Raising Cane's Vs Bojangles: Who Has The Better Chicken Tenders?

Three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and the debate surrounding which fast food chicken tenders are the best. We've compared Raising Cane's tenders to Popeyes. We've also compared Raising Cane's with KFC, and with Chick-fil-A, and Cane's came out on top each time.

But another Southern chicken chain has entered the chat, and this one comes with bold Cajun flavors. Bojangles calls its tenders Chicken Supremes, and they're one of the most popular items on the menu. As a northerner now living in North Carolina, I felt it was my duty to find out which of these two Southern-based chains could do chicken tenders the best. 

What I found is that these two chains are more similar than you might think. While other chains in the chicken conversation offer tenders alongside a menu of burgers, nuggets, and salads, Raising Cane's and Bojangles keep the focus squarely on chicken. The chains even serve up the tenders in nearly the same style: with fries, a side of bread (Texas Toast at Cane's and a buttery biscuit at Bojangles), and a cup of signature dipping sauce. It's two very different sets of flavors, served up almost identically, making for a surprisingly fair fight. In the end, the winner was the one whose breading and signature sauce both had the more standout flavor. 

Both the Raising Cane's and Bojangles meals were ordered for takeout through each chain's app from Chapel Hill, North Carolina locations. I ordered the regular 3-piece chicken tender combo off the menu at each chain, with no modifications. To avoid soggy tenders, I ate both quickly, before the breading lost its crisp — one of the key rules about ordering from Raising Cane's is that the chicken is crispiest just after ordering. 

I judged each on the quality and texture of the chicken itself, the texture and flavor of the breading, the dipping sauce, portion sizes, price and overall value, and customization options. Prices are before tax, and ingredient and nutrition information comes from each chain's website. Price and availability may vary according to location.

Both Raising Cane's and Bojangles sell their tenders as combo meals only. Cane's offers combos with three, four, or six tenders, while Bojangles starts at three Supremes and goes up from there. For the three-piece, Raising Cane's charged $9.89 plus tax at one North Carolina location, and Bojangles came in at $8.75. Both came with fries, a drink, dipping sauce, and a side of bread — though I noted more fries and a larger sauce cup with the Bojangles combo. The Cane's sauce was smaller, and an extra cup would've cost 45 cents more. And, at Bojangles, there are numerous sauce options, from classic honey mustard and buttermilk ranch to creamy buffalo and peach honey pepper sauce. At Cane's, they've only got the one option.

Both chains have a firm spot on the list of chain restaurants that serve the highest quality chicken tenders, and each bite proves it. Cane's tenders are reportedly made from specially marinated chicken tenderloins, while Bojangles describes its Supremes on its website as boneless tenderloin filets.

At first glance, Cane's tenders looked smaller, but they're just a little shorter in length. They're thicker and packed with more meat than the Bojangles version. Bojangles' tenders are lengthier but thinner, with a thicker layer of breading. It's also worth noting that Bojangles also threw in an extra tender. Overall, Bojangles sent more food for the money, though Cane's tenders may have been the meatier of the two.

Raising Cane's is a brand built around chicken fingers — they're unsurprisingly the top of the list for our ranking of Raising Cane's menu items – so we definitely had high expectations. The batter was craggy and light, and the piece of chicken inside was thick and very juicy, with a texture that felt like actual sliced chicken breast. A couple of bites were unfortunately stringy, but the quality of the meat was definitely notable. 

Though there was some nice crispiness, the breading didn't really have much flavor. It was good, just on the plain side, and I figured this was because of that famous Raising Cane's sauce everyone talks about. But, ultimately, the sauce was the letdown. It didn't taste bad, but it didn't really wow me either. It tasted like a sweet blend of ketchup and mayo with a little paprika. And, the cup was tiny, far less than Bojangles gave me. It simply wasn't bold enough to make up for the mild breading. 

Customization is limited, too. Cane's is a one-sauce operation, while Bojangles has way more options. And, Cane's unseasoned crinkle cut fries were really nothing to write home about. 

In true Cajun fashion, Bojangles came out swinging on flavor. The breading of the tenders was seasoned well with a very peppery coating and a crunchier crispiness compared to Cane's lighter, more airy crispiness. The chicken itself was thick, if a little bit dry. At times, it almost felt a little more like nugget-style chicken than the sliced chicken breast texture at Cane's. 

I was happy to find that the signature Bo sauce lived up to its name and reputation. Copycat Bojangles Bo sauce recipes often include multiple spices, which is likely what gives it such a complex flavor. It was zesty, zingy, and bold, with a horseradish-y kick and subtle sweetness. The portion was plentiful, which was a bonus.  

The Cajun fries were way better, too. Bojangles also has far more sauce options, so you can customize your tenders in a way you can't at Cane's. And the combo came with a lot of food. I didn't need the extra tender (or that big biscuit), but I definitely wasn't going to turn it down.

Choosing a winner was much harder than I expected. Both spots serve quality, tasty tenders that I'd happily go back for, so picking the "better" one really comes down to preference. On our ranking of fast food chicken tenders, Bojangles wasn't dead last, but they didn't top the list either, and I'd say flavor preference is probably half the reason. Raising Cane's had juicy tenders with a unique breading, but I ultimately prefer the bold, seasoned, crispier tenders from Bojangles, along with the sauce that comes with them.

People talk up Cane's sauce so much that it was something I looked forward to trying. The sad little cup was frustrating, especially for a $10 meal, and the flavor just didn't impress me. The barely seasoned breading was begging for something more zingy to dip into.

Bojangles, on the other hand, had a truly distinct, one-of-a-kind sauce that paired perfectly with its Cajun-forward, peppery tenders. And the tenders here were definitely different, but not lower quality than Cane's were. The chicken was soft and thick, with zero uncomfortably stringy bites. If you want juicy, mild chicken, head to Cane's. If you want bold flavor and a sauce worth dipping into, go with Bojangles.