Acceptability and Nutritional Content of Chicken Nuggets with Salem Fish Substitution and Cassava Leaves Addition as an Alternative School Snack Food

School Snack Food, known in Indonesia as Pangan Jajanan Anak Sekolah (PJAS), refers to foods consumed by children in the school environment as a complement to main meals to help meet energy and nutrient needs during the learning process. PJAS can be developed through chicken nuggets with salem fish substitution as a protein source and cassava leaf addition as a fiber source for school-aged children. This study aimed to analyze the acceptability, protein content, and dietary fiber content of the best chicken nugget formula.This study used a true experimental design with a 3x2 factorial Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The formulations consisted of salem fish substitution at 50%, 60%, and 70%, combined with cassava leaf addition at 15% and 25%. The acceptability of chicken nuggets was assessed through an organoleptic test involving 47 fourth-grade elementary school panelists aged 10 years. A 1 to 4 Likert scale was used to evaluate the color, aroma, taste, and texture of the chicken nuggets. The data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by the Mann-Whitney test to identify differences in acceptability. The best chicken nugget formula was determined using the De Garmo method.The results showed that salem fish substitution and cassava leaf addition had a significant effect on color, taste, and texture (p<0.05), but had no significant effect on the aroma of the chicken nuggets (p>0.05). The best formulation was F4, consisting of 60% salem fish substitution and 25% cassava leaf addition. This formula contained 17.16% protein and 2.31% dietary fiber. The chicken nuggets developed in this study can be used as an alternative source of protein for PJAS because they meet the minimum protein content requirement of 20% of the Nutrition Label Reference Value.