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I ordered chicken tenders from 8 fast-food chains and ranked them from worst to best

Erin McDowell
9 min read
chicken tenders from popeyes kfc and whataburger
Chicken tenders from Popeyes, KFC, and Whataburger.Erin McDowell/Insider; lma_ss/Shutterstock; Ink Drop/Shutterstock; NYC Russ/Shutterstock
  • I tried chicken tenders from Popeyes, Chick-fil-A, Whataburger, Raising Cane's, KFC, Bojangles, Zaxby's, and Cook Out.

  • Chick-fil-A and KFC's chicken tenders were similar in their breaded texture.

  • Raising Cane's impressed me with its crispy-yet-juicy tenders and delicious signature sauce.

Chicken tenders are a popular item at many fast-food chains; some chains have even built their entire business off them.

Todd Graves, for example, turned his idea for a chicken-finger restaurant into a billion-dollar business: Raising Cane's. Graves is now the richest person in Louisiana, with an estimated net worth of $9.5 billion, and Cane's is growing rapidly, with more than 800 restaurants in the US and internationally and billions in annual sales, Forbes reported.

Other fast-food chains are also incorporating chicken tenders into their menus. This month, KFC released its own version, as well as a new commercial aimed at competitors titled, "The Chicken Tenders Battle Has Begun."

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To see which chain might win that battle, I compared chicken tenders from eight different fast-food chains from across the country, and a lesser-known — but quickly expanding — chain took the top spot.

Here's how the eight fast-food chicken tenders ranked, from worst to best, based on taste and value.

whataburger chicken tenders
The Whataburger chicken tenders came in last for me.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

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The chicken tenders were large and perfectly fried.

whataburger chicken tender
I paired the Whataburger chicken tender with ranch sauce.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I thought the tenders could only be described as "classic" — they weren't anything out-of-the-box, but I enjoyed them.

The meat inside was juicy, but I thought the fried coating could have had a bit more crunch.

whataburger chicken tender
The Whataburger chicken tender could have been crunchier.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The chicken tenders tasted good on their own, as well as with ranch dipping sauce. They weren't bad by any stretch of the imagination. However, I did think the other tenders I tried were slightly crispier and had just the slightest hint of more flavor in the batter.

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Regardless, for a relatively low price, I'd definitely order these again.

I also ordered chicken tenders from Cook Out, a regional chain I visited in South Carolina.

cook out chicken tenders
The Cook Out chicken tenders were the cheapest I tried.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The three-piece "snack" cost $4.99, not including tax.

The chicken tenders were crispy on the outside.

cook out chicken tenders
The Cook Out chicken tenders had a really crispy coating.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

They were also a good size. The price was also a great deal for the generous portion I received.

However, there wasn't an abundance of chicken meat inside.

cook out chicken tenders
However, I didn't think there was enough meat inside.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

These were undeniably classic chicken tenders, similar to the ones from Whataburger, but they were a touch too fried for my liking. However, I thought they were well-seasoned and had a lot of peppery flavor.

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Chick-fil-A's chicken tenders were good ... but I really just used them as a vehicle for the chain's Chick-fil-A sauce.

chick fil a chicken tenders
The Chick-fil-A chicken tenders are a classic for a reason.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

When it's not included in a meal deal, a three-piece chicken tender costs $8.95 at my nearest location in New York City. For a meal, the price bumps up to $15.89, excluding tax and fees.

Some of the chicken pieces looked slightly darker and more fried than others.

chick fil a chicken tenders
The breading was really crispy.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

There were small bits of fried breading scattered on the outside, which I always love with a chicken tender.

The chicken tenders were nicely fried but still juicy on the inside.

chick fil a chicken tender dipped in honey mustard
The meat inside had a lot of moisture.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

However, they weren't quite as crispy as I expected. I wanted a distinct crunch when I bit into the tenders, but they didn't deliver that. In the end, it's largely up to personal preference.

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When I dipped them in the chain's signature Chick-fil-A sauce, the experience was nothing short of mouthwatering. However, the actual chicken tenders were just alright — it was the sauce that took them over the edge.

My fourth favorite chicken tenders came from Popeyes.

popeyes box of cajun fries chicken tenders biscuit on blue background
Popeyes sells its chicken tenders in a box combo with fries and a biscuit.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

A three-piece tender combo costs $16.89 before taxes and fees. The meal deal included a large serving of fries, a drink, and a biscuit, as well as a choice of dipping sauces.

The chicken tenders from Popeyes were crispy, flaky, and crunchy.

popeyes chicken tender on blue background
These were the crispiest chicken tenders I tried.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I really liked the crunchy outside of the chicken tenders from Popeyes.

The meat inside was flaky and moist as well.

popeyes chicken tender on blue background
I liked the flavor of these chicken tenders.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I also thought the batter was quite flavorful — I could taste hints of seasoning and buttermilk, although they weren't quite as buttery-tasting as the Chick-fil-A tenders. However, I thought this meal was quite expensive for only three chicken tenders, even though they were large.

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I thought the chicken tenders from Bojangles were flavorful and super crispy.

bojangles four piece chicken tenders combo
Bojangles sells a four-piece chicken tenders meal with fries and a biscuit.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

A four-piece chicken tenders combo, including fries, a medium drink, and a biscuit, cost me $12.59, excluding taxes and fees.

I thought the chicken tenders were a good size.

bojangles chicken tenders
The Bojangles chicken tenders had a thick breading on the outside.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The texture and flavor of the breading made them taste like a cross between the chicken tenders from Chick-fil-A and Cook Out.

The breading was peppery, just the right thickness, and perfectly encapsulated the juicy white chicken meat inside.

bojangles chicken tenders
The Bojangles chicken tenders also had a lot of meat inside.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I also thought the price was fair considering how much food I received. The chicken tenders paired perfectly with honey mustard but were also tasty on their own. Overall, I would definitely order these again.

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KFC's new original recipe chicken tenders really impressed me with their taste and value.

kfc chicken tenders in a box
The KFC chicken tenders came in a combo with fries and a drink.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I ordered a four-piece tender meal for $13.04, excluding taxes and fees. I thought this was an excellent value for the amount of food I received.

The tenders were well-breaded on the outside, though the breading wasn't as crispy or crunchy as others I tried.

kfc chicken tender dipped in honey mustard on a blue background
The KFC chicken tenders paired well with the sauces I tried.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The breading stuck closely to the chicken tenders, rather than having a thick or crunchy texture.

However, the chicken tenders paired well with the chain's honey mustard and new comeback sauce. The breading had a tasty, very peppery flavor to it that was unique compared to the other chicken tenders I tried.

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The chicken tenders were flavorful and contained an impressive amount of white meat chicken.

kfc chicken tender bitten into
The meat was juicy, though the breading could have been crunchier.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

However, the slightly less crispy texture of the breading meant they didn't come out on top when compared to the last two chains I tried.

My second-favorite chicken tenders came from Zaxby's.

zaxbys chicken tenders combo
The Zaxby's chicken tenders meal came with coleslaw, toast, and fries.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

A five-piece chicken tenders combo came with fries, a small drink, coleslaw, and a piece of Texas toast. I also asked for a side of honey mustard and Zaxby's famous Zax sauce. My meal cost $14.77, excluding taxes and fees.

The chicken tenders' breading was very similar to Chick-fil-A's in its consistency, flavor, and texture, but I thought these chicken tenders had more chicken meat.

zaxbys chicken tenders
Zaxby's chicken tenders had a slight sweetness to them.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The breading was perfectly crispy and super flavorful, with a slight sweetness.

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The chicken tenders held their own without sauce but were really taken to the next level when dipped in the tangy Zax sauce.

zaxbys chicken tenders
The Zaxby's chicken tender had a lot of juicy white meat inside.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

Zax sauce tastes similar to Cane's sauce, but I found it to be just ever-so-slightly less flavorful, and creamy. I also thought that it didn't have the same kick.

However, the chicken tenders really impressed me. They were a good size, extremely flavorful, and addictingly delicious. I found myself craving even more than the five chicken tenders I was given, which is rare for me.

In the end, it was a really tough call on whether I preferred Zaxby's or Raising Cane's chicken tenders.

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But my favorite chicken tenders came from Raising Cane's.

raising canes chicken tenders meal
Raising Cane's blew me away with their box of chicken tenders, fries, toast, and sauces.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

My six-piece meal cost $15.99, including tax, but a three-finger combo that includes three chicken fingers, fries, Cane's sauce, Texas toast, and a regular drink costs $9.23, excluding tax and any additions or swaps.

The chicken tenders were super crispy.

raising canes chicken tenders meal
The Raising Cane's chicken tenders were the perfect balance of moist meat and crispy breading.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The chicken tenders were also thick. After biting in, I could actually see the strips of white chicken underneath, which, in my experience, you don't always find with fast-food chicken tenders.

The chicken tenders were super crispy and juicy on the inside — I had to give them the win.

raising canes chicken tender
The Raising Cane's chicken tenders were my favorite of the ones I tried.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I tried the tenders on their own and with the Cane's sauce. On their own, the tenders were simply everything one could ask for — thick, juicy, and crispy on the outside.

However, the chain is famous for its chicken-complementing sauce, and after biting in, I could definitely see why. It had a slight kick to it, was super creamy, and surprisingly tangy. It paired perfectly with the chicken and was unlike any other sauce I've ever tried.

In the end, Raising Cane's took home the win for me with the chain's near-perfect chicken tenders and fair prices.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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