Organic Chicken Nuggets & Organic Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets FAQ

Where are the new organic chicken nugget varieties sold?
Applegate Organics Chicken Nuggets are currently sold at Whole Foods, whereas Applegate Organics Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets will be available nationwide at select grocery stores and natural food chains.  To find a store near you, use the product locator: www.applegate.com/locator
 
How much do the new organic chicken nugget varieties cost?
Applegate Organics Chicken Nuggets and Applegate Organics Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets have a suggested retail price of $7.99.
 
What size do the new organic chicken nuggets come in?
Our new organic chicken nuggets are currently available in 8-ounce packages, which is approximately 15 nuggets.
 
Are your new chicken nuggets made with white or dark meat?
Our new organic chicken nuggets are made with 100 percent organic white chicken meat.
 
I noticed a difference in breading between the Applegate Naturals Chicken Nuggets and the Applegate Organics Chicken Nuggets. What’s the difference?
Great observation. Our Applegate Naturals Chicken Nuggets use a classic breadcrumb made from wheat and corn flour, whereas our Applegate Organics Chicken Nuggets use a panko breadcrumb which is lighter and crispier in comparison.
 
What type of flour is used in the breading for the Applegate Organics Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets?
Our Applegate Organics Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets are Certified Gluten-Free and use organic rice flour instead of wheat flour.
 
The packaging looks different. Does that mean the product standards are different?
We are currently in the process of updating packaging for all Applegate varieties. These are the first two Applegate varieties to debut our new look and feel. With that said, we recognize that what’s inside matters most and can assure you that all Applegate products use quality, and simple ingredients in addition to humanely raised meats.
 
Are the new chicken nuggets free of GMOs?
Absolutely. We are proud to say that our Applegate Organics Chicken Nuggets and Applegate Organics Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets are Non-GMO Project Verified. The Non-GMO Project offers North America’s only independent verification for products made according to rigorous best practices for GMO avoidance.
 
What makes the Applegate Organics Chicken Nuggets and Applegate Organics Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets different from your other chicken nuggets?
The Applegate Organics Chicken Nuggets and Applegate Organics Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets are Applegate’s first organic chicken nuggets! Our other chicken nugget varieties are part of our Naturals line and you may notice a slight difference in shape, breading, meat, and taste.
SHAPE: Our organic nuggets have a classic nugget shape that will make the dipping experience easier and more enjoyable. The flatter profile enables the breading to evenly distribute all around the nugget so that every bite has the perfect bite of chicken and breading.
 
BREADING: We decided to use a panko breadcrumb for our Applegate Organics Chicken Nuggets to give them a lighter and crispier texture.
 
MEAT: Our organic chicken nuggets use 100 percent organic white chicken meat from the breast and tenderloins, whereas our natural chicken nuggets are made with a mix of white and dark meat.
 
TASTE: We’ve added subtle hints of savory garlic and onion notes to our organic nuggets to enrich the flavor.
 
Is the chicken in the organic nuggets raised humanely?
Yes!  One hundred percent of Applegate’s poultry is third-party certified by Certified Humane^® or Global Animal Partnership.
 
What does Applegate humanely raised chicken mean?
Applegate chicken has to be verified for animal welfare through Certified Humane^® (CH) Farm Animal Care and/or Global Animal Partnership (GAP) Step Level^® program. These standards have strict requirements that are verified through third-party audits and also by internal welfare specialists at Applegate. CH and GAP standards provide the animals an environment that promotes natural behavior through more room to move about freely. Our animals are fed an all vegetarian grain or grass diet as each species is intended. And we follow humane slaughter practices as suggested by Dr. Temple Grandin (yes, the woman from that great HBO movie).  You can go to our website and review all of our animal welfare standards, species by species and watch videos featuring some of the farms we work with: http://www.applegate.com/mission/animal-welfare.

 
What makes these chicken nuggets different from other chicken nuggets on the market?
Just like our natural chicken nuggets, our organic chicken nuggets are made with meat from animals that are verified raised humanely and without antibiotics. Applegate’s organic chicken nuggets are also made with 100 percent organic white chicken meat that are free of GMOs, MSG, fillers, artificial ingredients, preservatives, and added chemical nitrites, nitrates or phosphates.
 
Do these chicken nuggets have to be cooked?
The Applegate Organics Chicken Nuggets and Applegate Organics Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets are fully cooked, but since they are frozen we recommend heating them in the oven (preferred) or microwave following the directions on the box.

OVEN (Preferred): Preheat oven to 425˚. Place frozen chicken nuggets in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake chicken nuggets for about 14 minutes or to desired color and crispiness, turning nuggets over halfway through cooking time.
 
MICROWAVE: Place frozen chicken nuggets in a single layer on a paper towel on a microwave-safe plate. Set microwave to HIGH heat. Heat until 1-1 1/2 minutes, turning nuggets over halfway through cooking time.
 
Can I keep these chicken nuggets in the refrigerator?
To maintain the quality of the nugget, we recommend storing our chicken nuggets in the freezer and heating them in the oven or microwave when ready to eat.