Ariana Losch
Danny Palumbo
The best frozen chicken tenders can really adjust your perspective on the world. If you’re the type of person who says, “You know, sometimes I think I was born in the wrong century,” consider this: According to USA Today, chicken tenders did not exist before 1974. I don’t know about you, but a world without chicken tenders is not a world for me. And before you judge me for having the palette of an eight year-old, just remember, I’m the professional food taste tester here. I make the rules. Chicken tenders are awesome, I don’t know how we functioned in society without them, and yes, I really did just spend a paragraph telling you something you probably already knew! I can’t help what I’m passionate about!
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How we chose the brands of frozen chicken tenders
There’s no shortage of frozen chicken tender brands out there. Our goal is to provide the best options from popular, nationwide, and accessible brands (think Tyson, Perdue, and Applegate), right alongside smaller brands from more niche grocers that deserve a spotlight. We’re also committed to finding diet-friendly options like the best gluten free chicken tenders, too—but we won’t recommend them if they don’t actually taste good.
What we looked for in the best frozen chicken tenders
The best frozen chicken tenders should be crispy, juicy, bursting with flavor, and, you guessed it, incredibly tender. The breading should be crunchy and well-seasoned, and the chicken (gasp) should taste like real chicken, and not over-processed mush. In three separate taste tests, the Sporked team sat down to determine which chicken tenders are the best chicken tenders at the grocery store, because frankly, we have the coolest jobs in the history of the universe. And guess what? This time around, we finally found some seriously yummy diet friendly options, too. The best gluten free chicken tenders are no longer a myth—better yet, they’re just as good as all the gluten tendies on this list, too.. Now grab a ramekin of BBQ sauce or honey mustard, and let’s talk about the best frozen chicken strips. —Ariana Losch
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- Simple Truth Organic Breaded Homestyle Chicken Tenders
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These Simple Truth Organic Breaded Homestyle Chicken Tenders earn a spot among the best frozen chicken tenders thanks to their tasty seasoned breading. Oddly, despite being an organic brand, the meat tastes a little processed, but the blend of spices in the coating—celery, sea salt, and paprika—makes them taste great. These frozen chicken tenders use rice starch, too, which gives them a nice crunch. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Applegate Organic Chicken Strips
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Applegate’s frozen chicken strips have a pure chicken flavor that makes them seem way less processed than a lot of other products we tried in our taste test. The breading is light and thin, so the crunch factor is really low (3/10, virtually nonexistent). Still, unless you’re specifically looking for the best crispy chicken tenders,I think these have the best chicken taste of the bunch. Applegate’s tenders have that super lean, fresh, and clean chicken breast flavor that I love, and a really savory, umami-rich taste. These could use some help in the crunch department, but they’re still among the best chicken tenders we tried. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Simple Truth Mild Buffalo Style Breaded Chicken Tenders
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So, here’s the deal with Simple Truth Buffalo Style Breaded Chicken Tenders. Like the homestyle version, they’re definitely a little processed and the crunch factor is dangerously low, but I still think they’re among the best frozen chicken tenders, even if they have that homogenous chicken goo thing going on. These aren’t the most natural or the most fresh tasting frozen chicken strips you can buy, but they’re really good for what they are. Flavor is king here at Sporked, so Simple Truth’s Buffalo tenders have to make this list by that standard. They have chicken nugget vibes, yes, but they bring the flavor. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Tyson Honey BBQ Chicken Strips
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There’s definitely a market for Tyson Honey BBQ Chicken Strips, so listen up: If you’re the type of person who likes an incredibly sweet honey BBQ sauce, these are the best frozen chicken tenders for you. The predominant flavor here is sweet honey complemented by a mild BBQ heat, which divided our taste-testing team between those with the strongest and weakest sweet tooths. The one major downside: As a result of all that moisture and honey, the breading itself doesn’t have much of a crunch. Still, these make our list of the ten best frozen chicken tenders for memorable flavor alone. —Ariana Losch
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Applegate Gluten-Free Chicken Breast Tenders
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We did it, fam. After a couple years of disappointing taste tests, we actually found not one, but two amazing options for the best gluten free chicken tenders. It took a few decades, but brands are finally stepping up their gluten-free game. Applegate’s gluten free tenders are so well-seasoned, you would literally never guess they were made with rice flour. We loved the light peppery flavor in every bite. Plus, the chicken itself tastes clean and high quality. To all my GF friends: You will not be disappointed! —Ariana Losch
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Perdue Crispy Breaded Chicken Strips
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Hot take: Tyson takes up too much real estate in the frozen aisle. Perdue is right there, you guys—and with superior chicken, in my opinion. Instead of an ultra processed paste, Perdue’s meat tastes clean, tender, and juicy without being greasy. It has a super addictive flavor and lightly peppery breading. The breading is a little floury and thick compared to others we tried, so you have to get the crisp right (I recommend an air fryer). These are an all-around good option for chicken tender lovers everywhere. —Ariana Losch
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Just Bare Chicken Breast Strips, Lightly Breaded
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As a brand, Just Bare has one goal, and that’s to taste exactly like Chick-fil-A fried chicken. These juicy, greasy, tender, fatty chicken breast strips are a pretty spot-on dupe for what you’ll get at the drive-thru. (Heartburn and all, I say as a gentle warning.) If you don’t want to support Chick-fil-A but desperately miss the deeply savory flavor of their signature chicken, buy these instead. —Ariana Losch
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips
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As advertised, Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips have a super crunchy coating, making them the best crispy chicken tenders we tried. The bonus is that the breading also tastes really good, thanks to a blend of dried garlic, dried onion, and paprika. Because of all that crispy coating, these tenders would pair well with some dipping sauce, like honey mustard or barbecue. Some moisture to go with all that crunch. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Foster Farms Crispy Chicken Strips
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Foster Farms Crispy Chicken Strips are a good, reliable option. They have an excellent, salty flavor and the meat itself isn’t overly processed. It’s really fatty, too. All chicken tenders are white meat, but these have a dark meat quality that’s rich and delicious. It could just be more rib meat than breast meat, but I’m not complaining. There’s a bit too much breeding here, which is why these Foster Farms frozen chicken strips ultimately end up in the middle of the pack. But thanks to that savory dark meat flavor, they deserve a high spot among the best frozen chicken tenders. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Real Good Foods Low Carb, Lightly Breaded Chicken Strips
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I’m not sure what kind of chicken tender alchemy is going on here, but these keto-friendly chicken strips—which also happen to be some of the best gluten free chicken tenders—are insanely delicious. When I tasted a bunch of tendies side by side, I really thought I mixed up the brands. You cannot tell these are diet and allergy friendly chicken tenders; they just taste, quite frankly, like fresh, high-quality chicken tenders. The meat is flaky, tender, and juicy. The chickpea flour breading crisps up like it’s been fried at a restaurant. Yes, I’m being completely honest with you right now. These are incredible—and better than plenty of the best frozen chicken tenders on this list. —Ariana Losch
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Bell & Evans Chicken Breast Tenders
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Bell & Evans tenders lack crunch, but everything else about them rules. The meat is really clean tasting and highly juicy, and they have the perfect amount of breading. A lot of chicken tenders go too far with the breading, and you can’t taste the meat as a result. With Bell & Evans, you get a perfect chemistry of both. Structurally, these are wonderful. Plus, they’re flavorful, tender, and just crunchy enough. If you’re looking for restaurant quality, these are the best chicken tenders to pick up. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Hot Ones Chicken Strips, Smoky Habanero
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Hot Ones Smoky Habanero Chicken Strips are show-stoppingly great. These are very spicy, a little smoky, and juicy—the flavor and spices permeate the tender chicken, not just the thick, crunchy breading. The tenders taste and come apart like you just took them out of a deep fryer. Really, Hot Ones checks all the boxes here, and they really deliver on the heat they promise. These are the best of all the Hot Ones chicken tenders and they’re the best frozen chicken strips for people who really like it hot. —Ariana Losch
Credit: Merc / Ralphs
- Good & Gather Crispy Chicken Breast Strips
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These are far and away the best frozen chicken tenders on this list. Good & Gather’s tenders—which you’ll find at Target stores—aren’t spicy, but they have some nice spice in the breading that offers a welcome burst of flavor. The meat, which is fresh and clean, actually tastes like chicken breast, not some ungodly chicken paste. And it’s very, very juicy for something that comes frozen. The breading is made with cracker meal, so the crunch factor is also strong. It was actually really fun for me to sit back and listen to everybody take turns eating chicken tenders and then rating the crunch level. Good & Gather scored high on the crunch meter, and even higher overall. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Target
Best Spice Blend
Best Chicken Flavor
Best Buffalo
Best Sweet
Best Gluten Free
Best Thick Breading
Best Fast Food Dupe
Best Crispy
Best Fatty
Best Keto-Friendly
Best Juicy
Best Spicy
Best of the Best
Other Products We Tried: Sprouts Gluten Free Chicken Tenders, Trader Joe’s Organic Chicken Tenders, Great Value Chicken Tenders, Perdue Gluten Free Breaded Chicken Tenders, Caulipower Chicken Tenders, Caulipower Chicken Tenders Spicy(Ish), Sprouts Gluten Free Chicken Tenders, Hot Ones Chicken Strips, Spicy Garlic, Yummy All Natural Chicken Breast Tenders, Kroger Crispy Chicken Breast Strips Fritters With Rib Meat, Applegate Natural Spicy Chicken Breast Tenders, Bettergoods Gluten Free Chicken Tenders
Tyler Bowers
Justine Sterling
