8 Best Fast-Food Chicken Tenders Ranked by Fans
Mmm, chicken tenders. What was once a kid's menu item has become one of America's favorite snacks, or meals, probably because they offer a perfect combination of convenience, comfort, and flavor. When prepared well, the crispy exterior and juicy chicken inside are a quick and satisfying bite that, for many, comes with a hefty side of nostalgia.
Tenders from fast food chains offer an easy on-the-go meal, plus who doesn't get excited about a variety of dipping sauces? For some, the tenders are just a delivery system for tasty sauces like honey mustard, ranch, BBQ, and many more.
However, some tendies are better than others, so I analyzed over 300 comments on threads on r/fastfood about where to find the best fast food chicken tenders in the U.S., with a focus on crisp and crunch outside, tender and juicy inside, consistency, seasoning, and of course, how dippable the tenders are. The results were surprising, shoppers had strong opinions, and a love of classic flavors. Here are the eight best fast food chicken tenders ranked by how much people love them.
Hardee's/Carl's Jr
These two fast food chains have the same owners, and many of the same products, and came up again and again in our research. The thing people mentioned again and again was how much difference it makes that Hardee's/Carl's Jr.'s tenders are made fresh. "They've quickly become my favorite fast food joint and I was SO shocked when I got their tenders because they were amazing," wrote one fan of the buttermilk breaded tenders. No one minds the wait, either, "I went at 10:30 and I had to wait 10 minutes for the tenders but it was so worth it," wrote another fan. "They are the best if you get them cooked fresh," said another tender enthusiast.
KFC
It's all about the Colonel's original recipe with the famous 11 herbs and spice, according to fans. In 2024, KFC changed their tenders recipe from Extra Crispy to Original Recipe (we're not sure why they used a different recipe in the first place), and it was a smash. The tenders come with a zesty peppery sauce, and one fan said, "I recently had the KFC chicken tenders for the first time, and they were a lot better than I expected them to be." Another said, " It's basically their Original Recipe chicken breast without the bone. I think these are much better than what they had before. I think these are much better than the nuggets, because the nuggets can get very dry, whereas these tenders were pretty juicy.
Raising Cain's
According to fans of the chicken chain, it's all about the sauce and the high quality of the chicken. Raising Cain's version are called chicken fingers, not tenders, and one fan said, "They are the most juicy fast food tenders. In a good way. I don't know, somehow they are fried perfectly and the breading is great. They are just such good tenders they don't need much seasoning. A spicy version or even a spicy sauce would be awesome though." Another said the fingers are "Fresh, juicy, obviously high-quality… that sauce really is something else, the most perfect elevation of that chicken (and those fries)."
Wingstop
Known for their wings – bone-in and boneless – Wingstop also has a lot of fans that love their chicken tenders, which are longer and larger than their boneless wings. The tenders can be ordered in any flavor, along with a dip. One fan raved, "The tenders at Wingstop are very good! They're my go to, garlic parm is fantastic."
Culver's
"Culver's Buffalo Tenders have no equal," says one fan of the chain's chicken tenders, which is a pretty bold statement. The midwest chain offers plain breaded tenders, but the Buffalo style, which have breading seasoned with chili peppers, paprika and black pepper spices, are the fan favorite. "I've never even bothered trying the regular ones, both because the buffalos are perfectly flavored (the spiciness complements the chicken, it isn't the star of the show)," enthused one diner.
Arby's
While Arby's is known for their hearty roast beef sandwiches, their tenders have a fan club as well. Made with breaded chunks of tender white meat chicken breast, the tenders are fried fresh regularly. One fan says, "Arby's tenders are insanely good, especially paired with curly fries."
Sonic Drive-In
Sonic's tenders are made with 100% all-white meat chicken and are crispy and packed with flavor, say diners. And Sonic's sauces make them even better. "Perhaps I'm tasteless but I really love Sonic's chicken tenders. Plus they've got that perfect neon yellow honey mustard for dipping," explained one happy diner.
Popeye's
Thanks to that trademark Popeye's crunch, the restaurant has plenty of fans.
"Popeye's has always been the best in my humble opinion," writes one about the chicken franchise's tenders. The sauce seals the deal, explains another, "Popeyes Blackened Ranch is so good. It's half the reason I go to Popeye's."
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