Chicken strips are a quick and easy meal whether you're visiting a fast food chain or a box of them out of your freezer, but not every option is created equal at your local grocery store. That's why I decided to put some of the most common chicken strip brands to the test.
I went to my nearest Loblaws grocery store and grabbed all the chicken strips I could find for a taste test. They were all called "chicken strips" but you can call then chicken tenders of chicken fingers if you like; they're all pretty much the same thing. Just don't mix them up with chicken nuggets.
Chicken strips are typically made with chicken breast meat, while chicken nuggets are made from a mix of ground breast and thigh meat. As a result, chicken strips have a slightly different flavour that I'd say is typically juicier, tastier and more filling.
Mira Nabulsi | Narcity
Just so you know where my tastebuds fall, I think the Buffalo Chicken Fingers from Jack Astor's are some of the best in Toronto. They are thick, battered in-house and have a wonderfully juicy and spicy taste. Only one brand I bought from the grocery store came close to this.
I tried chicken strips from President's Choice's Free From, President's Choice's Pub Recipe, no name, Janes and Buttermilk Chicken Breast Pieces. Here's how I ranked them from worst to best.
President's Choice's Pub Recipe Chicken Strips
President's Choice's Pub Recipe Chicken Strips
President's Choice had many frozen chicken options in the aisles including two chicken strip boxes.
At first, I thought the President's Choice's Pub Recipe Chicken Strip would be one of my favourites, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations.
Multiple PC products have won my taste tests in the past, such as my mac & cheese and chocolate chip cookie comparisons, but the chicken strips didn't fare well this time around.
The breaded coating was a bit too puffed and crunchy for my liking. After baking it in the oven, the breaded coating separated from the chicken and cracked apart, which made for an unusual eating experience. Also, each bite wasn't as flavourful as some of the other brands.
Additionally, the chicken was too thin and stringy. It wasn't bad and I'd eat them again if I was out of other options, but it'll never be my first choice.
Price: $8.49
Score: 3/10
no name chicken strips
no name chicken strips
No name's chicken strips impressed me initially because they were good, but they weren't as great as the other brands.
The family-sized box was the only one I found at my local Loblaws, and for the cost and quantity you get, this is excellent value for your money.
The strips are easy to eat, they didn't crunch too much, and the chicken-to-breading ratio was good. They were moist and light, but they weren't too flavourful. You could spice them up with some cajun pepper or a barbecue sauce, but that will take a bit of extra effort.
However, if you're hosting a game night and looking for an affordable way to feed guests, you can't go wrong with this box. I had that exact same scenario over the weekend, and the tray of chicken strips was wiped clean.
Price: $11.49
Score: 5/10
President's Choice Free From Chicken Strips
President's Choice Free From Chicken Strips
PC's Free From Breaded Chicken Strips are made from grain-fed chicken raised without antibiotics. The chicken is juicy, while the crust is crunchy.
But unlike the other President's Choice chicken strips product, this box has flavourful and thick chicken pieces that I enjoyed biting into.
The coating stuck to the chicken more than the other PC brand, and the crunch was better too. I thought the meat was pink compared to the others, but the box says it's fully cooked, so that might be because it's made with fresher and better chicken.
Overall, this is a great box to pick off the shelf, but it's still not the best.
Price: $8.49
Score: 7/10
Buttermilk Chicken Breast Pieces
Buttermilk Chicken Breast Pieces
This $10 Buttermilk Chicken Breast Pieces bag that I picked up from Loblaws was shockingly delicious and tasted the most homemade. Some may argue they aren't chicken strips, but they seem like them to me, so I bought a bag of them and I'm happy I did.
At first, I was put off by the fact that it was sold in a bag, but then I realized all the boxed ones just had bags of chicken strips inside, too.
I think the $10 chicken strips have a very scrumptious batter and the chicken didn't feel too processed. Each bite felt like I was biting into real chicken because it was similar to the breaded chicken I make at home. The breading was herby while the chicken is moist.
You can get a 1.2 kg bag of chicken strips for $10, which is more affordable than the other brands, excluding no name, while also tasting better.
Price: $10
Score: 8/10
Janes Pub Style Chicken Strips
Janes Pub Style Chicken Strips
I knew this taste test wouldn't be complete without Janes Pub Style Chicken Strips, but they were actually surprisingly hard to find. I didn't see them at two different grocery stores so I had to buy them from a Shoppers Drug Mart.
I'm glad I found them because I forgot just how much I used to love them.
I wasn't much of a cook in my university days so I used to reach for anything easy and tasty, and often that would end up being these chicken strips.
Now, after comparing them to all the rest, I can wholeheartedly say they are still the best chicken strips you can buy at grocery stores. They might even be comparable to Jack Astor's pub-style chicken fingers.
Each bite was perfect. The chicken was juicy and moist, the breading was pleasantly crisp and both elements were full of flavour. I could eat the whole box in one sitting If I really wanted to.
But don't just take my word for it. Narcity's Asymina Kantorowicz recently ranked chicken nuggets from Canadian grocery stores and Janes' chicken nuggets won that test, too.
"The winning factor with these nuggets and what makes them stand out from the rest is the crunchy coating," she said.
I couldn't agree more!
Price: $8.49
Score: 10/10
These prices are confirmed at the time of publishing, but they can change at any time. Taxes and fees may not be included.
Gingerbread cookies from Loblaws.
Grocery basket at Farm Boy. Right: Grocery basket at Loblaws.
