National Chicken Nugget Day

The story

The chicken nugget was invented in the 1950s by Robert C. Baker, a food science professor at Cornell University. Baker worked out how to bind ground chicken together and keep a crispy batter coat from falling off during frying and freezing, and he published his method instead of patenting it, so anyone could use it.

Nuggets went mainstream when McDonald's rolled out Chicken McNuggets nationwide in 1983 after years of development. They were so popular that the chain briefly struggled to source enough chicken, and within a few years nuggets were on the menu at nearly every fast-food restaurant and in supermarket freezers across the country.

Today chicken nuggets are one of America's favorite comfort foods, loved by kids and adults alike. They come breaded or tempura-battered, baked or fried, and in shapes from classic rounds to dinosaurs. Dipping sauces are half the fun: barbecue, honey mustard, ranch, sweet and sour, and buffalo all have devoted fans.

On National Chicken Nugget Day, many restaurants run deals on nuggets. Grab a box from your favorite spot, or make a homemade batch with your own breading and sauces.