When it comes to chicken nuggets, there are plenty of ways to make them and even dress 'em up. Some may prefer them baked, others like them fried. Some people might prefer dipping them in a myriad of sauces, while others just munch on them plain.
But have you ever tried peeling chicken nuggets?
Apparently, it's a thing — but that doesn't mean the internet is OK with it.
On April 29, Diamond Spruill-Rice (who goes by the handle @kiingdiime on Twitter) shared a photo of chicken nuggets that had been mercilessly separated from their crispy coating.
While the picture of these naked-looking nuggets is pretty shocking, it didn't really go viral until Friday, when a Facebook user who goes by the name of Sameer Jafri reposted the startling picture.
"Do y'all peel your nuggets?" Jafri captioned the photo, which shows the nuggets with four different containers of dipping sauces. The response quickly labeled him as something of a chicken nugget "monster."
The scandalous Facebook post has received nearly 20,000 shares and over 5,000 comments, most of which are decidedly not in favor of the peeled-chicken nugget dining method.
While some tried to be understanding, (“Are you on a low carb diet?” one person asked), others were less forgiving.
“What kind of sickness is this?” replied another.
On Twitter, the reactions have been just as emotional.
But, perhaps even more shocking than the original post, there are a few people who claimed (years ago!) that they actually enjoy peeling off the fried coating on chicken nuggets and eating the crispy bits first before consuming protein inside.
While avoiding breading is understandable if someone is forgoing carbs, it’s hard to understand why springing for McNuggets at McDonald’s is better than just going with the pre-peeled, grilled nuggets available at Chick-fil-A.
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But Spruill-Rice, the Twitter user who initially posted the now-viral image, told TODAY over email that she's actually been peeling and dipping her nuggets for years.
"I personally have been eating them that way since I was a kid and it’s just a taste preference. I separate them, dip and eat the bare nuggets first and save the skin for last, then I dip and eat the skin," said Spruill-Rice.
A few weeks ago, she had been chatting on social media about enjoying nuggets in this unusual fashion and, when it "raised a few eyebrows," she decided to share the image to explain what she meant. The response, she said, has been a bit overwhelming but at least she can now take comfort in the fact that she's apparently not the only person in the universe to enjoy peeled McNuggets.
