Parul Sharma, a 31-year-old self-confessed chicken nugget lover, baked and tasted own-brand breaded nuggets from Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Waitrose and M&S, comparing them with a pack of Birds Eye. The judging criteria were chicken quantity and quality, crispiness, overall flavour and value for money. All the contenders were baked in the oven as per packet instructions.
The line-up was: Birds Eye £6.80/379g, Tesco £1.65/450g, Morrisons £2.35/450g, M&S £8.50/1kg, Sainsbury's £5.15/1kg, Waitrose £5.10/300g and Asda £1.35/210g.
Birds Eye: 4/5
Birds Eye lived up to its reputation as the gold standard. The nuggets were crispy, well seasoned and extremely chicken-flavour forward, with perfect bite-size pieces. However, Sharma felt the chicken tasted too processed and artificial compared with some of the other brands, and that there could be more chicken in each piece. At £6.80 for just 379g, it was also on the steep side.
Tesco: 3/5
Tesco's nuggets were among the smallest of the batch, but they were far from the worst. They crisped up fairly well, were well seasoned and had a decent overall flavour, with an appropriate amount of chicken for their size. At £1.65 for 450g, they offered good value for shoppers on a budget, though Sharma noted room for improvement.
Morrisons: 2/5
Morrisons' nuggets crisped up really well but were not particularly delicious or impressive. The chicken flavour and quantity were only average, and the overall seasoning was unmemorable. Priced at £2.35 for 450g, they were fairly priced but scored third lowest in the test.
M&S: 5/5
Marks and Spencer took the top score of 5/5. The nuggets were loaded with chicken flavour and offered the most robust bite of chicken among all the contenders, with nice, fat pieces. They crisped up well, had top-notch seasoning and made what Sharma described as the perfect bite. She found them far better and more wholesome than Birds Eye and said she would buy them again. At £8.50 for 1kg, the value for money was not too bad given the quality.
Sainsbury's: 1/5
Sainsbury's nuggets, described as cute little button-sized bites, were almost completely unseasoned and bland. They crisped up alright but were not very delicious, and the chicken itself did not taste impressive. Sharma struggled to finish even the four nuggets she had baked for the test.
Waitrose: 4.5/5
Waitrose, sold as breaded chicken breast chunks, was also a knockout. The nuggets were big, huge chunks of chicken, almost resembling tenders or goujons in size, and they were well seasoned - almost too well seasoned in some bites. They crisped up well and held their crispiness, with a wholesome, delicious chicken flavour. While the price was steep at £5.10 for just 300g, the flavour more than made up for it, and Sharma said she would definitely buy them again.
Asda: 0.5/5
Asda was the worst of the lot. The nuggets were tasteless, unseasoned and bland, the chicken had little to no flavour and barely tasted like chicken, and they did not crisp up well. Sharma described them as the most blonde-looking nuggets of the batch, refusing to take on a golden-brown colour. She said it felt like a chore to finish even the small batch she had made and that she would not be buying them again.
The taste test left M&S and Waitrose as the clear winners, with Asda at the bottom of the table.
