McDonald’s has been the subject of many wild claims over the years, such as there is pink slime in their chicken nuggets, which has been proven false repeatedly.
The question of where McDonald’s gets their chicken comes up a lot; keep reading because we have all the facts about McDonald’s chicken below!
Where Does McDonald’s Get Their Chicken?
McDonald’s gets their chicken mostly from Tyson Foods, which had acquired another chicken supplier for McDonald’s, Keystone Foods, in 2018. McDonald’s also uses 100% real chicken for both their nuggets and chicken sandwiches. There’s no pink slime or antibiotics in the chicken, either. Further, the company is the second-largest purchaser of chicken, only behind KFC.
There are plenty of other questions people have about McDonald’s chicken, so read below to learn even more!
Who Supplies Chicken to McDonald’s?
Tyson Foods is the biggest supplier of chicken to McDonald’s, with the company being an even bigger asset to McDonald’s now than ever before.
Furthermore, Tyson acquired Keystone Foods in 2018, which was another huge chicken supplier for McDonald’s.
About one-fifth of Tyson Foods products are small birds, which is primarily what’s used for chicken sandwiches.
Where Does McDonald’s Get Their Chicken Nuggets?
McDonald’s is fairly tight-lipped on their chicken nugget suppliers, although we know Tyson Foods supplies a lot of their chicken.
Further, the manufacturing locations for chicken nuggets include states such as Georgia, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Tennessee.
Does McDonald’s Chicken Come From China?
McDonald’s does not get any chicken or chicken products from China, and this has been one of the many false claims that the company has had to rebuke in recent years.
On top of that, the chicken that McDonald’s uses comes from American farms that raise the chickens and supplies Tyson Foods and formerly supplied Keystone Foods.
McDonald’s Chicken Farm Abuse
McDonald’s has been embroiled in some allegations of abuse when it comes to how the chickens are raised and slaughtered and has been accused of animal cruelty.
Additionally, both McDonald’s and Tyson Foods parted ways with a chicken farmer who was caught on video in Tennessee abusing chickens back in 2015.
We’ll spare you the details of the abuse, but it was an undercover video that caught the abuse, and once the video was released, both companies were quick to remove this farmer from their chicken supplier list.
However, that incident isn’t the only one where claims of McDonald’s contributing to the abuse of chickens have occurred, and other undercover videos have caused an uproar among animal lovers.
What’s In McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets?
McDonald’s chicken nuggets come from 100% real chicken and do not contain any artificial preservatives, artificial flavors, or colors.
Additionally, the chicken nuggets are a mixture of chicken meat from the rib, breast, and tenderloin, which is ground and formed into the iconic nugget shape.
Other ingredients that can be found in McDonald’s nuggets include vegetable oil, soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, bleached white flour, yellow corn flour, salt, and spices.
How are McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets Made?
McDonald’s combines the various parts of chicken, creates the shapes of the nuggets, and then coats them in a batter made using tempura.
Additionally, the nuggets are then fried partially and then flash frozen so that they lock in the flavor before being shipped out to McDonald’s stores.
Does McDonald’s Chicken Contain Antibiotics?
McDonald’s chicken doesn’t contain any human antibiotics, which was a policy they created back in 2015.
Furthermore, ionophores are used by chicken farmers, which is an antibiotic that has never been prescribed to people, and it’s used to ensure the chickens stay healthy.
Is McDonald’s Chicken Fake?
McDonald’s chicken is 100% real chicken and not fake, with the chicken sandwiches using chicken breast with rib meat to create their menu options.
All of the chicken that McDonald’s uses have been USDA-inspected and certified, with the company using only white meat chicken for their products.
Is McDonald’s the Biggest Purchaser of Chicken?
McDonald’s isn’t the biggest purchaser of chicken in the world, but they are in second place and only behind KFC.
Considering how successful KFC is and that the restaurant specifically caters to chicken, it’s incredible that McDonald’s has managed to be the second-largest buyer of chicken.
Is McDonald’s Chicken Gluten-Free?
Unfortunately, none of the McDonald’s chicken is gluten-free and should be avoided by those trying to live a gluten-free lifestyle.
Primarily, the issue is that most of the chicken is breaded and fried, so it contains wheat which makes it not a good option for those on gluten-free diets.
Does McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets Have Dairy?
McDonald’s chicken nuggets do not contain dairy, according to the ingredients list.
However, it is fried in the same fryer as the crispy chicken sandwiches, which means cross-contamination could occur.
It’s best to avoid chicken nuggets if you’re very sensitive to dairy due to this possible cross-contamination from other chicken products.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on whether or not McDonald’s meat is real, where McDonald’s gets their meat, and if McDonald’s cheese is real.
