Chick-Fil-A Vs Raising Cane's: Whose Chicken Tenders Have Better Value?

No longer a menu item reserved for kids and picky eaters, chicken tenders are everywhere. The NPD Group reported 1.5 billion of them were ordered during 2018 (per Restaurant Dive), and disputes rumble on about where you can find the best tenders. While Chick-fil-A has the lion's share of the market — growing its share to a whopping 45.5% in 2023, according to Barclays research (per CNBC) — it's widely agreed Raising Cane's edges out the popular chain when it comes to overall value.

Prices vary, but you can expect to pay around $10.89 for a combo meal with three tenders at Raising Cane's and roughly $10.15 for a similar offering at Chick-fil-A. The most obvious indicator of good value would be the size of the strips. One YouTube reviewer found Raising Cane's tenders weighed in at a generous 161 grams per three strips, compared with Chick-fil-A's 105 grams. But tender enthusiasts over on Reddit disagreed, arguing that even some less-than-scientific eyeballing shows the portions at Raising Cane's have gotten smaller and smaller as of late.

But size isn't everything, and when it comes to the meat itself, Chick-fil-A is known for its quality. The chain uses meat from chicken tenderloins, not a ground up blend, and Redditors described it as tender and juicy, with a satisfyingly crunchy breading, to boot. Raising Cane's goes toe-to-toe, hand dipping and breading its chicken fresh for each order, but some consumers suggested the strips overly rely on the proprietary Raising Cane's sauce for flavor.

Chicken tender reviews tend to skew in Chick-fil-A's favor, with the chain demonstrating a better value product over time thanks to its consistency. While costs vary from location to location, Raising Cane's is viewed as having the steeper à la carte pricing, which — coupled with patchy seasoning and inconsistent breading — leads tender fans to see Chick-fil-A's menu as a more dependable, high-quality offering, especially considering its relative affordability.

Raising Cane's is also repeatedly called out in passionate chatroom threads for hiding quality concerns about bland chicken behind its undeniably tasty sauce. One Redditor complained, "No wonder everyone loves the sauce. You need it for any sort of flavor." Another Redditor suggested, "If you don't have the sauce, Raising Cane's chicken has no seasoning." In contrast, one TikToker called Chick-fil-A's tenders, "kind of huge," stating, "Whoa, this is crispier than the chicken sandwich." The reviewer went on to note the punchy peppery flavor coming from the breading, too.