You are currently viewing Kirkwood Chicken Breast Nuggets (Aldi)

Kirkwood Chicken Breast Nuggets (Aldi)

Here are one of those products that we always seem to have on hand, yet I have never even thought of reviewing before.

On their own, these aren’t anything to write home about. There’s obviously the taste of chicken once you bite in to the middle, but the breading itself is a pretty boring combination of spices that are in no way spectacular, and even then only come off as passable. And yet, I have to be perfectly honest here, I really like these things. They taste excellent when dipped in barbecue sauce (well, just about any kind of sauce), and cook up quickly in the microwave, making them a perfect meal of convenience. Or, if I have more time, I like tossing them in the oven to crisp up the breading a little bit.

Perhaps best of all, a bag of these are somewhere around the $4 range. If you’re thinking that’s pretty high, I would have agreed with you initially, except that you get around 48 nuggets per bag. I always eat these paired with something else (fries or onion rings, usually), so I generally eat seven or eight at a time, meaning I get at least 6 servings out of an entire bag. If my wife eats some, she generally eats fewer than I do, so the serving count only goes up. Even at the rate of six, that brings the cost per serving down to around $.67. And that doesn’t sound so bad, does it?

Our one-year-old son has also taken a liking to these, and that provides even more value. I think every parent knows just how expensive children can be, and how they make a limited budget even more…limited-er? Keeping a bag of these in the house ensures that he always has something to eat, and while it’s not a huge part of his diet, it’s a good change-up for when he gets sick of everything else, or a good go-to when he wants something more filling than, say, a vegetable pouch. (It’s also adorable watching him try to dip nugget pieces in sauces, as he tends to get more on his finger than the actual item he’s trying to saturate).

I probably did a terrible job of explaining why they are so good, but the fact of the matter is, from a taste standpoint, even I’m at a loss. I had never really thought to taste them without sauces (I dip almost everything in some kind of condiment), and upon doing so just for the sake of establishing a flavor, realized that they are incredibly bland. And yet we eat them relatively frequently (we usually buy a bag once every month or two) because they are perfect for a quick bite if we are busy, lazy, or both, and a good occasional meal to have on hand for our young child.

Overall: 7/10. Even though these don’t taste all that great on their own (they are underseasoned and rather bland), who really eats chicken nuggets without dipping them in some kind of sauce? With a choice condiment (may I suggest BBQ sauce?) these things really come alive, and are a fantastic accompaniment to any meal. They’re also perfect to have on hand for lazy nights where no one feels like cooking, as a small snack between meals, or as a quick lunch option for baby. The $3.99 asking price might sound like a lot, but there are almost 50 nuggets in each bag, which equals out to a good number of servings (as a comparison, I average seven or eight nuggets per serving, which equals out to a mere $.67 per sitting). As far as frozen nuggets go, you could do far worse.

This Post Has 9 Comments

  1. Mike

    I've had those chicken nuggets before, they pretty much exceeded my expectations although I'm usually not a fan of plain microwavable chicken nuggets (I like Aldi's offering of buffalo chicken nuggets most of all). Smiled a bit when I read that your little guy likes them, I'm pretty sure microwavable chicken nuggets were one of my daughter's first "real" solid food as well.

  2. Unknown

    Where can you buy Kirkwood chicken nuggets ? Any other store carry this brand ?

  3. atom

    Simple answer: no. Kirkwood is Aldi's own private label brand.

    Technically, though, it's probably made by a large corporation that manufacturer's name brand chicken products, and so might be similar to other store brands who use that same manufacturer, but "who makes what for who" can be a hard thing to pinpoint, since those companies wouldn't want to cannibalize their own sales by admitting they make cheaper store brands of the same (or similar) quality.

    So we'll just stick with no, haha.

  4. Unknown

    My first time trying these out just now, and whoa. I'm getting fresh and tasty wendys nugs vibes. Def. ahead of Tyson and its let's than 4 bucks for the whole bag. Extremely Recommended.

  5. atom

    Funny you should mention this…I got them for the first time in a long while a couple months back, and they've clearly been reformulated: the batter is crunchier, and they did improve the taste, too.

    In other words, they are more in line with your description for sure now. So I think it might be time for a re-review! Thanks for the comment!

  6. Anonymous

    These may be the tastiest nuggets i have ever had. I grease the pan with olive oil butter from aldi and flip after 6 mins and they are so crispy. Our 18mo gets applegate though.

  7. atom

    That's a good idea to pan fry them…never thought of that. I gotta get a bag ASAP!

    I also saw they have a family size bag as a special buy this week. Might be worth risking life and limb to stock up on them haha.

  8. Anonymous

    Aldi's chicken nuggets have been my go to cheap/easy meal for a couple years now. My girlfriend and I went around and tried over 10 differet nugget brands and we both had the Kirkwood end up as our favorites.
    By far the best way to cook these is to air-fry them: takes about 10 minutes and comes out near perfect.

  9. atom

    We're actually planning on getting an air fryer soon and I haven't had these in a while…this might have to be our first test meal, haha. I love these dipped in Aldi's BBQ sauce.

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