11 Fast-Food Chains Fans Say Have the Best Chicken Tenders
Chicken tenders (and chicken nuggets) have earned the reputation of being basic kids’ food, but this is a little unfair. Good quality chicken tenders are packed with protein and depending on how they’re cooked, a thoroughly delicious and nutritious option. But where can you get tenders that are so good you won’t even look at the rest of the menu? Here are 11 fast food chains fans say have the best chicken tenders you can get.
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Strips (boneless chicken tenders seasoned to perfection, freshly breaded and cooked in 100% refined peanut oil) are a fan-favorite option, especially when paired with Chick-fil-A’s famous dipping sauces. “I love them. Taste amazing. We frequently have large groups over and cater using trays of both nuggets and strips. Strips ALWAYS run out first,” one fan shared.
Taco Bell
Taco Bell’s Crispy Chicken Strips (premium all-white meat crispy chicken strips, marinated with bold Mexican spices, and tossed in a crunchy tortilla chip coating) and other chicken options have been the surprise hit of the year. “They need to keep the chicken strips on the menu permanently. I had the avocado ranch chicken taco & the frank’s redhot diablo chicken taco last night for dinner and they are so good.”
Popeyes
Diners rave about Popeyes Chicken Tenders, which come in Classic, Spicy, or Blackened. “If you’ve been sleeping on blackened tenders like me, wake up. These things are amazing! And you don’t have to feel bad about eating all 12 in your car like an animal for only 680 calories,” one fan said. Others noted that because the blackened tenders are usually made fresh because people don’t order them as frequently as the spicy or classic.
WingStop
Fans rave about the Crispy Tenders at WingStop, especially limited-time flavors like Mexican Street Spice. “I just had these and they are GOOD (even had them 3 times this week, that’s how good they were),” one fan shared. “I’ve tried almost every flavor Wingstop has had, and this is my favorite. One of the reasons I like them so much is the flavor is STRONG vs other wings are either not strong enough or TOO strong (way too much sauce drizzled everywhere), but these, they are perfect.”
Carl’s Jr.
The Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders at Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s (premium all-white meat chicken hand dipped in buttermilk, lightly breaded and fried to a golden brown) are delicious. “Hardee’s, which I guess is the same as Carl Jr.’s, is legit,” one fan said. “Agree with Hardee’s. My favorite chicken strips I’ve known so far,” another commented.
Bojangles
The Chicken Supremes at Bojangles are unmatched, fans say. “I just had them the first time the other night. They were INCREDIBLE. The peach honey pepper sauce they got is a nice touch to them as well,” one diner shared.
Arby’s
Arby’s has some of the best chicken tenders in the game. “These are breaded chunks of tender chicken breast meat that we fry in our restaurants every day. They taste great plain, but if you add one of our famous sauces, your mouth will remember this meal for the rest of its life,” is how the chain describes this fan-favorite meal. “Arby’s tenders are insanely good, especially paired with curly fries. Tragically I Iive in the one Arby’s-less state,” one fan said.
Jack In the Box
The Crispy Chicken Strips at Jack In the Box are raved about by tender-lovers, especially the Spicy Strips. “Love love their tenders!” one fan said. “They are expensive but I agree, they are really good,” another agreed. “They are meaty and have excellent batter to chicken ratio.”
Golden Chick
The Golden Tenders at Golden Chick are outstanding. “It’s literally the best fried chicken I’ve ever had in my life,” one fan said. “Great tenders, usually much faster service/shorter lines than popeyes, blue store, Chicken Shack, or Chick-fil-A. I don’t tell people about it for that reason,” another agreed.
KFC
KFC is still holding the line when it comes to Original Recipe® chicken tenders. “I recently had the KFC chicken tenders for the first time, and they were a lot better than I expected them to be. The consistency, bite, and shape were like Popeyes’ chicken tenders but with the flavor of the 11 herbs and spices,” one Redditor shared.
Church’s Texas Chicken
Diners love the tenders at Church’s Texas Chicken. “Church’s spicy tenders clears Popeye’s,” one fan said. The chain also just added bone-in wings to the menu for those who love to mix it up.