7 Spicy Chicken Nugget Brands, Ranked Worst To Best

The humble chicken nugget: We all know it. And if you're reading this article, you presumably love it. Everyone has their personal preferences when it comes to chicken nuggets. Some like them uniform in shape and taste, like a McDonald's chicken nugget. Others want a more, well, real chicken feel with a meatier bite. 

When it comes to a spicy chicken nugget, nailing the texture, taste, and, of course, heat can be easier said than done. For starters, some fast food chains only offer spicy nuggets on a limited-time basis, which means you may not always be able to get them at your local drive-thru. Fear not, there are some good options in the freezer aisle. There are also some misses. That's why I've taken the trip to the grocery store(s) for you to uncover which brands do offer our favorite, and if they're worth buying at all. Let's find the best chicken nugget in the grocery store out there.

Disappointment takes the form of a chicken nugget here. I was utterly devastated with these Gluten-Free Buffalo Style Bites from the Sprouts brand (available at Sprouts, obviously). I had pretty high hopes for these, especially as one of the only few gluten-free options I found. Sadly, there wasn't much to love about these chicken nuggets.

The flavor of the coating was lackluster and barely spicy, and the crumbly texture made for an off-putting experience. It felt like I couldn't take a clean bite, and it was almost as if each piece disintegrated in my mouth, like eating a spoonful of breadcrumbs. I can't say much for the chicken itself either, as I thought the taste was equally blah and the texture soft and watery. Gluten-free friends, there's a better option on this list for you, don't worry.

As far as I'm concerned, Trader Joe's amazing selection of snacks and frozen entrees deliver more often than not. Unfortunately, the Trader Joe's Spicy Chicken Nuggets are pretty unsatisfying.

The spice level was off the charts here. So if you're on the hunt for the absolute spiciest nuggets you can find, these are the ones for you. While they're not my favorite, they're certainly not horrible. After I cooked up these nuggets, they were a bit soggy, though not alarmingly so, and the flavor was decent enough. However, the spice of the hot sauce-coated nuggets was pretty overpowering, so you'd really have to be in the mood for a kick. If you want something that reins in the heat a bit, there are other choices.

As promised, we have a gluten-free option that's worth buying. Golden Platter's Gluten-Free Buffalo Bites were all around very tasty, though not as much as the top contenders on this list. But they were solid enough to break into the top five, so I feel comfortable recommending them to my gluten-free friends.

The texture of these reminded me of a McDonald's chicken nugget, so if you're a big fan of those, you'll probably enjoy these. I couldn't bring myself to rank these any higher because the texture of the chicken wasn't the best out of the bunch. What's more these nuggets didn't quite bring the heat, and for a spicy chicken nugget ranking, that just won't do.

From here on out, we're only dealing with nuggets that I not only really liked, but would recommend across the board. Perdue's Buffalo Style Boneless Chicken Bites were light years ahead of the nuggets ranked below it, especially in terms of chicken quality and texture.

That said, the chicken did earn some dings in my book. When I opened the bag, I was a bit shocked to see what was inside. On the outside picture on the bag, it shows plump, decently-sized bites of chicken. On the inside, the pieces were so small that it was almost comical — you can even see the drastic difference in size in the image above. There were also some longer pieces in there more tender-like than anything. Aside from the size bait and switch, these ranked in fourth place because the flavor was pretty mild and tame.

Coming in third place, we have the Tyson Buffalo Style Boneless Chicken Bites. As far as I'm concerned, these were literally almost perfect. Unfortunately, there was one key factor that worked against them.

When doing this taste test, it reminded me of my spicy chicken sandwich ranking because I was once again surprised by how different the spice levels and styles can be. These bites from Tyson were on the bigger side, and the chicken wasn't soggy, soft, or dry. Overall, these are a solid option and I will definitely repurchase. The one drawback? The flavor. These were definitely spicy for sure, but I tasted more honey than heat. If you want a sweet and spicy chicken bite, these are for you. But they just were a little too sweet to win this thing.

I've enjoyed Just Bare products in the past, so I was eager to try these spicy nuggets out. I was not let down. These nuggets hit every mark. 

The quality of the chicken was top notch, and in terms of spice level, these had just the right amount of kick. Texture, chicken quality, spice level, flavor, and overall nugget-iness were spot on — so much so that I don't think I have anything negative to say about these. I will definitely buy these again, and I think they would work perfectly on a buffalo chicken salad (duh) or a cobb salad. Alas, as great as these are, they couldn't beat the nuggets that took the top spot. 

Great Value's spicy chicken nuggets are the winner, winner, chicken dinner. First of all, these bites were absolutely massive; you really get your money's worth here. Next, I was surprised by the chicken quality of these bites. The chicken isn't soppy or flat, and each bite was more satisfying than the last. 

The flavor also can't be beat. The heat level was just right, and I think that any spicy chicken lover would appreciate these. While I threw in the towel after eating just one of the Trader Joe's spicy nuggets, I could enjoy several of these in a sitting without obliterating my tastebuds. On the flip side, they weren't lacking in spice like the Perdue nuggets. Needless to say, you don't have to worry about adding flavor to these frozen nuggets. I will for sure buy them again. They would be excellent as an appetizer for guests or maybe even chopped up in a buffalo chicken dip. The possibilities will all be spicy and worth it.

When looking for brands that offered frozen spicy chicken nuggets, I made sure to stick to as close to that guiding phrase as possible. This means I only tried nuggets made of real chicken, and not imitation meat. Sorry, Impossible Nuggets, you will just have to wait until I do a different taste test. I also stuck to nuggets and nugget-esque shapes like "bites," as opposed to strips or tenders in my search for the best of the best nuggets.

Once I found all my spicy chicken nuggets, I cooked each of them according to their package directions, and tried them all. I ranked them based on spice level, chicken texture, flavor, breading texture, and overall bite. And if the chicken nuggets can compete with ones you'd find at a restaurant or fast food spot? Even better. Just because you're getting them from the grocery store doesn't mean they shouldn't slap.