Bettergoods Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders are frozen, breaded chicken tenders from Walmart's Bettergoods line. I'm always on the lookout for quick and easy gluten-free dinner options, and I love a good chicken tender, so naturally I had to give these a try.
Gluten-free breaded chicken can still be surprisingly difficult to find, so I was excited to see another option in the freezer aisle. In this review, we'll go over everything you need to know, including the taste, texture, ingredients, nutrition, preparation, price, and whether I think they're worth buying.
Jump to:
About Bettergoods Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders
Bettergoods is Walmart's private-label brand offering a wide variety of frozen foods, pantry staples, snacks, and specialty products.
These Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders are fully cooked, breaded chicken breast meat tender-shaped patties. They're made without preservatives or added hormones or steroids and contain 0g trans fat per serving.
Each 16-ounce bag contains about 15 small chicken tenders, or approximately five servings.
At my local Walmart, a bag costs $6.97.
Bettergoods is exclusive to Walmart, so that's where you'll need to head if you want to give these a try.
And most importantly, the package is labeled gluten-free.
Find the current price and availability here.
Nutrition & Ingredients
These tenders are made with chicken breast meat coated in a gluten-free breading made primarily with yellow corn and rice flour.
They are labeled gluten-free and don't contain dairy ingredients.
A serving size is 3 tenders and contains:
- 160 calories
- 16g carbohydrates
- 13g protein
- 6g fat
- 360mg sodium
How to Cook Bettergoods Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders
The package provides several different preparation methods, including the microwave, oven, and air fryer.
I went with the air fryer since that's how I normally cook frozen chicken tenders and generally the best way I've found to get the breading nice and crispy.
I cooked the tenders straight from frozen at 375°F for 12 minutes. I didn't flip them because my air fryer cooks from both the top and bottom, but you may need to depending on your particular model.
The tenders browned fairly evenly and the breading developed a decent amount of crispiness. I wouldn't say they get quite as crispy as traditional breaded chicken tenders, but the coating held up pretty well.
Taste Test
The first thing I noticed was just how small these chicken tenders are.
And when I say small, I mean quite small.
Most were only around 3 inches long and maybe an inch across at the widest point. Calling them tenders feels a little generous, they're closer in size to elongated chicken nuggets.
The breading is made primarily with yellow corn and rice flour, which gives the exterior a slightly gritty texture. It browned nicely in the air fryer and developed some crunch, but you can definitely tell that the breading is different from a traditional chicken tender.
Then there's the chicken itself.
Biting into one immediately reminded me of the texture of a McDonald's Chicken McNugget. Rather than having the fibrous texture of a piece of chicken breast, the inside is soft, uniform, and slightly spongy.
Unfortunately, there isn't a ton of flavor, either.
The breading has just a hint of salt but is otherwise pretty bland, and the chicken itself doesn't add much additional flavor.
I tried mine with Thousand Island dressing, which is my go-to dipping sauce for chicken tenders. The sauce definitely helped, but even with a good dip, I found myself thinking they were just...okay.
Nothing was particularly terrible, but nothing made me want to reach for another one, either.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Labeled gluten-free
- Quick and easy to prepare
- Several cooking methods available
- Breading gets reasonably crispy in the air fryer
- 13g protein per serving
Cons:
- Tenders are very small
- Breading has a slightly gritty texture
- Chicken has a soft, spongy texture
- Not much seasoning or flavor
- Better gluten-free chicken tender options are available for a similar price
Frequently Asked Questions
- Are Bettergoods Chicken Tenders gluten-free? Yes! Bettergoods Chicken Tenders are labeled gluten-free.
- Are Bettergoods Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders fully cooked? Yes. The chicken tenders come fully cooked and frozen, so they only need to be reheated before serving.
- How do you cook Bettergoods Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders? The package includes instructions for preparing the tenders in the microwave, oven, or air fryer. I cooked mine from frozen in the air fryer at 375°F for 12 minutes.
- Do Bettergoods Chicken Tenders get crispy in the air fryer? Sort of. The breading browned nicely and developed some crispiness, but I wouldn't compare the texture to the crunchy coating on a traditional breaded chicken tender.
- What does the gluten-free breading taste like? The breading is fairly mild with just a hint of salt. The yellow corn and rice flour also give it a slightly gritty texture.
- Where can you buy Bettergoods Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders? Bettergoods is a Walmart-exclusive brand, so you'll find these chicken tenders at Walmart.
Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, Bettergoods Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders aren't my favorite.
I always appreciate seeing more gluten-free options in the freezer aisle, especially something as convenient as frozen chicken tenders. However, there are much better gluten-free chicken tenders on the market for around the same price.
For me, the biggest issues were the size, texture, and lack of flavor. The tenders are very small, the breading is slightly gritty, and the chicken has more of a soft, spongy chicken nugget texture than the texture I typically want from a chicken tender.
They're certainly quick and easy to prepare, and the breading does get reasonably crispy in the air fryer. But with so many other gluten-free chicken options available, these just didn't give me a reason to buy another bag.
I'm glad I gave them a try, but next time I'll be reaching for a different brand.
Have you tried Bettergoods Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this review, you may also like:
Comments
No Comments