Hardee's(R) Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders (Photo: Business Wire)

Hardee’s ^® knows that the best tasting food is made by people, not machines. The chain is already famous for its Made from Scratch™ buttermilk biscuits and renowned for its Hand-Scooped Ice Cream Shakes & Malts™. Now Hardee’s is doing the same things with the ubiquitous fast-food chicken strips, turning them into something worthy of the chain’s handmade heritage.

Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders are made with all-white-meat chicken breast tenderloins, or “tenders,” dipped in a buttermilk and egg batter, rolled in seasoned flour and then fried to a perfect golden brown color and crispy texture. The entire process takes place all day long right in the restaurants.

“The idea for doing Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders came to us from our largest franchisee, Boddie-Noell Enterprises, the same folks who pioneered the chain’s famous Made From Scratch biscuits over a quarter of a century ago,” said Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for Hardee’s Food Systems. “Once we tried them, we knew consumers would find them irresistible because they represent such a huge quality leap over the mostly pre-cooked and frozen chicken strips available now. Obviously, our Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders are a lot more work to make than the pre-cooked, frozen ones, but our experience tells us that consumers will notice the difference in quality and keep coming back for more.”

Boddie-Noell Enterprises (BNE), Hardee’s largest franchisee headquartered in Rocky Mount, NC, brought the idea of introducing Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders at Hardee’s to the attention of the chain’s corporate office after introducing them in a casual dining steak restaurant they owned and seeing them quickly grow into one of the most popular items on the menu.

“Hardee’s management has always been receptive to input and suggestions from their franchise community,” said Bill Boddie, president and chief executive officer for Boddie-Noell Enterprises. “That open communication lets us all have a voice in continuing to bring quality food and Six Dollar Service to our customers while solidifying the strength of the brand.”