When were Chicken Nuggets invented?

Summary

Episode Summary: "When Were Chicken Nuggets Invented?"

Release Date: August 4, 2025
Podcast: Who Smarted? - Educational Podcast for Kids
Host/Authors: Atomic Entertainment / Starglow Media

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Introduction

In this delightful episode of Who Smarted?, the Trusty Narrator teams up with a whimsical character, Sir Chicks A Lot, to unravel the mysteries surrounding one of the most beloved snack foods: chicken nuggets. Geared towards young listeners and their families, the episode seamlessly blends humor with educational content, making learning both fun and memorable.

Planning a Chicken-Themed Party

The episode kicks off with the Trusty Narrator preparing for his niece Gia's birthday party. Originally considering a pizza theme, he shifts to a chicken theme after consulting with Sir Chicks A Lot.

• [00:00] Trusty Narrator: "Instead of pizza, I'm going with a chicken theme. Because Gia loves chickens."

Sir Chicks A Lot quickly helps refine the menu, suggesting various chicken-based dishes.

• [01:17] Trusty Narrator: "Yep, I heard some of you say chicken nuggets. Some of you said chicken fingers. And a few of you said chicken tenders. They're all great choices."

Differentiating Chicken Nuggets, Fingers, and Tenders

Sir Chicks A Lot clarifies the distinctions between chicken nuggets, fingers, and tenders, emphasizing that while they might seem similar, they are distinct in their composition and origin.

• [05:20] Sir Chicks A Lot: "The answer is B, the part of the chicken the meat comes from."

• [06:17] Trusty Narrator: "The tenderloin. What's a tenderloin?"

• [06:57] Sir Chicks A Lot: "The tenderloin, also known as the pectoralis minor, is a long, thick muscle under a chicken's breast or chest resting against its sternum."

Manufacturing Processes

The conversation delves into how different chicken products are made, highlighting the use of mechanically separated chicken in some nuggets and the specific parts of the chicken used in fingers and tenders.

• [07:58] Sir Chicks A Lot: "When a chicken is mechanically separated, machines mash up different parts from different chickens and push them through a strainer to take the bones out."

• [08:41] Trusty Narrator: "No matter what part of the chicken they use, it's all pretty delicious."

The Invention of Chicken Nuggets

Tracing back the origins, the episode reveals that chicken nuggets were invented at Cornell University in 1959 by Dr. Robert Baker.

• [09:16] Sir Chicks A Lot: "The United States. ... chicken nuggets are a relatively new food invented at Cornell University in 1959."

A fun, imaginary visit to Dr. Baker's lab adds an engaging narrative twist.

• [09:58] Trusty Narrator: "I was looking for more ways to use chicken in order to help farmers make more money. So I came up with this new food invention I'm calling the Chicken Crispy."

Rise of McDonald's Chicken McNuggets

The discussion transitions to the commercialization of chicken nuggets, spotlighting McDonald's introduction of Chicken McNuggets in 1980 and their subsequent popularity.

• [11:07] Trusty Narrator: "Some of the world's most popular chicken nuggets are the McNuggets. From McDonald's."

• [11:10] Sir Chicks A Lot: "Introducing Chicken McNuggets."

Fun Facts and Popularity

The episode shares intriguing statistics and fun facts about chicken nuggets, including the creation of the world's largest chicken nugget and the staggering consumption rates in the U.S.

• [11:36] Sir Chicks A Lot: "It's estimated over 1 billion chicken nuggets are produced and sold every year."

• [16:20] Sir Chicks A Lot: "The answer is C 51 pounds. This chicken nugget was three and a quarter feet long and two feet wide."

• [17:45] Trusty Narrator: "Americans eat about 6 million pounds of chicken every hour of every day."

Alternatives and Modern Trends

Addressing dietary preferences, the hosts highlight the availability of plant-based, vegetarian, and gluten-free chicken nugget alternatives, catering to a diverse audience.

• [12:04] Sir Chicks A Lot: "There are delicious plant-based versions of chicken nuggets, fingers and tenders as well as alternatives made from beans, cauliflower, falafel and more."

Conclusion

As the episode wraps up, Trusty Narrator reflects on the newfound knowledge about chicken products, ensuring listeners walk away informed and entertained.

• [18:46] Sir Chicks A Lot: "Trustees got facts, baby."

The episode concludes with heartfelt shout-outs to listeners and acknowledgments of the creative team behind the production.

Notable Quotes

• Sir Chicks A Lot: "[...] I am here to lay some nuggets of truth on you." [02:24]

• Trusty Narrator: "Smarty pants, do you know what mechanically separated means?" [07:58]

• Sir Chicks A Lot: "Trustees got facts, baby." [18:46]

Production Credits

• Writers: Sarah Eleven Spices, Sweet Tick, Adam Pex Davis
• Voices: Chris Original Recipe Okawa, Adam Beaks Davis, Gia Deep Fried Davis, Jerry Colbert
• Technical Direction & Sound Design: Josh Hot Wings Han
• Associate Producer: Max Corn Fed Kamasky
• Theme Song: Brian Saucy Suarez (Lyrics by Adam Tex Davis)
• Created and Produced by: Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colbert

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This episode of Who Smarted? masterfully combines storytelling with educational content, making it an enjoyable listen for kids and families alike. By exploring the origins and intricacies of something as commonplace as chicken nuggets, the podcast fosters curiosity and a love for learning in its young audience.

Transcript

[Trusty Narrator]

Psst. Hey, smarty pants. After the success of the pizza party that I threw for all my who Smarted Guests in our stress episode, who Wants Meat Cake Pizza? I've now been tasked with planning a birthday party for my favorite niece, Gia. Instead of pizza, I'm going with a chicken theme. Because Gia loves chickens. I've got a local farmer coming to set up a chicken coop so everyone can feed and pet live chickens. I've got a chicken pinata stuffed with peeps. And now I'm headed to the supermarket to grab some food. Okay, any suggestions, smarty pants? Did anyone say chicken? Good idea, smarty pants. At first I was thinking fried chicken. Then I thought chicken wings. And now I'm thinking it'd be easier to have delicious, bite sized chicken with no bones.

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

Yummy.

[Trusty Narrator]

What do you call that again, Smarty pants? Yep, I heard some of you say chicken nuggets. Some of you said chicken fingers. And a few of you said chicken tenders. They're all great choices. And since they're all pretty much the same thing, it doesn't matter what I get.

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, I say. Hold on there, trusty narrator. Did you just say what I think you said?

[Trusty Narrator]

Um, smarty pants? This might sound hard to believe, but a giant, six foot tall, sparkly talking chicken just appeared in front of me in the frozen food aisle. Then again, this is whosmarted, so it's totally believable. Sorry, I didn't catch your name.

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

The name is Sir Chicks A Lot Baby Got Fat, and I'm here to lay some nuggets of truth on you.

[Trusty Narrator]

Oh, wow.

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

Oh, wow is right. I can't have you telling the smarty pants the chicken nuggets, chicken fingers, and chicken tenders are all the same thing. Because they're not.

[Trusty Narrator]

Really? I did not know that. To be honest, I'm more of a pizza eater.

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom.

[Trusty Narrator]

But I always thought chicken nuggets, fingers, and tenders were pretty much interchangeable. Didn't you, smarty pants?

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

Yeah. Yeah. You're not the only one. But don't worry. I, Sir Chicksalot, am more than happy to cluck truth to power. Especially when it comes to chicken.

[Trusty Narrator]

Right? There's just one problem. Trustees gotta get back.

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

Baby got back.

[Trusty Narrator]

I've got a party starting soon. Say, why don't I just grab some yummy chicken nuggets, tasty tenders, and fabulous fingers, and then you, Sir Chicksalot, can join me? I'm pretty sure Gia and her friends will just love you at Their chicken.

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

Themed party sounds finger licking good.

[Trusty Narrator]

Great. And along the way, you can help explain what the difference is between chicken nuggets, chicken fingers, and chicken tenders. How they're made, and when they were first invented. It's time for another delicious whiff of science and history. On who smarted. Who's smarted? Who's smart? Is it you? Is it me? Is it science or history? Listen up, everyone. We make smarting lots of fun. On who's smart. And hey, guys. Trusty here. You know, one of my favorite things about summer backyard hangs. Hanging out with friends, having burgers, playing Frisbee. It's the best. And that's when our outdoor space becomes the main event. So this year, I finally upgraded my setup. Thank you, Wayfair. I got this awesome outdoor dining table that seats eight. Eight. It came fast. It looked perfect right out of the box. And now it's where we eat, play games, and, you know, just hang out. I also grabbed a set of string lights and a giant umbrella, so now it feels like my own little vacation spot without leaving the yard. And you know how much I love not leaving the yard. Wayfair seriously has everything. Grills, games, planters, even trampolines. And the shipping? Free. Always free. Even on the big stuff. So I got that table in under a week, and I didn't pay a dime for the shipping. So if your summer plans involve kicking back out back, head to Wayfair.com to shop. Outdoor furniture, grills, lawn games, and way more for way less. That's wayfair.com w a y f a I r.com Wayfair Every style, every home. Okay, smarty pants, I'm here with my new friend, Sir Chicksalot, who has just informed me that everything I thought I knew about chicken nuggets, chicken fingers, and chicken tenders was wrong.

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

That is correct.

[Trusty Narrator]

So what is it, smarty pants? Do you know? Well, let's think about it. First off, smarty pants, have you actually had a chicken nugget, a chicken tender, and a chicken finger? I assumed I had, but since I thought they were all pretty much the same, maybe I haven't. I know. Chicken nuggets are small, roundish pieces of breaded chicken. And chicken fingers are long, thin, boneless fried strips, kind of like a finger. And chicken tenders are wider strips of boneless chicken that are also breaded. Aha. Is that the difference? The shape?

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

Well, they do have different shapes, but there's a more important difference.

[Trusty Narrator]

Hmm. Smarty pants, can you help me solve this poultry problem? Is the main difference A, the breading, B, the part of the chicken that the meat comes from, or C, the dipping sauce?

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

The answer is B, the part of the chicken the meat comes from.

[Trusty Narrator]

Nice job, if you got that, smarty pants. But hold on. Are you saying that chicken fingers are actually a chicken's fingers?

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

No, I'm not. First of all, chickens have wings, not hands. So despite the name, chicken fingers are not actually fingers from a chicken. However. However, chicken tenders are named after a part of the chicken.

[Trusty Narrator]

They are. What part of the chicken is the tender, smartypants? Is it the tender wing, the tender thigh, the tender foot, or the tenderloin?

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

The answer is the tenderloin.

[Trusty Narrator]

The tenderloin. The tenderloin. What's a tenderloin?

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

The tenderloin, also known as the pectoralis minor, is a long, thick muscle under a chicken's breast or chest resting against its sternum.

[Trusty Narrator]

I see. So chicken tenders are always entirely made from a very specific part of the chicken known as the tenderloin.

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

Exactly.

[Trusty Narrator]

Huh. Who knew? But wait, what are chicken fingers and chicken nuggets made of? Smarty pants, do you know?

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

While chicken nuggets and chicken fingers may have some chicken breast in them, they're not entirely made from the tenderloin, so they can't be called chicken tenders. Chicken fingers tend to be long strips of chicken breast or chicken breast muscle, While some chicken nuggets are made from something known as mechanically separated chickens.

[Trusty Narrator]

Um, smarty pants, do you know what mechanically separated means? Yeah, me neither. I will say it sounds like it has to do with some kind of a machine. Is that what you're thinking too, Smarty pants?

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

You're definitely in the ballpark. When a chicken is mechanically separated, machines mash up different parts from different chickens and push them through a strainer to take the bones out. Then workers at chicken process processing plants, or chicken pieces, Some of the chicken that was mechanically separated is used to make nuggets.

[Trusty Narrator]

I see. That doesn't sound especially pleasant.

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

You're telling me. I'm a chicken. But the reality is there are chickens that are bred specifically to be food. Also, not all chicken nuggets are made from mechanically separated chicken. Some are made from only white meat, which comes from the chicken breast, wings, and back, Unlike dog meat, which comes from the chicken's legs and thighs.

[Trusty Narrator]

Interesting. Well, no matter what part of the chicken they use, it's all pretty delicious. No offense, sir. Chicks a lot. What else is in a chicken nugget besides the meat?

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

Chicken nuggets usually have corn and other ingredients like sugar and salt added to them. The breading usually has flour, which is made of wheat. In fact, for chicken nuggets, chicken fingers, and chicken tenders, the main ingredients are almost always chicken and breading.

[Trusty Narrator]

If I remember correctly, it feels like chicken nuggets were first introduced to the public at fast food restaurants. When and where were chicken nuggets nuggets invented?

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

Let's see if the smarty pants can guess which country invented the chicken nugget. Was it the usa, The UK Or South Korea? The answer is the United States. And unlike pizza or hamburgers or macaroni and cheese, which can be traced back a number of years, chicken nuggets are a relatively new food invented at Cornell University in 1959.

[Trusty Narrator]

Ooh, let's go there. We can use my time machine app.

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

Geez, I'm a giant magical chicken. Just hold my win. Here we are in the lab where it all began. That man is Dr. Robert Baker. He's a food scientist.

[Trusty Narrator]

Oh, hello. Hi. I'm the Trusty narrator from WhoSmarted. I see you're working on something. Why, yes. I was looking for more ways to use chicken in order to help farmers make more money. So I came up with this new food invention I'm calling the Chicken Crispy. I've taken small pieces of chicken meat, battered them, and then fried them up. Care to try one? Sure. Mmm. This looks and tastes just like a chicken nugget. Chicken nuggets nuggets. Hey, I like the sound of that. Maybe I should use that name when I publish my work. Sure, feel free. You should know future generations will love eating your chicken crispies. I mean nuggets. Some of the world's most popular chicken nuggets are the McNuggets. From McDonald's. Smarty Pants, can you guess when McDonald's first started selling McNuggets? Was it A, 1959? B 1965? Or C 1980? If you said C 1980, you're right.

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

Introducing.

[Trusty Narrator]

Chicken McNuggets. McNuggets were a big hit and soon other fast food chains started mass producing their own chicken nuggets. Today you can find lots of chicken nugget options at the supermarket. Some fresh, some frozen. Sir Chicks. A lot. Do you know just how popular chicken nuggets are?

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

Sure. It's estimated over 1 billion chicken nuggets are produced and sold every year.

[Trusty Narrator]

That's a lot. I don't think I'll need that many for this party. Ooh, they've got dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets. Fun fact. Chickens actually descended from dinosaurs. So a dino shaped chicken nugget is not only fun to eat, but a fun piece of animal genealogy.

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

Trustees got facts, baby got facts. And just like some dinosaurs were herbivores. If any smarty pants listening are vegetarian. There are delicious plant based versions of chicken nuggets, fingers and tenders as well as alternatives made from beans, cauliflower, falafel and more. There's also organic gluten free nuggets as well.

[Trusty Narrator]

Good thinking. I'll pick up some veggie and gluten free options too. I should grab some chicken fingers too. Say Sir Chicksalot, when did people start eating those? The answer is coming up right after this quick beek. I mean break. Hey smarty pants, Trusty here. What if your watch could call your parents, text your friends, play games and still help you ace the school day? Say hi to Pinwheel, the smartwatch that's built just for kids. Whether you're walking to school, riding your bike, or hanging out with friends, Pinwheel lets you stay in touch with the people that you care about and blocks everyone else. No junk, no spam, just the good stuff. You can pick your favorite color band, play fun games, and even chat with a super cool kid. Safe AI if your grown ups turn it on. And when it's time to focus, your watch knows. Thanks to custom schedules that your parents set right now you can get awesome deals on watches for back to school, plus free shipping and returns. Check it out at pinwheel.com smarted that's P-I N W H E-E-L.com smarted and gear up with the coolest watch made just for you. Whosmarted is brought to you by Squarespace. Now, you know I'm good about creating new adventures and episodes of Whosmarted, but you don't know that I procrastinate on other stuff. Like a website for one of our new projects. Oops. When the website builder Squarespace reached out about sponsoring WhoSmarted, I decided to test it out. And now I feel silly for putting off building that website. Squarespace's blueprint AI thing literally built a me custom website in minutes. I just told it a few details about the project and boom. It generated everything. And everything you need is right there. I can schedule guest interviews, send email campaigns, even sell merch, all from one dashboard. Now it's your turn to stop procrastinating and start building. You can use Squarespace to launch that business site or any site that you've been dreaming about, but putting off Today, there's no excuse anymore, especially since you can head to squarespace.com smarted for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, you can use code smarted to save 10% on your first purchase of a website or domain. That's squarespace.com smarted code smarted. Hey, guys. Trusty here. You know, one of my favorite things about summer backyard hangs. Hanging out with friends, having burgers, playing Frisbee. It's the best. And that's when our outdoor space becomes the main event. So this year, I finally upgraded my setup. Thank you, Wayfair. I got this awesome outdoor dining table that seats eight. Eight. It came fast. It looked perfect right out of the box. And now it's where we eat, play games, and, you know, just hang out. I also grabbed a set of string lights and a giant umbrella, so now it feels like my own little vacation spot without leaving the yard. And you know how much I love not leaving the yard. Wayfair seriously has everything. Grills, games, planters, even trampolines. And the shipping? Free. Always free, even on the big stuff. So I got that table in under a week, and I didn't pay a dime for the shipping. So if your summer plans involve kicking back out back, head to Wayfair.com to shop. Outdoor furniture, grills, lawn games, and way more for way less. That's wayfair.com w a Y-F-A-I-R.com Wayfair Every style, every home. Now back to whosmarted. I'm with my new friend, Sir Chicks a lot. And we're talking chicken nuggets, fingers, and tenders.

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

Hey, trusty, see if you can guess how much the world's largest chicken nugget weighs. Was it A, 31 pounds, B, 41 pounds, or C 51 pounds?

[Trusty Narrator]

Smarty pants, what do you think? I'll say B 41 pounds.

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

Actually, the answer is C 51 pounds. This chicken nugget was three and a quarter feet long and two feet wide. It was created by Empire Kosher and unveiled in Secaucus, New Jersey, in 2013.

[Trusty Narrator]

Where did they put the dipping sauce? In a kiddie pool.

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

Good one, Trusty.

[Trusty Narrator]

Thanks. So we learned about chicken nuggets and tenders. But what's the deal with chicken fingers?

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

Like their cousin the chicken nugget, chicken fingers are a relatively new addition to the menu. Guthrie's was one of the first restaurants to sell chicken fingers in 1978. After the chicken finger was introduced to their menu, they proved so popular that it seems second restaurant Guthrie's Golden Fried Chicken Fingers was opened in 1982.

[Trusty Narrator]

But they served other things besides chicken fingers, right?

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

Nope. Their chicken fingers were so popular, that's all they served. Ant fries.

[Trusty Narrator]

Wow. People sure love chicken fingers, too.

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

Yep. It's a good thing There are over 50 billion chickens on Earth. The largest population of any feathered species.

[Trusty Narrator]

Smarty pants, how many pounds of chicken do Americans eat every hour of every day? Is it A, 4 million, B, 5 million, or C6 million? If you said C6 million, you're right. Americans eat about 6 million pounds of chicken every hour of every day.

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

Whoa.

[Trusty Narrator]

And a lot of that comes in the form of nuggets, fingers, and tenders. Speaking of, I better buy these chicken nuggets, fingers, and tenders and get back in time for the party. Hey, Uncle Trusty, thanks so much for throwing me this awesome chicken party. I love it. Especially that guy in the giant chicken suit. Yeah, that's not a costume. Anyway, I'm glad you're having fun. Tell me, which do you like best? Chicken nuggets, chicken fingers, or chicken tenders? Um, I don't know. They're all pretty much the same, right? Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Have a seat. I've got some serious truth to lay on you.

[Sir Chicks A Lot]

Trustees got facts, baby.

[Trusty Narrator]

Got facts. A brainy bedtime shout out to Emma in Corning, New York. We hear you love listening to who Smarted every night before bed, and it helps you learn lots of new things. That's great. Pretty soon you'll be smarting in your sleep. Thanks, Emma. This episode, Chicken Nuggets, Fingers and Tenders was written by Sarah Eleven Spices, Sweet Tick and Adam Pex Davis and voiced by Chris Original Recipe Okawa, Adam Beaks Davis, Gia Deep Fried Davis and Jerry Colbert. Technical direction and sound design by Josh Hot Wings Han who Smarted is recorded and mixed at the Relic Room studios. Our associate producer is Max Corn Fed Kamasky. The theme song is by Brian Saucy Suarez with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex Davis. Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colbert. This has been an Atomic Entertainment production.