McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets are made in four standard shapes.
The shapes are commonly known as the ball, bell, boot and bone. McDonald’s uses several forms so that the pieces are visually varied while remaining suitable for coating, cooking and portioning.
The “bone” shape is sometimes mistaken for a chicken-bone design, but the names are informal descriptions used to distinguish the forms. The shapes do not indicate different cuts of chicken or different flavors; they are produced from the same nugget mixture.
Chicken McNuggets were introduced nationally in the United States in 1983 after earlier test marketing. Their battered exterior and formed chicken interior made them different from traditional pieces of fried chicken, which are usually cut from recognizable parts such as wings, thighs or breasts.