Burgers, Dogs, & Pizza, Oh My!

Posts Tagged ‘Chicken Tenders’

Couple years ago, I drove around the Southeast doing a chicken finger/tenders ‘smackdown.’  Turns out I was pretty loyal to Popeye’s, unless there was a Zaxby’s nearby. Well, this was the first time I’d been near one since that trip, two years ago this month.

I’m still a happy camper at Zaxby’s.  Good chicken, good crinkle cuts, fantastic Texas toast.  Texas toast is always a dealmaker for me. Always.

So Zaxby’s? Time to saturate the Upper Midwest. Then I won’t have to go on a 2500 mile drive to enjoy a piece of toast!  (Did you know you can order an ENTIRE BASKET of Texas toast on the side?! YES! )  Yes, I like the slaw too.  Chicken? Crispy outside, juicy inside, fried to perfection.

(I said somewhere in eastern Tennessee cause I have no f*in idea where I was. It was next to a Red Roof Inn, tho, I can tell you that, where the desk clerk was yelling at a guy for having teenage girls in his room. He promised not to do it again and all was right with the world.

Zaxbys Review Update

Zaxbys Review Update

Zaxbys Review Update

I’m not much for ‘heat and eat’ products, tho I do try them from time to time to see if they’ve improved. For the 40-50 years there has been frozen “crispy” food – chicken, fish, whatever, I’m quite surprised the industry hasn’t licked “crispy” yet. Apparently not a priority.

I especially don’t like microwaved (or reheated) chicken. I think the injected solution they put into processed chicken causes the muscle to break down when heated. The resulting texture is hard for me to stomach. Or chew.

But I thought I’d try a heat and eat meal this week and went for some Tyson’s Crispy Chicken Tenders and Ore-Ida microwave fries. The chicken turned out like I thought – the breading wasn’t crispy and the meat was a little “mushy” for lack of a better word.  I cooked three pieces, ate one, not sure what I’ll do with the rest. Maybe I can peel the breading and use the bird in soup.

The preparations for the Ore-Ida fries is quite elaborate. They have one of those “foil” coatings inside the box you use for cooking. Remove the top piece, spread out the fries in a single layer, place the top back in the box to it is resting ON TOP OF THE FRIES.  Microwave for four minutes. Let rest for a minute.

They aren’t bad. Don’t compare with the oven baked Ore-Ida (I am a guy who can’t pass up their tots or ‘crowns’) and in fact, at four minutes, they might be a little TOO crispy. So I’d try them again, depending on the price, and put them in for a little less time. It’s a single serving by the way.

That’s all I know about this.  I’ve driven around the country from time to time and gone on a “tenders smackdown.”  Here’s my report from the Southeastern U.S.

Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips Review

Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips Review

Apparently, this product was around before, I wasn’t aware of it.  It’s back for an LTO in another attempt from McDonalds to win back old customers or win new ones.  The Chicken Select Tenders are described by the company as “Our juicy Chicken Select Tenders are made of 100% chicken tenderloin and are seasoned to perfection. Try them with your choice of flavorful dipping sauces.”  Sauce choices include ranch, buffalo, honey, sweet and sour, honey mustard, bbq, or habanero.  I passed on sauces in order to get the full benefit of tasting the product.

They come three to an order for $2.99 plus tax, so a buck a piece.  The first thing I noticed was the tenders are notably smaller than the ones appear to be in the television advertising.  They are certainly much smaller than some competitors.

On my “tenders smackdown” tour of the south last year, I developed some strong leanings towards favorites, for sure.  Had McDonalds been offering the Selects at the time, I would have included them, but they wouldn’t have made my top five.

I guess they are one of those products that you just sigh and say “it is what it is.”  In other words, they qualify as “OK.”   I don’t think they are a very good value, and “seasoned to perfection” is up for debate, and they seem to be devoid of seasoning, except for a little black pepper in the breading.

LTO means “Limited time offer” and that they won’t be around forever. And that’s fine with me.

McDonalds Chicken Select Tenders Review