What is the best fast food chicken tender?

A few of these chains built their entire menu around one breaded strip; others only joined the tender race recently. Regional cult favorites sit right next to the national giants.

1. 1
   Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers

   The only entree at Raising Cane's, founded in Baton Rouge in 1996: hand-battered chicken fingers served with Cane's Sauce, crinkle-cut fries, coleslaw and Texas toast.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Zaxby's Chicken Fingerz

   Hand-breaded chicken tenders at the heart of Zaxby's, the Georgia chain founded in Statesboro in 1990, served in its Chicken Finger Plate with crinkle fries, Texas toast and Zax Sauce.
   551pts
3. 3
   Slim Chickens Chicken Tenders

   The signature item of Slim Chickens, founded in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in 2003: hand-breaded tenders served with a choice of dipping sauces.
   509pts
4. 4
   Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Strips

   Boneless chicken breast strips that Chick-fil-A seasons, freshly breads and cooks in 100% refined peanut oil, sold in 3- and 4-count orders.
   461pts
5. 5
   Church's Texas Chicken Tender Strips

   Hand-battered, breaded strips of 100% breast meat from Church's, the chicken chain founded in San Antonio in 1952.
   344pts
6. 6
   Dave's Hot Chicken Tenders

   Nashville-style hot chicken tenders from the chain that began as a Los Angeles parking-lot pop-up in 2017, offered at seven spice levels from No Spice to Reaper.
   344pts
7. 7
   Huey Magoo's Chicken Tenders

   Hand-breaded or grilled chicken tenderloins from Huey Magoo's, founded in Orlando in 2004, which trademarked the slogan 'The Filet Mignon of Chicken'.
   344pts
8. 8
   KFC Original Recipe Tenders

   Double hand-breaded chicken tenders coated in the Colonel's Original Recipe blend of 11 herbs and spices, rolled out nationwide by KFC in October 2024.
   271pts
9. 9
   PDQ Chicken Tenders

   The signature item of PDQ, the Tampa-based chain founded in 2011 that breads its tenders by hand in each restaurant.
   271pts
10. 10
    Bojangles Chicken Supremes

    Bojangles' boneless chicken breast pieces marinated in a bold seasoning blend and breaded, a longtime menu staple that some locations have swapped for newer Chicken Tenders.
    185pts
11. 11
    Popeyes Classic Tenders

    Popeyes' hand-battered and breaded chicken breast tenders marinated in Louisiana seasonings, also offered in a spicy version and, at some locations, an unbreaded blackened version.
    185pts
12. 12
    Wendy's Tendys

    All-white-meat chicken tenders with seasoned breading that Wendy's launched nationwide on September 30, 2025, along with six new dipping sauces.
    185pts
13. 13
    Sonic Crispy Tenders

    Breaded all-white-meat chicken tenders served at Sonic Drive-In, sold in 3- and 5-piece orders and as a dinner with fries and Texas toast.
    185pts
14. 14
    Dairy Queen Chicken Strips

    Dairy Queen's breaded all-white-meat chicken strips, the heart of its Chicken Strip Basket with fries, Texas toast and a dipping sauce.
    185pts

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