greasy handshake you regret accepting.

3. Shake Shack Chicken Bites

Unhealthiness Score: 26

1. Energy: 6 points
2. Saturated Fat: 6 points
3. Sugar: 0 points
4. Sodium: 14 points

You might think “Shack” equals upscale, but these bites are bolder in flavor and fat. Not the light choice by any stretch.

2. Arby’s Premium Nuggets (9 pc)

Unhealthiness Score: 29

1. Energy: 6 points
2. Saturated Fat: 7 points
3. Sugar: 0 points
4. Sodium: 16 points

These beef-slingers are surprisingly dangerous in the nugget game too — packing 370 calories, 25 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, and 700 milligrams of sodium in just nine nuggets. That’s a lot of damage for something without a bun.

1. Popeyes Nuggets (8 pc)

Unhealthiness Score: 30

1. Energy: 5 points
2. Saturated Fat: 13 points
3. Sugar: 0 points
4. Sodium: 12 points

Popeyes takes the top spot for most unhealthy nuggets, and it’s not even close. Eight pieces bring 380 calories, 27 grams of fat, a whopping 13 grams of saturated fat, and 590 milligrams of sodium. Basically, they’re delicious little grease grenades — and your arteries know it.