Thus Saith the Lord (or Gen Z): Where to Find the Best Chicken Tenders in Dallas

Chicken tenders are one of the most unfussy options at restaurants. Historically reserved for the kids’ menu, these strips aren’t held to any standard. Most people are keenly aware that most tenders come from a bag and are fried. We know what we’re signing up for. But there comes a day when you sink your teeth into a tender, and, right there … Something is different. Are they hand-breaded? Brined in pickle juice? Fried to order? All of the above? 

Like mayonnaise to aioli, at some crucial point in time, chicken tenders went out and hired a publicist. Now, even the most chic new restaurants in Dallas are serving up “famous” breaded tenders at a proud price of $29. Even more shocking than the audacity of that price is that people pay it. 

But don’t let some high-brow restaurant let you lose sight of what really matters, how unfussy chicken tenders are at the end of the day. So, here is our kinda-serious, kinda-not list of the best chicken tenders in Dallas. 

Mike’s Chicken

4234 Maple Ave.
Debates over the “best” anything in Dallas are common, but when it comes to chicken tenders, everyone agrees that Mike’s serves the best. Mike’s Chicken is a local chicken shop that opened in Dallas in 2014. The tenderloins are hand-cut, brined and breaded all in-house and cooked to order, which means your wait may be a little longer than other joints, but one thing’s for sure, you’ll be telling all your friends about it.

Ricky’s Hot Chicken

Multiple Locations
Not only does Ricky’s Hot Chicken have the best Nashville hot chicken in Dallas, but they also serve some worthy chicken tenders. The spot was started by Ricky Chan, who was so moved after trying hot chicken in Nashville that he had to open his own spot. We can relate. He started slinging bird out of his garage, and now he has three locations in Plano, Arlington and Richardson. For $10, you get three tenders, bread, pickles, fries and a drink. And don’t let “hot” scare you; there are six different heat levels served here, including no heat, for the cautious diner. 

Street’s Fine Chicken

3857 Cedar Springs Road
Southern comfort food never looked so good coming out of the kitchen at Street’s Fine Chicken. You can order tendies in twos, threes or fours, and each of the tenderloins are brined, fried and served with mashed potatoes and a buttermilk biscuit. Who doesn’t want to be cast away on this plate full of pillowy carbs and crispy chicken? 

Hall’s Honey Fried Chicken

1407 Medical District Drive
Hall’s Honey Fried Chicken opened in 1989 with one recipe. The owner, John Hall, is the grandson of Herman Henderson, who opened Henderson’s Chicken Shack in the 1950s. Once Hall received the blessing to use Henderson’s original recipe, Hall’s Honey Fried Chicken came to be with the same flavors Dallas has known for decades. All of the menu, apart from family meals are under $15. Every order comes with your choice of chicken tenders, fries, pickles, a pepper, bread and two complimentary sauces. 

Brick and Bones

2651 Commerce St.
One of Dallas’ best bars and they serve some of the city’s best chicken tenders? That’s an alleyoop. Brick & Bones opened over a decade ago in Deep Ellum serving a small, but impactful menu of chicken güey; a combo of Southern cooking with Mexican flavors and heat. The result is a legendary basket of tenders served til 2 a.m. every day. 

The Standard Pour

2900 McKinney Ave.
The Standard Pour is buzzy for many reasons, but the chicken tenders are a surprising one. The entirety of Uptown raves about these tenders for their flavor, and also the fact that the serving is so large it could be one indulgent meal or enough for two. For $15, you get three robust tenders and a side of fries with house sauce, and most importantly, gravy. We hope you have an air fryer for the leftovers.

Columbian Country Club

3314 Ross Ave.
There will be naysayers about putting the pretentious $19 tenders from Columbian Country Club on this list, but the three fried pieces served on a hot bed of fries are worth putting your Sunday best on for. If we remember correctly, they’re made to order and come out steaming. On the side is honey mustard that may make you forget all about your love affair with Ranch. The crunch is superb; the inside is juicy, and if you stop in, it’s sacrilege not to get a dirty martini to go with.

Hattie B’s Hot Chicken

3827 Lemmon Ave.
Hattie B’s Hot Chicken may not be hyperlocal or a hidden gem, but with chicken this good, we can’t see past it. Three jumbo tenders served with a homemade side, white bread, pickles and dipping sauce will only run you about $11.75, and they’re spiced your way from Southern (no heat) to “shut the cluck up.” You may want to order the banana pudding to help soften the blow with that one. 

Delilah

1616 Hi Line Drive
Four tenders for $29. No, you’re not mistaken, April Fool’s Day has already passed. Delilah serves its crispy, famous-to-them tenders with three different sauces: spicy barbecue, buttermilk ranch and Zab’s hot honey. We may not think the breading is the best, but many socialites and celebrities swear up and down that Delilah does something different with their chicken. Now that black truffle agnolotti on the menu, that’s another story. 

Bb.q Chicken

Multiple Locations
Bb.q Chicken is a Seoul-based fried chicken franchise that has a bit of a foothold in North Dallas. Bb.q stands for “best of the best quality,” and it’s not taken lightly. The recipe was developed at the franchise’s very own Chicken University, where students go to perfect the art of cooking the bird. Incredible. If you’ve never had Korean fried chicken (KFC), now is the time. You won’t believe the crisp they’ve perfected, combined with all the unique flavors: Caribbean spice, Gangnam style, honey garlic, cheesling, hot mala and many others. Make sure you get plenty of napkins.