So, the other day I got a real hankering for Arby’s chicken nuggets. You know the ones, pretty decent little bites. Got me thinking though, while I was munching away, what exactly am I eating here? Decided I needed to figure out what goes into making these things.
First thing I did was hop online. Seemed logical, right? Went straight to the Arby’s website. Clicked around the menu, found the nuggets easy enough. They show you the pictures, the price, the calories, all that jazz. But the actual ingredients? Not right there on the main page. Had to do some digging.

I scrolled down to the bottom, usually where they hide the links nobody clicks. Found something like ‘Nutrition Information’ or ‘Food Transparency’, something like that. Clicked it. Took me to another section, lots of charts and downloadable files. Okay, getting warmer.
Finding the Actual List
Had to browse through a few options, looking for chicken items. Finally spotted a PDF file, like a big master list of everything they serve. Downloaded that sucker. It was long, listed ingredients for every single sandwich, sauce, side… took some scrolling.
Eventually, I landed on the chicken nuggets section. And there it was, the list I was looking for. Let’s break down what I remember seeing:
- The Chicken: Started with chicken breast, rib meat included. Pretty standard for nuggets.
- Added Stuff: Then came water, and some kind of seasoning blend. They don’t spell out the exact spices, of course. Also saw Sodium Phosphates listed – apparently that helps keep the chicken moist.
- The Breading: This was a longer list. Wheat flour, water, yellow corn flour, corn starch, salt, leavening agents (like baking soda), spices, dextrose… typical breading ingredients you’d expect.
- Cooking Oil: Mentioned vegetable oil for frying. Makes sense.
So, what’s the deal?
It wasn’t exactly rocket science to find, but you definitely have to put in a little effort and navigate their corporate site info, not just the flashy menu pages. It’s not like it’s printed big on the box you get in the store.
Basically, it confirmed what I kinda figured: it’s chicken, coated in breading made from flour and corn products, plus some extras to manage texture and flavor, then fried. Seeing the full list didn’t really shock me, it’s pretty common stuff for fast-food nuggets.
Did the digging change my mind about eating them? Nah, probably not. I still like ’em. But I feel better just knowing what’s in the mix. Took a bit of clicking and scrolling, but curiosity satisfied.
