Review: Tex-Mex Tenders from Golden Chick
Bottom Line: The Tex-Mex Tenders from Golden Chick pair their always-good Spicy Golden Tenders with tasty queso, and that works out pretty well.
As those who frequent this site will know, the Texas-based chicken slinger Golden Chick is a personal favorite of mine, and I usually keep an eye out for new, spicy items on their menu. Just recently, they added the Tex-Mex Tender Combo, and that certainly warranted a trip to the drive-through. That meal includes three Spicy Golden Tenders, their new queso, fries, a whole jalapeño, and one of their luscious rolls. You can get this as a three-piece, four-piece, six-piece, or eight-piece. But not a five-piece or a seven-piece, apparently, so don’t even ask!
I have reviewed several items from Golden Chick, but looking back, I see that I never did a review of their Spicy Golden Tenders. Those are basically their regular tenders with the Wicked Seasoning added, and that brings a nice bite to their already-good fried chicken. The tenders are nice and meaty and have a flaky crust that delivers some crunch, while the seasoning offers a bit of a Cajun twang.
The queso is better than your typical nacho sauce, delivering some creaminess with a nice jalapeño kick, and it goes quite well with the chicken. They apparently left the pickled jalapeño off my order, but I keep plenty of those in the fridge (San Marcos brand is my preference), so I just added my own.
The spicy tenders already have some heat, getting a little above Mild on my scale, and combined with the queso, they are approaching Medium. And if you take a bite from that jalapeño and then squeeze the juice on the tenders, they will be even hotter. Essentially, the only thing really new here is the queso, but that does help to kick up their always enjoyable chicken.
As for the nutrition, their tenders run 87 calories each, and I don’t see any numbers for the queso, but it is at least 100 cals for the cup they include (you get two with the 6 and 8 piece orders). Then, when you factor in the fries (272 cals) and that roll (160 cals), it all starts adding up. Good news, though: that jalapeño only adds about 5 to 10 cals.
The Tex-Mex Combo is around for the dreaded limited time only, but the Spicy Golden Tenders are a permanent item on the menu, so you can have the same thing if you supply your own queso and jalapeño. The three-piece combo runs $9.99, and that includes a drink, which is not bad for a pretty filling fast-food meal these days. Golden Chick currently has locations in Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida, and you can search for a store near you on their website.
