- 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.”
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.
