By Jenn Harris, Columnist
Los Angeles Instances
Is it a hen tender, finger or strip?
No matter you name your breaded and fried belts of boneless hen, there are complete eating places dedicated to them. As soon as relegated to the child’s menu, hen tenders are behind a number of the most profitable restaurant chains on the planet.
This yr, income at quick meals hen eating places is anticipated to achieve $61.1 billion.
Their inherently bland nature solely contributes to their broad attraction, making tenders the proper vessel for an infinite variety of seasonings and condiments.
Whereas it might look like they’ve been round without end, there’s a restaurant in Manchester, New Hampshire, that claims to have invented the fried hen tender in 1974.
Burger King launched its first hen tenders within the ’80s, and different quick meals chains adopted swimsuit. In 1996, Todd Graves opened the primary Elevating Cane’s at Louisiana State College in Baton Rouge, introducing diners to a complete restaurant that celebrates the tender.
If we’re speaking about items of boneless hen, I’ve all the time most well-liked tenders to nuggets. Due to their form and dimension, I are inclined to belief that they’re entire items of meat as an alternative of pressed and fashioned hunks of hen. With so many eating places serving them, Deputy Meals editor Betty Hallock and I made a decision to conduct our personal style take a look at. We ordered the hen tenders at 11 chains, together with Elevating Cane’s, Chick-fil-A and Kentucky Fried Rooster. We sampled them side-by-side for essentially the most correct analysis of temperature and textures. Costs differ based mostly on location, in the event you order supply or eat in-store.
Let the tender wars start.
11. Burger King hen fries
What we paid: $3.39 for 4 fingers
These had been so disappointing, we contemplated leaving them out of the rating altogether. They had been tiny, placid tubes of hen that resemble fingers way over every other hen “finger.” And so they tasted like lengthy, rubbery nuggets. An order of 4 felt like the sunshine snack you may eat whilst you assemble an actual snack. The Zesty dipping sauce was heavy on the horseradish, however not compelling sufficient to save lots of the fries from everlasting hen tender damnation.
10. Jack within the Field crispy hen strips
What we paid: $11.11 for 5 hen strips
These really seemed actually appetizing with a pleasant golden colour and a noticeably shaggy crust. However as quickly as we took our first bites, the phantasm of greatness crumbled. They had been greasy to the contact. And the bitter style of outdated grease was the dominant taste. The coating was crunchy, however had an odd fluffy texture to it with breading that was far too thick. As soon as you bought previous the fortress of breading, the hen did style like actual hen.
9. Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Strips
What we paid: $12.09 for 4 strips
I’m nonetheless perplexed by the recognition of Chick-fil-A, and much more so after attempting their strips. Final yr, the model reported almost $22 billion in gross sales. Each time I cross a location the road extends past the driveway and into the road. It’s the solely factor my pal’s children will eat with enthusiasm. Perhaps it’s as a result of the tenders style like they’ve been dipped in sugar. A lot in order that Hallock commented mid-bite: “Why am I eating a cookie?” Each sugar and sugar syrup are listed within the substances. The hen was moist with no oily aftertaste, however we couldn’t recover from the sweetness of the tenders. The Chick-fil-A sauce, thick and gloppy and even sweeter, solely made issues worse.
8. Rooster Man! fried tenders
What we paid: $12.42 for 5 tenders
Rooster Man! is the brand new hen tender and fries restaurant from Man Fieri, the spiky-haired host behind many of the exhibits on the Meals Community. (The Bay Space’s first outpost opened final month in American Canyon, simply north of Vallejo.) Fieri’s tenders are large and flat, resembling pounded and breaded hen cutlets. There was a pleasant quantity of seasoning and what tasted like a panko-crust coating that stayed impressively crunchy, however additionally they registered as too candy, and the hen was robust.
7. Jollibee hen tenders
What we paid: $21.24 for six tenders
I’ve had nice fried hen at Jollibee, the Filipino quick meals chain recognized for its hen, gravy and spaghetti. I had excessive hopes for the model’s tenders, which had been diversified in form and dimension, extra like odd strips and blobs that had been battered and fried. The coating wasn’t too heavy, however any seasoning or actual taste was masked by the overwhelming style of fry oil. It bordered on rancid, however the hen inside was tender and juicy.
6. Kentucky Fried Rooster hen tenders
What we paid: $12.92 for 4 tenders
The tenders had the identical shaggy coating and seasoning because the chain’s bone-in fried hen, which meant that they had been comparatively crunchy and really salty. The hen was robust, and you possibly can draw back strips like string cheese. Each the KFC sauce and Comeback sauce had been too candy. Gravy is the higher dipping possibility, although it’s a tad watery.
5. Church’s Texas Rooster tenders
What we paid: $6.99 for 5 tenders
These had been the least memorable of the bunch, however not horrible. That they had a pale, crisp coating and never plenty of seasoning. Dipping sauce is required, however it’s possible you’ll wish to supply it from one other restaurant. The gravy tasted like salty brown water, and the signature scorching sauce is extra candy than warmth.
4. Carl’s Jr. hand-breaded tenders
What we paid: $12.49 for 5 tenders
These tenders seemed like one thing you may get on the youngsters menu at a restaurant. They had been completely golden with a craggy coating. The meat tasted like juicy strips of hen breast. The one drawback is you want to eat them instantly. They didn’t retain their crunch in addition to a number of the others. Carl’s Jr. additionally will get further factors for its barbecue sauce.
3. Elevating Cane’s hen fingers
What we paid: $8.36 for 4 fingers
The hen tastes and appears like precise hen. And although the coating doesn’t grip the meat in addition to I’d like, it’s crunchy and stays crunchy. The fingers are just a little bland, however that’s what the Cane’s sauce is for. It’s like a creamy, further peppery Thousand Island with a pleasant hit of acid that makes your lunch of hen fingers and fries really feel rather less heavy.
2. Popeyes hen tenders
What we paid: $10 for 5 tenders
The Popeyes tenders are for individuals who prioritize the crunch issue when evaluating fried hen. The coating creates a crisp, jagged armor round each bit. It’s properly seasoned and provides the hen an nearly buttery taste. Some items are plump and moist, others appear to be large shards of crunchy coating. They register as extra of a crunchy snack than a meal. No dipping sauce is required, however the Bayou Buffalo is fairly tangy.
1. Wingstop crispy tenders
What we paid: $8.99 for 4 tenders
I went forwards and backwards between Wingstop and Popeyes for the highest spot. I choose the crunch of Popeyes, however the tenders at Wingstop style essentially the most like actual, meaty, juicy strips of hen. They’re substantial sufficient for a full meal. The coating generally is a little uneven, with some elements skinny and crisp and others clumpy, however general the tenders provide a pleasant crunch. And in the event you’re a fan of ranch dressing, there’s no comparability. The Wingstop ranch is the perfect consistency, thick sufficient to coat your tender however not sufficient to be thought of gloppy. It tastes just like the Hidden Valley ranch seasoning packet with onion, garlic and herbs. We each agreed that these had been the tenders we’d order once more. And we ended up dipping all the opposite tenders within the Wingstop ranch.
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Initially Printed: January 15, 2025 at 6:30 AM PST
