I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. Every year we review and rank chicken tenders, we run blind taste tests, and we taste test the latest new recipes. We’re always searching for the very best of the best. And throughout this journey, I keep asking one brand, KFC, for one thing: “Please, please, f*cking please give us chicken tenders breaded in the Original Recipe seasoning.” There are a lot of issues with KFC’s menu, too many to get into right now, but the biggest problem in my opinion is that the brand keeps overlooking its greatest product: Original Recipe.
It’s the thing that made KFC famous in the first place. We don’t doubt that there have been a lot of changes to KFC’s “11 herbs and spices” throughout the brand’s 72 years of operation, but it’s what sets the brand apart from all the other chicken chains out there, and in 2024, that’s a lot of competition. KFC has a tendency to copy what other brands are doing; their chicken sandwich is a sad clone of Popeyes, and their new chicken nuggets are very indebted to Chick-fil-A (even the packaging is similar), it always feels like the brand is playing catch-up.
Enter the 3pc. Original Recipe Chicken Tenders Box, a new menu item that brings KFC’s 11 herbs and spices to its chicken tenders, complete with a side order of fries, and a side of comeback sauce — what a minute… ah f*ck, they’re doing it again!
If you’re a chicken tender fan, it’s impossible to miss the similarities between KFC’s OG Tender Box and Raising Cane’s Box Combo. They even used the word “box.” That means it’s going to be impossible for me to order the Tender Box without thinking of Raising Cane’s, so I’m just going to go ahead and compare the two.
We put KFC’s Original Recipe 3pc Tender Box against Raising Cane’s 3 Finger Combo to see which meal gives you the best bang for your buck, and most importantly, which has the better chicken. We’ll be awarding a score of one-five for each element of the meal and listing the price, which might be the ultimate decider for where you want to spend your lunch.
Let’s start with the new bird on the block. I’m rooting for you KFC, don’t let me down!
KFC’s Original Recipe Tender Box
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
All that hoping and begging for KFC to finally give us Original Recipe tenders has paid off — straight up, these tenders are delicious. This is a wonderful complexity to this chicken tender, it’s herbaceous, I’m tasting thyme, a hint of oregano, and a hint of celery salt, as well as a heavy use of black pepper. The breading for the most part is soft, but there are these little tendrils that crisp up nicely and add a nice crunchy element to the chicken.
If the Original Recipe breading is KFC’s greatest weapon, its second is the “Secret Recipe,” fries. They’re lightly breaded, crunchy, and well seasoned. With the chicken, I’m getting a lot of flavor in this meal. There are a few areas where this meal falls short though.
First, the Comeback sauce. It’s zesty with a light hint of spice and a creamy base. But it’s also very oily, tastes a little flat on the aftertaste, and masks the spices of the chicken. A good sauce should elevate the chicken, and I feel like this doesn’t really do that. Second, the biscuit. It’s just fine, but it feels a bit unnecessary. If KFC gave you the option to swap that biscuit for another side, it would do a lot to enhance this meal.
And finally, the texture of the chicken isn’t quite the same quality as Cane’s. It has a denseness to it. It’s not quite as melt-in-your-mouth tender. If we weren’t comparing the two, we wouldn’t even mention it, it’s a non-issue, but it is a notable difference.
Score:
Chicken: It’s incredibly well-seasoned, and easily the best chicken item on the entire KFC menu. They knocked it out of the park with this one. 5/5
Fries: A perfect, flavorful pairing with the chicken. These fries aren’t just the best KFC side, they are some of the best fries in all of fast food, and that’s saying a lot. 5/5
Biscuit: KFC makes a good biscuit. It’s bready, a bit salty, and buttery. But it’s bland in comparison to what Raising Cane’s has. 3/5
Sauce: It gets the job done, but tastes a bit flat in comparison to Raising Cane’s house made sauce and masks everything that’s great about the actual chicken. On the bright side, you get two per meal, and if you’ve ever eaten Raising Cane’s, you know one sauce is never enough. 3/5
Price: $13.22
Final Score: 16/20
Raising Cane’s Box Combo
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Raising Cane’s is our reigning chicken tender champion for a reason. This chicken is fantastic. It’s so tender that it melts in your mouth, but in terms of seasoning, there isn’t much going on here. The chicken tastes like, well chicken — a bird that is famously flavorless. What makes Raising Cane’s so good is the sauce. It’s zesty, mildly spicy, a bit buttery, and super savory. It’s a near-perfect sauce and does a lot to make turn eating this chicken into a mind-blowing experience. But you only get one sauce per order, any additional sauces are .50¢, and you’re going to want additional sauces.
The fries are just fine. Like the chicken, they’re pretty flavorless on their own, and desperately need the sauce to enhance. They taste like every other crinkle-cut fry you’ve ever had, but with a slightly buttery aftertaste that I find pleasant, especially when paired with the sauce.
The Texas Toast is another thing this meal has going for it. The toast is grilled on one side and slathered with garlic butter, giving it this wonderful, savory, and addicting flavor. It’s way better than any biscuit you’ve ever had.
But back to the texture. While the chicken breading leaves a lot to be desired, I’ve yet to taste a chicken tender that has a better texture than Raising Cane’s. Compare the below photo to the KFC chicken and you’ll see an obvious different in texture. This is for sure a better bird.
Score:
Chicken: By far, it is the tenderest chicken in all of fast food. But when it comes to the breading, it lacks flavor in comparison. 4/5
Fries: Standard crinkle cut fries. Not bad, but not great. 3/5
Texas Toast: Buttery, garlicky, a real treat before, during, or after your meal. 4/5
Sauce: Wonderfully zesty, spicy, savory, and complex. It enhances the chicken significantly, which a good sauce should. 5/5
Price: $12.01
Final Score: 16/20
The Big Takeaway:
I can’t believe I’m saying this but I think we have a new king in town. This isn’t just recency bias talking, KFC’s Original Recipe Tenders are the best chicken tenders in all of fast food. But does that mean we won’t be hitting the Raising Cane’s drive-thru anymore? I wouldn’t go that far.
There is a lot to love about both chicken tender meals (also Raising Cane’s is a dollar cheaper, that’s certainly something). KFC will give you better-tasting chicken with a cheaper-tasting sauce. Raising Cane’s will give you a much better sauce and chicken with a significantly more tender texture. Overall, this battle ended in a tie, which I’ll admit feels like a cop-out but for chicken lovers everywhere, it’s a win-win.
If you take anything from this article, let it be this: you need to try KFC’s Original Recipe Chicken Tenders, they just might be your new favorite.
