"From how the chicken was raised to its treatment during processing, there are numerous steps before it lands on your plate. One of these steps involves potentially altering the meat - think raw chicken treated with fillers, binders, extenders, and flavor enhancers. These ingredients are injected into or tumbled with raw poultry before the chicken is marinated, seasoned, battered, and breaded."
"Water- or oil-based solutions are a common practice in the fast food industry, though there are a range of reasons and varying end results as to why these are added. Solutions can contain numerous ingredients, ranging from herbs and spices to starches and fillers. On one end, you may have brined chicken, and on the other end, you have chicken mixed with soy, potato, or flour, which can give you two entirely different flavors and allergen concerns."
"Pure, 100% chicken is classified as whole muscle meat that's not broken down or mechanically separated. Nor is it ground up and combined with fillers or binders - this launches it into the processed category. Additionally, if a solution contains another protein, such as soy or whey, then it's no longer considered pure, 100% chicken. We decided to hunt down some fast food chains that serve real chicken and let you know what's really going on with some of your favorite fast foods."
Fast food chicken is frequently altered through processing steps that can include injections or tumbling with water- or oil-based solutions containing fillers, binders, extenders, flavor enhancers, herbs, spices, starches, and other additives. These solutions can produce products ranging from brined whole-muscle chicken to chicken blended with soy, potato, or flour, creating different flavors and allergen risks. Pure, 100% chicken is defined as whole muscle meat not mechanically separated or combined with non-chicken proteins; adding protein extenders like soy or whey removes that classification. Some chains source whole breast meat without fillers or antibiotics, resulting in sandwiches labeled as 100% real chicken.
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