We compared McDonald's 'better chicken' to Chick-fil-A's - and the winner is obvious

Hollis Johnson

McDonald's new chicken tenders seem to have more meat on them.

• McDonald's has introduced a new chicken tender to its menu.
• The Buttermilk Crispy Tenders seem to be an upgrade to the Chicken Selects.
• We pitted them against Chick-fil-A's chicken tenders to see how they stacked up.

McDonald's tenders have enjoyed a checkered past.

In 2015, the company nixed its Chicken Selects tenders with little fanfare after over a decade on the menu, leaving McDonald's diners with McNuggets as the only handheld chicken option.

But now, two years later, the prodigal tender is back with a new name (Buttermilk Crispy Tenders) and a better approach. This new formula, it seems, is an improved resurrection of the Chicken Selects of yesteryear.

We tested these new tenders recently and were impressed with what we found. But can they hold a candle to the fast-food industry's fried chicken heavyweight champion, Chick-fil-A? We decided to put them to the test.