Fans Say These Frozen Chicken Nuggets Are The Closest You'll Get To McDonald's At Home

Pink slime myths aside, McDonald's chicken nuggets are the OG and remain the gold standard for fast food chicken nuggets, according to customers and critics alike. With the costs of fast food on the rise, more consumers are turning to the frozen food section. We've got a long list of frozen chicken nugget brands that we've ranked, but the frozen chicken nuggets fans claim are the closest to McDonald's is from a brand that wasn't on our list.

According to Reddit posts and a Tiktok video review, Country Pride Tempura Chicken Nuggets are the McNugget dupe you need to try. One Reddit post sums it up nicely by saying "these 'country pride' tempura battered nuggets are [a] near perfect approximation of McDonald's McNuggets." Responses rave about how similar these nuggets are in shape, size, and juiciness. But the biggest seller for all reviewers is the texture, color, and taste of the breaded crust. Unlike a lot of chicken nuggets that use bread crumbs, the tempura breading supplies that smoother yet crackly, crispy crust McDonald's nuggets are known for. A TikTok video review compares Country Pride nuggets side by side with McDonald's and the appearance and texture are nearly identical.

While the flavor lacks the seasoning magic McDonald's tosses their nuggets in — we think it's celery salt — TikTok reviews state that if you pair them with famous McDonald's sauces like barbecue, ketchup, or honey mustard, you'll swear you're eating McNuggets.

While Reddit and TikTok posts say they picked up Country Pride from the frozen section of their local Walmart, even more responses claim that Walmart runs out quickly or doesn't keep them stocked. Country Pride isn't a Walmart-exclusive brand, so you can look for them at Kroger, where customers also proclaim they taste like eating McDonald's at home; one review even said, "I actually like them better than McDonald's because they're always fresh when I make them." To that effect, customers have strong opinions on the best way to cook them to best approximate that McDonald's taste and texture.

Obviously, deep frying is the best way to crisp up these nuggets while also instilling a more savory flavor from the frying oil itself. Redditors recommend using peanut oil or beef tallow if you really want an umami-rich upgrade for fries and nuggets. That said, McDonald's uses a blend of canola and sunflower oils to fry its nuggets and french fries, another iconic McDonald's staple that is one of our favorite fast food french fries of all time. The air fryer is a much more convenient method favored by many customers. One method most reviewers say to avoid is microwaving them because you won't get the crunch factor that the deep fryer or air fryer instills.