Chicken tenders? No. These are Wendy’s Tendys.

The past year has seen a whirlwind of news when it comes to fast food chicken, with pretty much every major chain getting in on the action. McDonald’s brought back McCrispy strips and added them to their Snack Wraps. Taco Bell launched its Crispy Chicken Nuggets before updating them to chicken strips and putting them in tacos and burritos. And over at Popeyes, we got Chicken Wraps and Chicken Dippers — the latter which wound up on the chain’s Hot Ones menu.

With the clock ticking on 2025, Wendy’s has introduced its own chicken innovation, updating its classic chicken nuggets to bring the world — drumroll please — Wendy’s Tendys.

Yes, Wendy’s has chicken tenders now. And they’re calling them Wendy’s Tendys. (I mean, I would absolutely do the same thing if I were Wendy’s and had this opportunity.) The Tendys rolled out this week along with a refreshed line of six new sauces.

Wendy’s already had some of the best chicken nuggets in the fast-food game. Would Wendy’s Tendys live up to that reputation? (And the awesome Wendy’s Tendys name?)

What they cost

You can get a three-piece order of Wendy’s Tendys for $5.49 and a four-piece order for $7.29. Both orders come with two sauces, and additional sauces can be purchased for 50 cents each. (You can also get Tendys in a two-piece Kids’ Meal.)

My thoughts

There’s nothing like getting a hot, fresh batch of nuggets at Wendy’s. When they’re done right, you suddenly look down and what began as a package of ten nuggets is suddenly gone.

Wendy’s Tendys are an elevated version of those nuggets. The chain notes that “these crunchy, premium Chicken Tenders are flavor-packed and savory, made with seasoned, crispy breading and juicy, all-white-meat chicken,” promising that Wendy’s Tendys are “crunchy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside.”

Yup, definitely crunchy on the outside.

And, yes, tender and juicy on the inside.

These are very good chicken tenders. (I need to pick up some McCrispy Strips to do a side-by-side taste test between Wendy’s and McDonald’s offerings at some point.) I wouldn’t hesitate to buy Tendys the next time I’m at Wendy’s.

OK, now for the six sauces that Wendy’s rolled out to go with the new Tendys. Here’s what you can pick up for your dipping pleasure:

• Wendy’s Signature: “The ultimate Tendys companion. Wendy’s signature creamy sauce with hints of black pepper, hot sauce and tons of savory goodness.”
• Sweet Chili: “Sweet and subtly spicy sauce with a touch of tang including notes of sriracha, garlic and ginger.”
• Scorchin’ Hot: “Creamy hot sauce with a heat that builds.”
• Creamy Ranch: “Extra creamy and extra rich. The GOAT for all dipping needs.”
• Honey BBQ: “A little bit sweet, a little bit smoky. A lot of barbecue.”
• Honey Mustard: “Sweet honey and lightly tangy mustard with a rich Dijon flavor.”

So real talk here ... Wendy’s didn’t really invent the wheel when it came to these sauces. Ranch, BBQ and honey mustard are standards across the board when it comes to sauces you can pair with your chicken nuggets or tenders at fast-food joints. McDonald’s has Spicy Buffalo Sauce, Creamy Ranch Sauce, Tangy Barbecue Sauce and Honey Mustard Sauce. Popeyes has Bayou Buffalo Sauce, Buttermilk Ranch Sauce, BoldBQ Sauce and Wild Honey Mustard.

That’s not to say that Wendy’s new sauce options aren’t good, though! (They’re good sauces, Brent. Remember that meme? Simpler times.) Let’s do a quick rundown, complete with, um, 🍗 scores.

• Wendy’s Signature (🍗🍗🍗): I’m pretty sure this sauce is your traditional burger sauce/Thousand Islands dressing with some black pepper added to it.
• Sweet Chili (🍗🍗🍗🍗): I found myself coming back to the Sweet Chili sauce the most. It felt like a fancier sweet-and-sour sauce.
• Scorchin’ Hot (🍗): A weak imitation of buffalo sauce.
• Creamy Ranch (🍗🍗🍗): If you can screw up a ranch dipping sauce, I’ve yet to see it. I’d give Creamy Ranch a fourth 🍗, but that seems like a lot of credit for something so simple.
• Honey BBQ (🍗🍗🍗): Do I sound like a moron for saying that Wendy’s elevated a traditional BBQ sauce with this one? I enjoyed it.
• Honey Mustard (🍗🍗🍗): Honey mustard has been my go-to dipping sauce for nuggets at Wendy’s, and I’m happy to see that it’s still around.

I didn’t use it due to the fact that I was juggling six different sauces, but the new boxes for Wendy’s Tendys come with a little compartment to place your cup of dipping sauce.

Snack score

🍪🍪🍪🍪 (4 out of 5 cookies)

Wendy’s has long been at the top of the chicken nuggets game, so it’s no surprise that the chain hit another high with its Wendy’s Tendys. (I’m never going to get tired of writing Wendy’s Tendys.) They live up the promise of being a crispy yet juicy addition to the Wendy’s chicken lineup.

I don’t think, though, that Wendy’s has done anything revolutionary with its six allegedly new sauces. Not only are they right in line with the sauces traditionally offered by fast-food restaurants, they seem to have pushed the stellar Ghost Pepper Ranch sauce out of Wendy’s offerings.