McDonald's US Chicken McNuggets (40 piece): calories, sodium and protein by portion, age and sex

Nutrition information: McDonald's US Chicken McNuggets (40 piece)

Nutrition figures are McDonald’s USA published data, per item as sold and before any optional sauces or extras. Boone converts them to the portion and age comparisons on this page.

McDonald's US Chicken McNuggets (40 piece) carries a large share of a child’s daily sodium

McDonald's US Chicken McNuggets (40 piece) contain 3,400mg of sodium, which is 227% of the daily limit for a child aged 4 to 8. It is also high in saturated fat.

FDA Daily Values (2,000-calorie diet)

Where the sugar comes from: McDonald's US Chicken McNuggets (40 piece)

None of the 1g of sugar counts as added sugar under US rules. It comes from the sources listed below.

Naturally occurring sugars come from

• sugars naturally present in the Chicken McNuggets

Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030: no more than 10g of added sugar per meal from age 11 and none for children aged 10 and under. FDA Daily Value: 50g a day. Sources are read from the published ingredient list for each component.

Processing and additives: McDonald's US Chicken McNuggets (40 piece)

McDonald's US Chicken McNuggets (40 piece) is a single manufactured product. Reading the ingredient list closely, it contains dextrose, modified starches, flavourings, flavour enhancers, phosphates and raising agents and hydrogenated or interesterified oils. These are not there to add nutritional value. They make industrial production and distribution possible.

Boone classifies McDonald's US Chicken McNuggets (40 piece) as NOVA group 4, ultra-processed, based on the additives named above. NOVA groups foods by how far they are from their whole-food form, not by how nutritious they are. A group 4 food is not automatically unhealthy, and a group 1 food is not automatically healthy. Read from the published ingredient list, September 2026.

Ingredient count by order: McDonald's US Chicken McNuggets (40 piece)

The 19 manufactured ingredients

calcium lactate, corn starch, dextrose, folic acid, hydrogenated soybean oil, lemon juice solids, modified corn starch, monocalcium phosphate, natural flavor, niacin, pea starch, reduced iron, riboflavin, rice starch, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, thiamine mononitrate, wheat starch, yeast extract.

The 10 raw ingredients

baking soda, bleached wheat flour, canola oil, corn oil, salt, soybean oil, spice, water, white boneless chicken, yellow corn flour.

What those ingredients are, by type

Boone counts every distinct named ingredient on McDonald’s published component lists, including sub-ingredients, and removes duplicates, so salt appearing in four components counts once. Additive class names are dropped and the named substance kept, so “leavening (baking soda)” counts baking soda once. Ice and water added at the counter are not counted. Raw covers whole foods and basic kitchen staples such as flour, sugar, salt and oil. Manufactured covers substances that only exist as an output of industrial processing. Every figure here is a minimum. The build uses a Sweet ’n Sour sauce.

Ingredients by component: McDonald's US Chicken McNuggets (40 piece)

Ingredients taken from the McDonald’s USA product pages, retrieved September 2026, with obvious spelling errors corrected. Recipes change - always check in restaurant before ordering if you have an allergy.

Allergen information: McDonald's US Chicken McNuggets (40 piece)

Contains = declared by McDonald’s USA. May contain = McDonald’s states the allergen may be present. McDonald’s prepares food in shared kitchens, so no item can be guaranteed allergen free. UK rules also require barley, oats, mustard, celery and sulphites to be declared; these are shown where the ingredient list names them. Retrieved September 2026.