Wendy’s wants to be a contender in the chicken fight.
On Sept. 29, Wendy’s announced it’s bringing chicken tenders back to its menu with an all-new formula. They are now available at restaurants nationwide, joined by a lineup of six new or revamped dipping sauces.
Wendy’s “Tendys” feature seasoned, crispy breading and all-white-meat chicken. The chain says they’re “everything a tender fan could want” with a crunchy outside and tender and juicy inside.
The burger chain previously launched similar items in 2007 and 2017, but chicken tenders haven’t been seen on the menu since 2019.
“Ever since we launched our first Spicy Chicken Sandwich to our beloved chicken nuggets and now our brand new Tendys, we are always exploring ways to innovate with chicken and deliver for our customers across our chicken lineup,” said Becky Davis, VP of global culinary innovation at Wendy’s, in a press release.
Wendy’s Releases 6 New or Revamped Sauces
But before that, Wendy’s is introducing six new or revamped sauces that have bigger containers, with nearly double the amount of sauce:
- Wendy’s Signature: This “bold take on a signature sauce” features “tons” of black pepper, hot sauce and white mustard.
- Sweet Chili: This “more modern version” of the previous offering is sweet and “subtly spicy” with a touch of tang.
- Scorchin’ Hot: This one “plays on classic flavors of a Buffalo sauce” with added cheese and buttermilk to “balance all the heat.”
- Creamy Ranch: This sauce is now refrigerated and has more buttermilk, onion, garlic, black pepper and parsley.
- Honey BBQ: This sauce now features light amber honey and more smoke, spices and tomato paste “to round out the flavor.”
- Honey Mustard: This sauce has a little more “twang” with increased Dijon mustard and honey flavors.
How Do I Order Wendy’s New Chicken Tenders?
Wendy’s chicken tenders are available in three- or four-piece options and can be ordered as part of a combo meal or a la carte, and each order comes with two dipping sauces. You can order additional dip cups for a small charge. Prices vary by location.
Little ones can also enjoy the new chicken tenders as a two-piece in a Wendy’s Kids’ Meal, complete with one dipping sauce.
Wendy’s Tendys also arrive in all-new packaging built for dunking — specifically, a perforated dip-cup cutout that can hold the new sauce cups.
Wendy’s Is Coming for McDonald’s McCrispy Strips
Wendy’s foray into chicken fingers comes after McDonald’s introduced its own McCrispy Strips, which have received mixed reviews, in April. Some customers have complained that they don’t compare in crispiness — despite their name — to Chicken Selects, which spent more than an a decade on the menu until they were discontinued in 2013.
What Do Wendy’s Chicken Tenders Taste Like?
A wonderful pair of Wendy’s workers, Destini (in the Frosty suit) and Elijah delivered me the new item, and they were a welcome sight on a Monday afternoon. After taking a selfie with Frosty — and weirding out all of my neighbors, probably — I tried the tenders.
This must be how you deliver something when you’re confident in your product because the breading is so crunchy, and it’s got salt, pepper and spice in it, and the chicken inside is very juicy.
As for the sauces, I enjoyed them all except for the Scorchin’ Hot, which is so spicy, I would happily serve it to my worst enemy. I very much enjoyed Wendy’s Signature, which reminded me of Big Mac sauce.
Other standouts include the Creamy Ranch, whose garlicky notes elevate it above any other nondescript ranch dressing, and the Honey BBQ, which complemented the salty and savory notes of Wendy’s Tendy’s.
My hands-down favorite, though, was Sweet Chili, which tastes like an adult version of McDonald’s Sweet n’ Sour sauce, and is spicy but not oppressively so.
It actually reminds me of McDonald’s limited-edition Sweet & Spicy Jam, which I had hoped would become a permanent flavor. Now I have a new place to go for my sweet and spicy fix.
