Popeyes’ Chicken Tenders: Are They Really Tenders?

UPDATE 8/12/22: A class-action lawsuit against Popeyes filed three days after the publication of this ad alert alleges the restaurant falsely and deceptively advertises menu items as chicken “tenders,” leading reasonable consumers to believe that the products are made from chicken tenderloins when they are actually made from “the remainder of the chicken breast.” Our original ad alert follows.

A TINA.org reader who is a self-professed chicken lover has a problem with Popeyes calling its breast strips “tenders.”

“Popeyes advertises chicken tenders in their stores and website, yet I have found that these were just chicken breasts cut into strips,” the reader wrote.

“Any chicken lover can tell you there is a distinct difference between a breast and a tender. I even ask[ed] the attendants if these are tenders or breast strips, and without hesitation, ‘They’re strips.’”

Indeed, Popeyes says on its website – in fine print below “TENDERS” in big, bold, red lettering – that its tenders are made from “100% whole breast meat.”

And according to sources, a breast and a tender are two different parts of a chicken, tenders being the small strips of meat that are loosely attached to the underside of each breast. As our reader explained:

The nature of a chicken tender is that it is more tender than breast meat and moister. The price of the tender is more expensive than the breast. Slicing up a chicken breast and calling them tenders is akin to slicing up a pot roast and calling it beef tenderloin.

Our reader’s view is supported by plenty of other chicken gurus. (Of note, while these sources say that chicken tenders are no different than chicken tenderloin, there are others who say they aren’t the same. The USDA falls into the latter cohort, with separate entries for tenders and tenderloins in its poultry-grading manual, published in 1998. Its definition for tenders: any strip of breast meat. )

TINA.org reached out to Popeyes for comment. Check back for updates.

Find more of our coverage on fast food chicken here.