# 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.

*By YPB Team · Published November 4, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-fast-food-chicken-tender*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers** — score 1000/1000
   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.
2. **Zaxby's Chicken Fingerz** — score 551/1000
   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.
3. **Slim Chickens Chicken Tenders** — score 509/1000
   The signature item of Slim Chickens, founded in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in 2003: hand-breaded tenders served with a choice of dipping sauces.
4. **Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Strips** — score 461/1000
   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.
5. **Church's Texas Chicken Tender Strips** — score 344/1000
   Hand-battered, breaded strips of 100% breast meat from Church's, the chicken chain founded in San Antonio in 1952.
6. **Dave's Hot Chicken Tenders** — score 344/1000
   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.
7. **Huey Magoo's Chicken Tenders** — score 344/1000
   Hand-breaded or grilled chicken tenderloins from Huey Magoo's, founded in Orlando in 2004, which trademarked the slogan 'The Filet Mignon of Chicken'.
8. **KFC Original Recipe Tenders** — score 271/1000
   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.
9. **PDQ Chicken Tenders** — score 271/1000
   The signature item of PDQ, the Tampa-based chain founded in 2011 that breads its tenders by hand in each restaurant.
10. **Bojangles Chicken Supremes** — score 185/1000
   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.
11. **Popeyes Classic Tenders** — score 185/1000
   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.
12. **Wendy's Tendys** — score 185/1000
   All-white-meat chicken tenders with seasoned breading that Wendy's launched nationwide on September 30, 2025, along with six new dipping sauces.
13. **Sonic Crispy Tenders** — score 185/1000
   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.
14. **Dairy Queen Chicken Strips** — score 185/1000
   Dairy Queen's breaded all-white-meat chicken strips, the heart of its Chicken Strip Basket with fries, Texas toast and a dipping sauce.

Tags: food, usa, fast food, restaurants, chicken, chicken tenders