Head-to-Head: Burger King vs. McDonald's - Chicken Nuggets

Burger King has played second (and sometimes third) fiddle to McDonald's #1 for as long as I can remember. Most recently, BK has taken imitation to an art form with their new Chicken Nuggets, which are most remarkable in how much they resemble McDonald's Chicken McNuggets.

The two are very similar but which are the better nuggets? I decided to compare them and find out!

I thought about using a boxing 10-point must scoring system for this, but then I'd have to explain the 10-point must scoring system and I would get confused... I mean people would get confused! So instead, I'm just going to break it down by arbitrary criteria that I came up with on the fly (highly scientific I know). Here we go! I mean, "Ding! Ding!"

Appearance: Almost the same. The BK nuggets have more or less a standardized shape while the McNugget offers a little more fun and variety, but for the most part they look the same. The one noticeable difference is the color: while McNuggets are a yellow/golden color, Burger King's version looks to have spent a little more time in the fryer and are darkened and more like the nuggets you find at the supermarket in color.

I would call it a draw here. Neither look sways me more than the other.

McDonald's McNugget - Left; Burger King's Chicken Nugget - Right

Texture: The Burger King Nuggets were surprisingly crispier than the McNuggets. They both sport a thin crispy, battered shell (and are described as "tempura battered", but Burger King might be ever so slightly thicker and were markedly crispier. They might also be slightly oilier though.

A surprising nod to Burger King. The two times I've tried BK's nuggets, they've been pretty fresh and really crispy. I've heard some of you speak of soggy ones, but I can only comment on what I've tried.

I can only say that inconsistency is a pretty big problem for fast food chains despite all the specialized tools and processes to minimize it.

Taste: I found myself standing there taking a nibble of each repeatedly trying to discern the differences between the two. Honestly, they taste almost exactly the same. The slight difference was the Burger King nuggets were just slightly oily and had just a tinge of caramelized flavor.

Intangibles: I've pretty much eaten McNuggets since I was a kid. They're comfortable and they're good. Plus, I love McDonald's Sweet 'N Sour sauce.

Burger King's Nuggets are brand spanking new but this is not televisions we're talking about.

Price: Depends. There's a tiered pricing structure for both and Burger King's is kinda wonky.

The McNugget dances on its opponent in an unsporting fashion.
Oh the world of fast food battles is harsh.

Verdict: Too close to call. But when it's too close, the champ keeps the belt i.e. if they were on a plate next to each other, I'd eat the McNuggets and maybe if I still had room, I'd eat a Burger King Chicken Nugget or two.

They're even nutritionally very similar:

Nutritional Info - Burger King Chicken Nuggets - 10 pieces (175g)
Calories - 470 (from Fat - 260)
Fat - 29g (Saturated Fat - 5g)
Sodium - 890mg
Carbs - 34g (Sugar - 0g)
Protein - 21g

Nutritional Info - McDonald's Chicken McNuggets - 10 pieces (162g)
Calories - 470 (from Fat - 270)
Fat - 30g (Saturated Fat - 5g)
Sodium - 900mg
Carbs - 30g (Sugar - 0g)
Protein - 22g