Better Homes And Gardens Chicken Fried Steak

I ordered the same meal at 3 fast-food chains in the Midwest, and I preferred the no-frills chicken tenders from Culver's

I tried the chicken tenders and fries at Culver's, Raising Cane's, and Steak 'n Shake in Chicago.
The Raising Cane's chicken seemed soggy, and the meal at Steak 'n Shake left a lot to be desired.
The best chicken-tender meal I had was at Culver's.
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During a trip to Chicago, I ate at three fast-food chains that don't exist back home in New York. In each restaurant, I ordered chicken tenders and fries.

I consider myself a chicken-tender aficionado. As a child growing up in New York, I loved eating chicken tenders or chicken nuggets at America's favorite fast-food chains, like McDonald's and Burger King, and over the years, I learned the perfect chicken tender is crispy, lightly seasoned, and moist.

When I visited Chicago a couple of weeks ago, I decided to try chicken tenders and fries at three fast-food chains I never had access to growing up. I visited Culver's, Raising Cane's, and Steak 'n Shake, all of which have locations in the Midwest.

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My first stop on this mission for the perfect Midwestern chicken tender was Culver's.

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The interior of Culver's felt like a cozy home.

The restaurant had wood-paneled walls, exposed brick, rugs, and the Food Network playing on a TV in the corner.

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I ordered a giant meal here, but I was most excited to try the chicken tenders and fries.

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When I bit into the chicken tenders, I immediately loved how crunchy and thin they were.

The chicken tenders were simple, but they had crunchy breading on the outside and a juicy, meaty inside. Although they weren't as thick as other fast-food chicken tenders, they were as delicious as McDonald's chicken tenders.

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The fries from Culver's were perfectly seasoned and crunchy.

I'm not usually a big fan of crinkle-cut fries, but I enjoyed these. I also dipped the fries in some barbecue sauce, which made them even better.

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After Culver's, the next fast-food restaurant I tried was Steak 'n Shake.

Steak 'n Shake was founded in Illinois and became known for its milkshakes. Now the company has locations throughout the Midwest and the rest of the country, except New York.

During my stay in Chicago, I ordered Steak 'n Shake to my hotel room. Although I didn't get a chance to visit the physical restaurant, I did eat at a Steak 'n Shake in Florida many years ago. The interiors are always decorated like an old-school diner, which I love.

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My meal arrived in a small black-and-white bag.

I was excited to dig into my chicken tenders and fries, which cost me $12.

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Upon first sight, the chicken tenders and fries looked delicious, but something was missing.

I was disappointed to see that these chicken fingers and fries didn't come with any sauce, even though I ordered honey mustard.

Melvin Buckley, the owner of the Steak 'n Shake, said his business has been having employee issues since the start of the pandemic and that might have been the cause of the missing sauce.

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The chicken tenders were so crunchy, but there seemed to be more breading than meat.

As someone who loves a crispy chicken tender, this one was difficult for me to judge. It had a great crunch to it that other tenders don't. But I noticed there wasn't a lot of meat in it because it was mainly breading.

Buckley, however, said their food is among the best.

"Steak 'n Shake is a force to be reckoned with," Buckley said. "When someone tries our food, they won't go anywhere else."

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The fries at Steak 'n Shake quickly became my favorite in the Midwest.

These fries most resembled McDonald's french fries, which are my usual favorite. The Steak 'n Shake fries were perfectly fried, seasoned, and crunchy. Plus, they weren't crinkled!

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My last stop was Raising Cane's, which is known for its chicken tenders.

Raising Cane's is not technically a Midwestern chain — it was founded in Louisiana — but the company has several locations throughout the Midwest. Unfortunately, it hasn't reached New York yet.

I've heard a lot about Raising Cane's famous chicken tenders, so I was excited to get my greasy hands on them.

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When I stepped inside the restaurant, I found an interesting design aesthetic.

This Raising Cane's had three disco balls hanging from the ceiling and bright artwork.

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I ordered the Box Combo, which cost about $7.

When I opened the box, I was surprised to find so much food for the price: four chicken tenders, a mound of fries, a piece of Texas toast, coleslaw, and sauce.

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When I picked up the chicken tender, I was surprised to see a lot of the breading had fallen off.

For me, the breading is one of the most important components of a chicken tender. The fact that the breading didn't stay on the chicken suggested to me it was quite soggy. The chicken itself tasted very fresh and delicious, but it didn't make up for the lack of crunch.

Additionally, they served crinkle-cut fries like Culver's, and they were way too salty for me.

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Thankfully I had the delicious Raising Cane's sauce, which masked some of the issues I had with the food.

In my opinion, Raising Cane's sauce puts Chick-fil-A's sauce to shame.

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The best part of my Raising Cane's meal was the Texas toast.

The Texas toast was made with sesame bread, butter, and garlic. I tasted every one of these ingredients, and they all complemented each other well. The toast was also crispy yet soft — the perfect texture for a piece of toast.

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In my opinion, Culver's has the best chicken-tender meal in the Midwest.

I thought Steak 'n Shake's chicken-tender meal lacked meat, and I was disappointed it didn't come with any sauces, while Raising Cane's delicious toast and sauce didn't make up for the soggy chicken or salty fries.

Meanwhile, Culver's no-frills chicken tenders stood out for being both crispy and juicy. The fries were also well seasoned and a great complement to the chicken.

Although all three of the Midwestern fast-food chains had something to rave about, Culver's came out on top for me.

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19/19 SLIDES