This story began as a simple conversation on a podcast: the “Let’s Eat, Orlando with Amy Drew and Biggie” podcast (available on virtually any podcast platform and viewable on YouTube, as info), when the errant mention of a chicken tender chain devolved into disbelief from my pod partner, Deli Fresh Threads’ Anthony “Biggie” Bencomo.
“You’ve never been there?!” he asked me, incredulous.
“Nope.”
What can I say?
I’m not against fast food. I partake from time to time. I even have favorites. I just don’t much eat it. And as he rattled off brands I’d never sampled — Raising Cane’s, Dave’s Hot Chicken, Huey Magoo’s — his astonishment only grew, inspiring the idea that the combination of his practiced palate, and my virtually virgin one, would make a good pairing to rank the titans of tender from 10 to 1.
In two rounds, we hit up a roster of big names known either specifically for tenders or at the very least, chicken. We scored each on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being best) in four categories: breading, seasoning, chicken and signature sauce and discussed our findings ad nauseam.
The following is our collective, grease-smudged white paper.
10. Popeyes
That Popeyes landed at the bottom was a surprise for us both, but for me, the shock was extra-pronounced. Popeyes was one of only three restaurants on this roster that I’d even been to before this deep-fried odyssey, and it swept Chick-fil-A in an informal Orlando Sentinel staff poll when I’d documented The Chicken Sandwich Wars of 2019. Its spicy remoulade and crunch edged out its milder competitor.
Biggie, far more a fast-food regular when it comes to fried chicken sandos, had similar thoughts.
Sadly, these tenders never got the memo.
“They looked good in the box and they were super crispy,” Biggie said. “But the chicken was really dry.”
Cue a sad trombone.
9. Zaxby’s
Unremarkable all around, the tenders here were scrawny. And for me, packaged sauce is never going to get high marks (Biggie feels differently, as you’ll read later). This one was meh. While not overcooked, the chicken wasn’t particularly juicy. And the breading/seasoning ranked low — for me, a 2 and 1. Biggie summed it up nicely: “I no like.”
8. Chicken Guy!
There’s a lot of style going on at Chicken Guy! And the rooster mascot, with his cockscomb and shades and goatee-like wattle, mirrors the vibe that turned co-founder Guy Fieri from an unknown into a superstar. Staffers were super friendly (we even got an extra tender in our order) and helpfully explained the two-sauce policy. These were the high points of the experience. The Donkey Sauce (essentially garlic mayo) was quite tasty, though we enjoyed the Special Sauce even more. The chicken was crispy and hot and fresh but tasted oddly … familiar.
“This felt the most fast-foody,” said Biggie. “Kind of like they were frozen Tyson tenders, but a little leveled up from the deep-fryer.”
Entirely accurate.
Not terrible, and made better by the sauces, but ultimately, Chicken Guy! finished last among the mid-rangers.
7. Saucy
“This wasn’t dry. And it wasn’t super juicy, either. But, it didn’t have much flavor,” Biggie opined.
The discussion that followed debated whether this was precisely the intent.
Saucy, a KFC-spawned, tender-only offshoot, is named for its 11 signature sauces, a nod to the 11 herbs and spices in KFC’s original recipe chicken. It would have been nice if we’d tasted at least one or two of those in the chicken.
Neither of us is averse to condiments, but if the sauce accidentally spills on the way home from the drive-thru, it shouldn’t be a meal-wrecker moment. But if the chicken is just a vehicle for the stuff you plan to stick it in, go to Saucy.
6. Jollibee
Tenders are a relatively recent advent for Jollibee, a well-known Filipino brand where traditional fried chicken is a specialty. I thought their sauce was pretty good, but we agreed that your best chicken bet here is still bone-in. Better yet, just get two mango peach pies and call it a day. For me, this is Jollibee’s most crave-able item by far.
5. Raising Cane’s
It wasn’t quite Chick-fil-A packed, but Raising Cane’s was jumping when we popped in at lunchtime. The friendly woman at the counter told us, amid asking for our “order name,” that one of their regulars changes his every day for fun.
“Every day?” I asked.
She nodded.
“This man literally comes here for lunch every day?”
“Every day. Three-tender combo with a pink lemonade.”
Sigh. I could easily pivot into a tirade about eating local. Or just better. But, I won’t.
“I don’t get it,” Biggie said, before and after our visit. “I think their popularity is just about the viral social media stuff with the Cane’s sauce.”
I knew nothing of this, but yes. You’ll find scores of videos, on every platform, of people submerging their tenders in overflowing cups of this condiment. It’s a tasty sauce, but the tender — nicely cooked, crisp, fresh and better overall than the one at Saucy — doesn’t have much flavor.
“Cane’s could be my No. 1 if it had better seasoning,” said Biggie.
4. Chick-fil-A
Here’s where you can really note the subjectivity of taste, I think, watching Biggie squirrel the extra packet of Chick-fil-A sauce into his pocket. He positively loves the stuff. Brings it home. Has a jar full of it.
Conversely, I would describe it as gloop, an unholy flavor fusion of Liquid Smoke, Miracle Whip and Marshmallow Fluff.
It was the only thing on my entire sheet that scored a zero.
That said, the chicken tenders, though petite, seemed magically seasoned, though I couldn’t identify any specific flavor. They were really quite good.
“It’s MSG!” chimed Biggie, who rocks a Chick-fil-A sando on the reg.
Whatever it is, it’s working for them.
3. PDQ
“Excuse me,” Biggie asked the man wiping down the adjacent booth. “Is there horseradish in this sauce?”
“Yes!” he said, before relaying that a founder of PDQ (Bob Basham) was also a founder of Outback Steakhouse. “It’s pretty much the same as their Bloomin’ Onion sauce.”
“That’s it!” said Biggie, as a familiar flavor snapped into focus.
I loved that we got some brand history on our visit to PDQ, which stands for “people dedicated to quality.” The gent with the facts is proof they’re doing a good job with that.
As is the sauce, which tasted incredibly fresh, like they made it five minutes before we walked in. It was just enough to push these interestingly seasoned tenders up into the top three. All the elements come together here. Very compementary.
2. Dave’s Hot Chicken
Full disclosure: If this round-up wasn’t grounded in a traditional tender, Dave’s would have ranked highest, because I love me some heat, but even without that in play, Dave’s tenders (on the pricier side, but humongous) were of very good quality: hot, crispy, adequately seasoned, solid sauce. PS: “The Reaper,” for which I was required to sign a waiver, was indeed fire!
1. Huey Magoo’s
This one had all those traits, but the tenders themselves were slightly superior. We even went back, just to be sure, before handing Huey Magoo’s the crown.
“This is the fast-food place I would go specifically for chicken tenders,” Biggie says. “They call themselves ‘the filet mignon of chicken’ and I think that fits. You can tell they just use the tenderloin.”
As someone who has never gone anywhere specifically for chicken tenders, and likely never will again unless my boss tells me to, I can vouch.
On both the first stop and the final follow-up, the tender from Huey’s was hot and fresh and very nicely seasoned, which means there’s no need for sauce, but if you want some, that’s good, too. It was the unanimous high scorer.
“At the end of the day, I want to be eating a good piece of chicken,” Biggie summarized. “Something that’s worth my time.”
Want to reach out? Find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: [email protected]. For more fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group or follow @fun.things.orlando on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Local chicken tender purveyors
Time, of course, is part of the formula when people choose fast food. It’s right in the name. But for what it’s worth, if you have more of it, skip everything on this list and eat indie-local tenders instead.
JAM Hot Chicken: Tender chicken, brined and hand-breaded to order, is what you’ll get at this al fresco eatery that’s consistently excellent. Don’t fear the name, though. They’ve got a plain version that is just as delightful. Love that housemade ranch. More info: 400 W. New England Ave. in Winter Park, jamhotchickenfl.com
Chicken Fire: Here, too, you’ll find beautifully done chicken in varying degrees of “fire.” Wanna be cool, Honey Bunny? Go for the fire-free “Soulful” option. More info: 2425 E. Colonial Drive in Orlando, instagram.com/eatchickenfire
Chi-Kin: Like something a little different? This local, with locations in Mills 50 and Windermere, specializes in Korean fried chicken wings but offers a similarly “barky” and sauce-tossed tender, as well. More info: 813 N. Mills Ave. in Orlando, 407-730-8658 and 5845 Winter Garden Vineland Road in Windermere, 407- 614-0070; chi-kin.com
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