When I was thinking of a great first stop on my quest to find the best chicken tenders in Charlotte I thought the perfect place to start would be a sports bar. So, after thinking of different sports bars that are close to my apartment I decided on Kristopher's, a sports bar I've been going to for over 10 years!
Picture from Kristopher's menu
I went to Kristopher's with my roommate Katie and she wanted to support me in my quest for the perfect chicken tenders, so she decided to get them too! It was a beautiful, 70 degree day in Charlotte (very uncommon for January) and we decided to sit outside and enjoy the fresh air. This was a great plan until we noticed that people were smoking outside (in case you didn't know...smoking inside has been prohibited in Charlotte since January 1, 2012). Luckily for us, the smokers left after 5 minutes and we were able to enjoy our lunch smoke (but not siren) free. I decided to have ranch with my chicken tenders and Katie decided to have honey mustard with hers. Now, on to the review...
Batter and crispiness: B
-When it comes to the batter I was very torn. On the one hand I very much enjoyed the crispiness and texture of the batter, but I disliked the amount and flavor of the batter. It seemed like over 60% of each chicken tender was batter and it simply overpowered the chicken. Also, the batter lacked flavor, so it seemed kind of bland in comparison to many of the other chicken tenders I've had in my lifetime (and trust me...I've had a lot of chicken tenders in my time...just ask my friends!) When it came to the flavor, I feel like I could easily make a better tasting batter. Luckily I had my trusty ranch to dip my tenders in! In the end, the crispiness of the chicken tenders was the determining factor for this B rating.
Below is a close up picture of a chicken tender so you could see what I'm talking about.
Tenderness/juiciness of chicken: C-
-I'm not sure if this was just an off day for Kristopher's or what, but today the chicken in the tenders was dry and stringy. Katie said that they reminded her of chicken tenders she would get at a theme park. I found myself drinking a lot of the sweet tea (my drink of choice, especially for chicken tenders) in between bites of the tenders.
Portion size/presentation: B+
-It was a good size (if I'm getting picky...I wish there were 6 tenders instead of 5 because then it would have been perfect to eat 3 for lunch and then 3 for leftovers). However, I was disappointed with the presentation, something I've never noticed before. The basket the chicken tenders and fries came in made it appear that you got a large amount of fries, but both Katie and I were disappointed in the amount because we wished we had more for our leftovers.
Options for side items: A
-I thought the options for side items with your chicken tenders was excellent. The options are french fries, fruit, chips, or onion rings with fries being the most popular.
Reheating: A
-These chicken tenders heated up very well. While they aren't as crispy as they originally were, they tasted pretty similar to how they did when I first tasted them...hence that A rating.
Description on menu:
-Chicken fingers... $8.59 Five chicken tenders lightly battered and served with fries, honey mustard, and BBQ sauce.
Side item:
-For my side item I chose the classic french fries, which were amazing. They were very crunchy and had just the right amount of seasoning so they weren't overpowering.
Overall I give the chicken tenders a B rating. The chicken tenders (or fingers as Kristopher's calls them) were very tasty, but I wish they were juicier and there was not as much batter on them.
So if you want some good, filling chicken tenders, be sure to check out Kristopher's in Downtown Matthews!
Well that's all for now! Until next time!
-When it comes to the batter I was very torn. On the one hand I very much enjoyed the crispiness and texture of the batter, but I disliked the amount and flavor of the batter. It seemed like over 60% of each chicken tender was batter and it simply overpowered the chicken. Also, the batter lacked flavor, so it seemed kind of bland in comparison to many of the other chicken tenders I've had in my lifetime (and trust me...I've had a lot of chicken tenders in my time...just ask my friends!) When it came to the flavor, I feel like I could easily make a better tasting batter. Luckily I had my trusty ranch to dip my tenders in! In the end, the crispiness of the chicken tenders was the determining factor for this B rating.
Below is a close up picture of a chicken tender so you could see what I'm talking about.
Notice the amount of batter used.
-I'm not sure if this was just an off day for Kristopher's or what, but today the chicken in the tenders was dry and stringy. Katie said that they reminded her of chicken tenders she would get at a theme park. I found myself drinking a lot of the sweet tea (my drink of choice, especially for chicken tenders) in between bites of the tenders.
Portion size/presentation: B+
-It was a good size (if I'm getting picky...I wish there were 6 tenders instead of 5 because then it would have been perfect to eat 3 for lunch and then 3 for leftovers). However, I was disappointed with the presentation, something I've never noticed before. The basket the chicken tenders and fries came in made it appear that you got a large amount of fries, but both Katie and I were disappointed in the amount because we wished we had more for our leftovers.
Options for side items: A
-I thought the options for side items with your chicken tenders was excellent. The options are french fries, fruit, chips, or onion rings with fries being the most popular.
Reheating: A
-These chicken tenders heated up very well. While they aren't as crispy as they originally were, they tasted pretty similar to how they did when I first tasted them...hence that A rating.
Description on menu:
-Chicken fingers... $8.59 Five chicken tenders lightly battered and served with fries, honey mustard, and BBQ sauce.
Side item:
-For my side item I chose the classic french fries, which were amazing. They were very crunchy and had just the right amount of seasoning so they weren't overpowering.
Overall I give the chicken tenders a B rating. The chicken tenders (or fingers as Kristopher's calls them) were very tasty, but I wish they were juicier and there was not as much batter on them.
My lunch for the day!
So if you want some good, filling chicken tenders, be sure to check out Kristopher's in Downtown Matthews!
Well that's all for now! Until next time!
Laura Beth
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