The chicken sandwich wars are over. Make way for the chicken tender battle.

• Chicken tenders are nan caller attraction for fast-food chains, replacing chickenhearted sandwiches.
• Chicken tenders person driven maturation for chains for illustration Chick-fil-A and Raising Cane's.
• KFC conscionable launched tenders to capitalize connected nan increasing demand.

Few things evoke puerility memories, for illustration biting into a crispy, crunchy chicken tender. Juicy chicken-breast nutrient coated successful golden-fried breading and dunked successful creamy comeback condiment aliases saccharine chromatic mustard — it's comfort food astatine its best.

Fast-food chains cognize it, and they're going each in. 2025 is poised to beryllium nan twelvemonth of nan chickenhearted tender, driven by Gen Z's appetite.

Five decades aft its first loop astatine a Manchester, New Hampshire restaurant, nan humble chickenhearted tender has travel a agelong measurement from a kid's paper staple and promenade food-court must-have. It is cardinal to maturation astatine world chickenhearted chains for illustration Chick-fil-A, Popeyes, and Raising Cane's.

As nan "chicken sandwich wars" that dominated nan manufacture successful nan early 2020s cool off, chains are now preparing for nan chicken-tender battle.

Chicken is simply a immense area of opportunity for fast-food brands

Chicken's grip connected nan fast-food manufacture has tightened successful caller years.

Its perceived health benefits compared to beef, its comparatively debased cost, and its popularity among Gen Z — a cardinal demographic for fast-food chains — person helped thrust income crossed nan industry.

The maturation has besides been fueled by nan chicken-sandwich wars. In August 2019, Popeyes launched a caller fried chickenhearted sandwich, which Business Insider called "juicy, crispy" pinch "well-balanced flavors." When nan burger sparked a frenzy among diners and wholly sold retired wrong 2 weeks, different chains took note.

Between 2019 and 2021, complete 20 chains, specified arsenic McDonald's, Burger King, Sonic, and Shake Shack, rolled retired caller chickenhearted sandwiches, Restaurant Business reported.

Popeyes' net reports underscored nan occurrence of its chickenhearted sandwich. Its same-store income grew passim 2020, expanding 19.7% successful nan 3rd 4th of 2020 compared to nan erstwhile year, Restaurant Business reported.

US-based fast-food chickenhearted franchises arsenic a full saw marketplace maturation of 8.4% betwixt 2018 and 2023, Restaurant Business and IBISWorld reported. Chicken income besides surged by 11% successful 2022, pinch nan full gross from starring chickenhearted chains for illustration Chick-fil-A and Popeyes rising from $27 cardinal successful 2018 to astir $44 cardinal successful 2022.

Chains are now eyeing chickenhearted tenders arsenic nan adjacent battleground successful nan chickenhearted wars

Restaurant Business reported that chickenhearted tenders were classed higher than sandwiches among younger generations, citing a user study conducted by Revenue Management Solutions.

Businesses person banked connected nan idea, too.

Raising Cane's — a concatenation that notably only sells chickenhearted tenders and a fewer sides for illustration coleslaw and Texas toast — is now 1 of nan fastest-growing fast-food brands successful nan country. The concatenation generated much than $2.3 cardinal successful gross during nan first half of 2024, Bloomberg reported, marking a 30% jump from nan erstwhile year.

KFC is nan latest concatenation to get connected board. It released a caller look for its original chickenhearted tenders connected October 18, hoping to spark what nan concatenation called nan "chicken tender battle."

"The chickenhearted wars began 5 years agone pinch nan chickenhearted sandwich, but that's aged news," nan concatenation said successful a connection anterior to nan caller paper item's release.

"We cognize consumers crave bold flavor, and chickenhearted tenders are a acquainted favorite," Catherine Tan-Gillespie, nan main trading serviceman and main improvement serviceman for KFC US, added successful a statement.

KFC is besides leaning into value, different attraction for consumers and brands amid fast-food value hikes: A three-piece combo of KFC's caller chickenhearted tenders starts astatine $5.

In an evident bid to incite competition, KFC besides released a new commercial that depicts a medieval conflict segment to find which concatenation has nan champion chickenhearted tenders.

Beyond KFC and different chickenhearted chains for illustration Chick-fil-A and Popeyes, location mightiness beryllium different contender: McDonald's has besides reportedly been testing its ain chickenhearted tenders astatine immoderate locations aft they disappeared from menus during nan COVID-19 pandemic, though nan marque has not commented connected a nationwide rollout.

McDonald's did not respond to a petition for remark from Business Insider.

The craze has reached edifice eating rooms and market stores

The chicken-tender warfare isn't only confined to fast-food menus. Casual eating chains for illustration Chili's deliberation they tin conquer fast-food competitors pinch their ain versions of chickenhearted tenders.

"Fried chickenhearted is 1 of nan fastest-growing segments — particularly pinch a younger user that prefers boneless fried chicken," Chili's main trading serviceman George Felix told Business Insider.

The chain's chickenhearted tenders person been a fixture connected menus since nan '90s, but they were revamped successful December 2022 "to amended fresh pinch our guests' preferences," Felix said.

They are "a grown-up type of a emblematic fast-food tender," Felix said, owed to spirit options for illustration Nashville Hot and Honey Chipotle.

At market stores, chickenhearted brands for illustration Perdue besides marketplace a assortment of chickenhearted tenders, including gluten-free integrated tenders and earthy chickenhearted tenderloins, to cater to a scope of customers.

"It's not conscionable nan chickenhearted tender of your childhood," a Perdue spokesperson told BI astatine nan New York City Wine & Food Festival connected October 20.

"You person each nan different parts of nan premium muscle, aliases you tin get nan acheronian nutrient and each these different cuts. People are really utilizing them successful much culinary experiences now, too," they continued, adding that consumers are looking for "elevated" versions of their favourite puerility foods.

As chickenhearted tenders cogwheel up for a takeover, chickenhearted sandwich wars are already yesterday's headlines.