Former McDonald’s corporate chef reveals which store-brand chicken nugget from Walmart is a McDonald’s dupe

A former McDonald's corporate chef has a hack for Walmart shoppers who like McNuggets but also want to make them at home.

Chef Mike Haracz, known to Daily Dot readers for his work on TikTok demystifying McDonald's, fielded a question about whether you can get store-bought Chicken McNuggets at Walmart. While you can't do that exactly, you can come reasonably close, and that got lots of people interested. In just one day, Chef Mike's advice video got more than 900,000 views on the platform.

He notes that Pilgrim's Tempura Chicken Nuggets come close to the McDonald's experience, but then ponders, "Why would these store brands or some of these non-popular brands replicate McDonald's or other popular items? I have answers for you for that as well."

@chefmikeharacz Former #McDonalds corporate chef helps you make #McDonaldsMenu items at home. #mcdonaldshacks #McDonaldsHack #mcdonaldssecrets #McDonaldsSecret #mcdonaldslife #McDonaldsTikTok #FastFood #FastFoodHacks #FastFoodSecrets #FastFoodMenu #FYP ♬ original sound - Chef Mike Haracz

The answer, he says, has something to do with Hidden Valley Ranch.

He explains a hypothetical retailer aiming to sell a less expensive ranch dressing in stores as an alternative to name brands. "What should it taste like?" he asks. "Well, you're going to choose the best-selling one to replicate."

So, if it's ranch, Hidden Valley's a well-known one, and you might aim for a similar taste profile to satisfy people trying it out for the lower price point.

He remarks that, by extension, store brands tend to "taste more like the things that you get from a restaurant than the other brands. The other brands have their own identity and their own flavor. So if you are looking to replicate McDonald's stuff, go buy the store brand of the things."

A commenter weighed in suggesting another Walmart-offered brand, Country Pride. "My Walmart has country pride tempura nuggets that comes up as closest match," that person said.

Haracz noted, "Yes that’s the same manufacturer as the Pilgrims brand."

"Good to know cause my kid is OBSESSED with McDonald's Nuggets," the commenter replied.

Indeed, the Daily Dot covered a TikToker who recently claimed that Country Pride had a nugget like the fast-food giant's, professing, "McDonald’s cannot convince me otherwise that this is not the brand they fry up."

Another swore by a different known brand, saying, "As a former cook, who used to do orders for the kitchen. Tyson Red Label tempura chicken nuggets. 1:1 mcd nugs."

"What I really want to know is, why did they change the nugget formula?" someone wondered. "The old nuggets were superior."

The commenter didn't say how old or how far back, but Haracz addressed the glory of McDonald's dark meat nuggets in a prior video. The Daily Dot's coverage of that video had the chef reporting, "I have tried 100% dark meat McNuggets and when I tell you they are far superior in flavor in moisture in texture and all the things that make your McNuggets delicious … they are the goat of Chicken McNuggets.”

Haracz, responding to the Daily Dot via email, provided cooking advice once you get them home.

"To better emulate McDonald's, you would want to fry the nuggets." If you don't want to deep-fry them in oil and have access to an air fryer, he suggested, "You can perhaps spray the nuggets with pan spray before [putting them in] the air fryer to get them a little more crisp as well."

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