Post readers say this Palm Beach County fave fast-food joint makes best chicken tenders

Chicken tenders. Chicken strips. Chicken tenderloins.

Whatever a diner might choose to call them, we know that they're pretty popular in Palm Beach County.

Take it from Jan Belwood:

"Great article on chicken tenders! I especially liked your preference for Bud's. We've been going to Bud's for way too many years to mention... Loved it then and still love it after all these years... And I agree with the moistness, which I think in part comes from them frying the tenders then putting them in a semi-closed box which tends to steam them a bit, But still great and worth the drive to Rivera Beach location for an occasional indulgence."

Readers might remember that The Palm Beach Post recently decided to find out which local purveyor of fast-food offered up the best fried chicken tenders. Not wings... not sandwiches... tenders.

After spending a week grazing at local restaurants, partaking of their fried chicken tenders, we published a Top 10 ranking based on results in five categories: flavor, texture, batter (coating), sauces. That final ranking had newcomer Huey Magoo's (with one location in West Boca Raton) edging out by a point the ubiquitous hometown favorite Bud's Chicken and Seafood.

Top tenders: Which fast-food restaurant has the best fried chicken tenders in Palm Beach County?

But we also asked readers to weigh in by voting for their personal favorite among our Top 10.

More than 600 readers voted in the poll over a two-week period. And the clear winner was Bud's with a whopping 36.27%, followed by Huey Magoo's with 28.29%. Coming in a distant third was Chick fil-A with 9.98%.

Chicken Tenders Poll Results:

If poll does not appear, please go to: Best chicken tenders poll results .

Not surprisingly, many poll participants decided to go further than just casting a vote for their No. 1. They also weighed in with comments and questions on social media platforms including Facebook, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), and via email.

For example:

Love your article on the best chicken tenders. Well written. (And) the expertise and tasting I can agree with from a born Southerner, keep up the good work. — Johann Hoffend (via email)

Bud's is the best chicken tenders. Tender, hot, tasty, and not too crunchy. Been eating them for years. Love the place. — Pamela Lunsford (via Facebook)

And even Huey Magoo's and Bud's "liked" the Post's stories posted on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.

We also received messages from a number of folks recommending restaurants that did not make the cut, like little-known Jaws Hot Chicken and Seafood in West Palm Beach and Publix (not a restaurant). Some readers came to the defense of fast-food places that ranked poorly like Raising Cane's (No. 5) , or were left off the list altogether like Zaxby's and Culver's.

And a final message from James Trantham: "... Perhaps some bone-in chicken deserves to be reviewed."

Perhaps.

Best restaurants in Palm Beach County:

Rick Christie is executive editor of The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at rchristie@pbpost.com and followed on X (formerly Twitter) at @rchristiepbp . Subscribe to independent reporting that supports democracy via subscribe.palmbeachpost.com .

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Post readers say this Palm Beach County fave fast-food joint makes best chicken tenders