I'm a food reporter who went to Raising Cane's for the first time and it's my new favorite chicken chain

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Erin McDowellJan 12, 2022, 21:33 IST
I'm a food reporter who went to Raising Cane's for the first time and it's my new favorite chicken chain

I recently went to Raising Cane's for the first time and realized why it's such a popular fast-food chain.Erin McDowell/Insider

  • I recently traveled to Austin, Texas, to visit a number of fast-food chains I've never tried before.
  • I ate a chicken-tenders meal combo at Raising Cane's and thought it was better than Chick-fil-A or Popeyes.
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When I arrived in Austin, Texas, I knew I needed to plan a visit to Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers.

When I arrived in Austin, Texas, I knew I needed to plan a visit to Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers.
Raising Cane's restaurant.Erin McDowell/Insider

Raising Cane's, which was founded in Louisiana in 1996 by Todd Graves and Craig Silvey, has more than 500 locations across 31 states, but there are none in New York City, where I live.

However, in Austin, there are Raising Cane's restaurants all over the city, including one location that was a short drive away from my hotel in south Austin.

Despite living in the South for a few years, I've never been to a Raising Cane's before, so I decided to see what all the hype was about — and try the chain's famous chicken tenders and sauce.

The restaurant was very loud and heaving with customers.

The restaurant was very loud and heaving with customers.
Inside the Raising Cane's restaurant.Erin McDowell/Insider

The drive-thru was busy when I got there, but I planned to order inside anyway. After making my way to the ordering counter, I looked around the restaurant. I was there at lunchtime, so it was filled with people. There was an area for pickup orders, however, for people who don't want to eat inside the restaurant or use the drive-thru.

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I was admittedly a tad overwhelmed by what to order.

I was admittedly a tad overwhelmed by what to order.
Inside the Raising Cane's restaurant.Erin McDowell/Insider

It was so loud and busy inside the restaurant that it was hard to communicate with the cashier to ask for their recommendation. In the end, I settled on a Caniac combo, which comes with six chicken fingers, coleslaw, Texas toast, fries, and a large drink. The meal also comes with Cane's sauce, the chain's signature dipping sauce.

I had read online that it was possible to also get your hands on honey mustard if you asked specifically. I decided to swap out the coleslaw for a side of honey mustard.

My meal came to $14.27, including tax.

The restaurant was decorated quite eclectically. There was even a portrait of Elvis above the iced-tea station.

The restaurant was decorated quite eclectically. There was even a portrait of Elvis above the iced-tea station.
Inside the Raising Cane's restaurant.Erin McDowell/Insider

I thought it gave a cozy, Americana feel to the restaurant.

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There were also pieces of Texas sports memorabilia on display.

There were also pieces of Texas sports memorabilia on display.
Inside the Raising Cane's restaurant.Erin McDowell/Insider

I wondered if, depending on which state you're in, the Raising Cane's decor reflects your location.

After I'd been waiting a few minutes, my order was called out.

After I'd been waiting a few minutes, my order was called out.
My order from Raising Cane's.Erin McDowell/Insider

The Styrofoam box my meal came in was brimming with chicken tenders, crinkle-cut fries, assorted sauces, and toast.

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The chicken tenders — or chicken fingers, as they're called at Raising Cane's — looked totally different from ones I've gotten at other fast-food chains.

The chicken tenders — or chicken fingers, as they're called at Raising Cane's — looked totally different from ones I've gotten at other fast-food chains.
Raising Cane's chicken tender.Erin McDowell/Insider

They looked crispy and six was definitely a generous serving.

I tried the chicken tenders with the honey-mustard sauce next.

I tried the chicken tenders with the honey-mustard sauce next.
Raising Cane's chicken tender dipped in honey mustard.Erin McDowell/Insider

The sauce was creamy and clung to the chicken tenders perfectly. It was tangy and I could really taste the mustard flavor.

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The chicken tenders were super crispy and juicy on the inside.

The chicken tenders were super crispy and juicy on the inside.
Raising Cane's chicken tender dipped in honey mustard.Erin McDowell/Insider

There was a lot of juicy chicken meat inside the tenders, something you don't always find with fast-food chicken tenders. Though the inside was moist, the outer shell of the chicken tenders had the perfect amount of crispiness and crunch. According to Raising Cane's, each chicken tender is cooked to order.

I then moved on to trying my meal with the Cane's sauce.

I then moved on to trying my meal with the Cane's sauce.
Raising Cane's Cane's sauce.Erin McDowell/Insider

Raising Cane's is famous for its signature sauce. Recipes online suggest it's made from ingredients including mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Before visiting the restaurant, I expected it to be similar to Chick-fil-A sauce. However, I couldn't have been more wrong.

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The Cane's sauce had a slight kick to it, was super creamy, and surprisingly tangy.

The Cane's sauce had a slight kick to it, was super creamy, and surprisingly tangy.
Raising Cane's chicken tender dipped in Cane's sauce.Erin McDowell/Insider

It paired perfectly with the chicken and was unlike any other sauce I've ever tried.

The Cane's sauce also paired well with the fries.

The Cane's sauce also paired well with the fries.
Raising Cane's fry dipped in Cane's sauce.Erin McDowell/Insider

For me, the crinkle-cut fries were just OK, but I didn't mind them. They were soft and fluffy, and there was a generous serving.

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I also enjoyed the Texas toast, though the meal was already carb-heavy.

I also enjoyed the Texas toast, though the meal was already carb-heavy.
Raising Cane's Texas toast.Erin McDowell/Insider

I didn't feel like it was totally necessary, but I did enjoy it. As a new visitor to Raising Cane's, I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to eat it with the chicken fingers like an open-faced sandwich, dip it in the sauce, or just eat it on its own.

Regardless, I thought it was perfectly fluffy and had a nice crisp on the outside of the bread. Next time, however, I might order a side of coleslaw or just keep the Caniac combo as is in order to break up all that breading.

The lemonade wasn't overly pulpy and had a subtle sweetness.

The lemonade wasn't overly pulpy and had a subtle sweetness.
Raising Cane's lemonade.Erin McDowell/Insider

It was perfectly sweet and sour and helped to wash down all the fried chicken.

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As a first-timer at Raising Cane's, I was really impressed by the food.

As a first-timer at Raising Cane's, I was really impressed by the food.
Me outside the Raising Cane's.Erin McDowell/Insider

I would even go as far as to say that Raising Cane's has my favorite fast-food chicken tenders. They really were perfect, if that's possible. They were juicy, crispy, came in a generous serving, and paired deliciously with both the honey-mustard and Cane's sauces.

Hopefully one day, a Raising Cane's will open in my native New York. Until then, I'll simply have to dream about that Cane's sauce.

Next StoryI ordered the same meal at Chick-fil-A and Raisin...
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