Wendy’s Brings Back Chicken Tenders After Eight-Year Break, Six New Sauces
After an eight-year break, Wendy’s put chicken tenders back on its nationwide menu starting September 29, 2025. The chain last offered its “Homestyle Chicken Strips” back in 2017. “Ever since…
After an eight-year break, Wendy's put chicken tenders back on its nationwide menu starting September 29, 2025. The chain last offered its "Homestyle Chicken Strips" back in 2017.
"Ever since we launched our first Spicy Chicken Sandwich to our beloved chicken nuggets and now our brand new Tendys, we are always exploring ways to innovate with chicken and deliver for our customers across our chicken lineup," said Becky Davis to IR Wendys.
You can choose between three or four pieces, with two sauces thrown in. Kids get a smaller portion - two pieces with one sauce. All options come as standalone items or combo meals.
The chain is now offering bigger sauce portions. There are six different flavors to pick from: Signature, Sweet Chili, Scorchin' Hot, Creamy Ranch, Honey BBQ, and Honey Mustard. Each sauce comes in a super-sized cup.
The clever new packaging includes a built-in sauce holder - making it easier to eat in your car or while walking around.
"Consumers told us what they wanted in a chicken tender, and we listened – taste-tested, fine-tuned and delivered. With six bold new sauces, fans can dip, dunk and customize their Tendys with every bite!" said Chief Marketing Officer Lindsay Radkoski.
This release follows McDonald's McCrispy Strips launch earlier in 2025. Eight years ago, both chains rolled out chicken tenders within weeks of each other - and now it's happening again.
Early reviews say the coating is nice and crispy with tender meat inside. The Sweet Chili sauce hits just the right sweet-spicy mix, while the Scorchin' Hot sauce is so spicy it had taste-testers breaking a sweat.
Chicken is huge in fast food right now. From Taco Bell to Wingstop and KFC, new chicken items are showing up everywhere. Raising Cane's success shows that Americans love having lots of chicken options.
By getting into the chicken tender game, Wendy's is going after chicken-focused restaurants. It's a smart move to grab a piece of fast food's growing chicken market.
