5 Ordering Tips For Better Chicken Tenders At Wendy's

Fast food chicken strips are hard to beat. They're ready quickly, always crispy, and among the least expensive tenders on the market these days. Wendy's is known for chicken dishes like its spicy chicken sandwich, but it also serves pretty great chicken tenders. Still, there are plenty of ways to take your tenders up a notch.

To order the best tenders, it's less about menu hacks and more about just knowing what the Wendy's menu has to offer. Don't stick with the typical honey mustard or barbecue sauce pairings — admittedly, we ranked Wendy's barbecue sauce the worst in the fast-food game. Get creative based on what Wendy's offers on its seasonal menus and the different dressings and sauces it carries. Plus, depending on who's working, you might also be able to make specific requests about how your chicken tenders are fried, when they're fried, and what they'll be seasoned with.

Chicken tenders are the perfect vessel for a unique dipping sauce. You can't go wrong with a classic like ketchup, but Wendy's actually has a whole sauce and dressing section on its menu that you can choose from. For some spice, pair the chicken with Scorchin' Hot Sauce.

This sauce combines hot sauce and cheese, and while Wendy's hasn't shared the official recipe, it's essentially a thick, Buffalo-style dipping sauce that was practically made for chicken tenders. One Reddit user described the sauce as an "'amped up' Ghost Pepper Ranch," referring to a spicy ranch sauce that Wendy's used to serve. If you don't want the intense spice, you can also opt for the Wendy's Signature sauce or its sweet chili sauce, both of which have subtler hints of heat but still give a nice kick and are more fun than the standard tender sauce pairings.

If your local Wendy's carries beer cheese sauce, don't skip it. Full disclosure: this tends to pop up during the cooler months, when Wendy's offers heartier sandwiches like its Pretzel Bacon Pub Chicken Sandwich. While the beer cheese usually isn't available year-round, it's worth mentioning because it's such a game changer as far as dipping sauces go. It's rich and creamy, and it's somewhat of a secret menu item: You have to request a side of the sauce when ordering in person because it's not a side sauce option on the app.

Get the beer cheese while it's hot, and dunk those crispy tenders. Beer cheese also pairs well with mustard, so ask for a side of honey mustard along with the beer cheese, then dunk the chicken in both. The zesty, robust flavors of these sauces coming together on a crispy chicken tender will have you wondering why you never tried this pairing before.

It's not uncommon for fast-food restaurants to cook a bunch of something at once, such as chicken tenders, chicken patties, or burger patties, then hold them in a warming drawer so they're ready to grab when someone places an order. That said, even though we ranked them the best chicken item on the Wendy's menu, your tenders may have been fried a while before you order them.

True story: I once showed up at Wendy's just before closing and ordered chicken tenders, and the employee told me they'd have to fry a new batch, and the wait would be around 10 minutes. I actually loved this because it meant my tenders were coming out of the fryer hot and fresh, and asking for freshly fried tenders has become a good tactic for always getting fresh chicken. As long as you don't mind the wait, it's worth it.

Wendy's likely has its own method for pre-seasoning its tenders and spicy chicken, so it might not be possible to adjust the salt and pepper in the breading itself. But if you're already ordering freshly fried chicken tenders, ask to have them tossed in a little salt and pepper as well. In most cases, employees are willing to heed customer requests, though it could depend on the person and how busy the restaurant is.

That extra coating of salt and pepper makes a huge flavor difference in these crispy tenders. They're that much more savory with a little extra kick, and these are two seasonings you know the restaurant will have on hand. The worst the staff can do is say no, and at the very least, you can season them yourself, but for the best chance of success with this ordering tip, go during off-hours so the atmosphere is more relaxed.

There's a surprise sauce you haven't been utilizing: Wendy's Hot Chili Seasoning. Technically, this is only a menu option when ordering chili. It's essentially a packet of vinegar-based hot sauce, with a spicy, piquant bite that almost mimics Nashville hot sauce. Ask for a few packets of the sauce when you order chicken tenders, then tear the packets and add the sauce right to the box of chicken. Close it, gently shake it up, and open it for a surprise: tangy, spicy, saucy tenders.

For the best flavor pairing, dip these in creamy ranch. It will offset the spice and add rich balance to the spicy sauce. You can also go with Wendy's signature sauce if you want even more of a kick, or pair these with honey mustard for a surprisingly balanced mix of sweet and tangy.