Of all foods universally enjoyed by even the fussiest of children, crumbed chicken would be close to the top of the list.
To cater to this market, there is a wide range of crumbed chicken options in supermarkets that appear relatively healthy, especially as an alternative to fried, fast-food options.
BUT…. what may come as a surprise to busy parents is that some of these ‘chicken’ pieces may have as little as 30% chicken, which makes them far from a healthy choice for growing kids.
Is crumbed chicken actually healthy?
You do not need a nutrition degree to know that pre-crumbed chicken that is found in the freezer section of supermarkets is not as healthy as chicken breast, or even chicken you may crumb yourself at home using little other than a plain crumb, ideally made from wholegrain bread, egg and a little flour.
But, let’s be honest, the reality is that not all of us have the time or inclination to make our own crumbed chicken, and kids, especially fussy kids, often love crumbed chicken.
What to check on the packet?
The most important thing to quickly check when grabbing your kids favorite chicken pieces, is the percentage of the ingredients that is chicken.
What may be somewhat shocking to hear is that some of the most popular supermarket brands, that are directly marketed as child-friendly meal options are as low as 30% chicken, and this percentage does not always correspond to the price you pay.
As a general rule of thumb, I would not opt for any product that contained less than 50% chicken, but this is still low, and it is possible to find options that are as high as 70% chicken, and as such a much better product nutritionally offering a much higher amount of protein.
What about the other ingredients?
As a general rule of thumb, the shorter the ingredient list, the less processed and better nutritionally the product is likely to be.
Commercially crumbed chicken will be made with a wide range of processed ingredients including flavors, salts and colors, which is the downside of choosing these options.
Apart from the standard added salts and sugars which are less than ideal, the other undesirable ingredient that does pop up regularly on the ingredient lists of crumbed chicken is preservative 223, sodium metabisulfite, which is used as a bleaching agent. This additive has been associated with respiratory side effects and appears to cause gastric irritation is some people.
