title: The autopsy of chicken nuggets reads "chicken little".
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the contents of chicken nuggets from 2 national food chains.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Chicken nuggets have become a major component of the American diet. We sought to determine the current composition of this highly processed food.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomly selected nuggets from 2 different national fast food chains were fixed in formalin, sectioned and stained for microscopic analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Striated muscle (chicken meat) was not the predominate component in either nugget. Fat was present in equal or greater quantities along with epithelium, bone, nerve, and connective tissue.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Chicken nuggets are mostly fat, and their name is a misnomer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Miss; Department of Pediatrics, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Miss. Electronic address: rdeshazo@umc.edu.
authors.forename: Richard D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: deShazo
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bigler
authors.forename: Leigh Baldwin
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Skipworth
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000032:analysis; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D057140:Fast Foods / Q000032:analysis*; D011202:Poultry Products / Q000032:analysis*; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D004044:Dietary Proteins
keywords: Chicken; Fast food; Fat; Obesity