Cheapest Fast Food Chicken Nuggets (and Strips/Tenders)
Sometimes life gets busy that you decide to grab some fast food for your kids or yourself. Fast food chains can get very expensive, and it is always good to know where you can get the most bang for your buck!
Chicken nuggets and Chicken strips/tenders are some of the most popular menu items served at almost every fast-food restaurant. We compared the prices at 16 different fast food style places in the US to find the cheapest price per nugget, tender, and strip! (Jump to the end to find out the final verdict!)
1. McDonald’s Chicken Nugget Prices
McDonald’s has to be on the most popular fast-food places for nuggets with a whopping 20,000 restaurants within the US. They currently offer nuggets in original or spicy and have 4 different size options.
| Size | Price | Cost per Piece |
| 4 pcs | $2.89 | $0.72 |
| 6 pcs | $4.19 | $0.69 |
| 10 pcs | $5.59 | $0.55 |
| 20 pcs | $7.59 | $0.37 |
2. Burger King Chicken Nugget Prices
Burger King currently offers to 2 different chicken nugget options: regular chicken nuggets and Chicken Fries. They offer 1 size of chicken fries and 3 sizes of chicken nuggets.
Burger King does sometimes run a special on 8-piece chicken nuggets for $1.00, but it was not an option when I priced them out.
| Size | Price | Cost per Piece |
| Chicken Fries (9 pcs) | $3.99 | $0.44 |
| 4 pcs | $1.19 | $0.29 |
| 8 pcs | $1.99 | $0.24 |
| 16 pcs | $2.99 | $0.18 |
3. Chik-Fil-A Chicken Nugget Prices
Chik-Fil-A offers regular or grilled chicken nuggets, and you can get them in multiple sizes.
| Size | Price | Cost per Piece |
| Regular 5 pcs | $2.70 | $0.54 |
| Regular 8 pcs | $4.29 | $0.53 |
| Regular 12 pcs | $6.15 | $0.51 |
| Regular 30 pcs | $15.35 | $0.51 |
| Grilled 5 pcs | $3.25 | $0.65 |
| Grilled 8 pcs | $5.15 | $0.64 |
| Grilled 12 pcs | $7.45 | $0.62 |
4. Wendy’s Chicken Nugget Prices
Wendy’s currently offers regular or spicy chicken nuggets and come in 3 different sizes. Some locations also offer approximately 50 nuggets in a Family Size.
| Size | Price | Cost per Piece |
| 4 pcs | $1.79 | $0.44 |
| 6 pcs | $2.49 | $0.41 |
| 10 pcs | $4.19 | $0.41 |
| 50 pcs (family size) | $9.99 | $0.19 |
5. Checkers / Rally’s Chicken Nugget Prices
Checkers & Rallys are both restaurants under the same company. They once were separate restaurants that were combined in 1999, but they maintained the separate names. Checker’s is typically found in the eastern half of the US, while Rally’s is typically found in the western half. They both offer the same menus though.
Checkers and Rallys offer a Chicken Bites Box and then also offer Fry Seasoned Tenders in 3 sizes.
| Size | Price | Cost per Piece |
| 1/2 lb Chicken Bites and Fries (approx 10 pcs) | $3.49 | this is only available in a meal, so calculating the price per nugget is difficult to determine |
| 3 pcs | $4.99 | $1.66 |
| 5 pcs | $7.49 | $1.49 |
| 8 pcs | $9.99 | $1.24 |
6. Cookout Chicken Nugget Prices
Cookout is a fast-food restaurant that started in 1989 and currently has 290+ locations in the Southeast of the US. Cookout offers chicken nuggets and chicken strips.
| Size | Price | Cost per Piece |
| 5 pcs nuggets | $0.99 | $0.19 |
| 3 pcs strips | $3.39 | $1.13 |
7. Dairy Queen Chicken Nugget Prices
Dairy Queen currently offers 2 types of chicken: rotisserie bites and chicken strips. Both are served with a variety of sauces.
| Size | Price | Cost per Piece |
| 6 pcs Rotisserie Bites | $5.99 | $0.99 |
| 8 pcs Rotisserie Bites | $7.59 | $0.94 |
| 4 pc chicken strip basket | $7.49 | ($2.91) $0.72 each |
| 6 pc chicken strip basket | $9.19 | ($4.61) $0.76 each |
- In order to calculate the price per chicken strip, we had to subtract the cost of a small fry ($2.99) and Texas toast ($1.59) for a total price of $4.58
8. Sonic Drive In Chicken Nugget Prices
Sonic Drive In currently offers 2 different types of chicken: Popcorn Chicken and Crispy Tenders. Both options come dipping sauces.
| Size | Price | Cost per Piece |
| Popcorn Chicken (approx. 8 pcs) | $4.69 | $0.58 |
| 3 pc Chicken Tenders | $4.29 | $1.43 |
| 5 pc Chicken Tenders | $5.69 | $1.13 |
9. White Castle Chicken Nugget Prices
White Castle offers chicken nuggets in the form of “Chicken Rings.” They look similar to an onion ring but are made with chicken. Chicken Rings come in 3 different sizes and are served with different sauce options.
| Size | Price | Cost per Piece |
| 6 pcs | $2.99 | $0.49 |
| 9 pcs | $4.19 | $0.46 |
| 20 pcs | $5.79 | $0.28 |
10. Carl’s Jr / Hardee’s Chicken Nugget Prices
In 1991 Carls Jr and Hardee’s were combined into one company. Just like Checker’s and Rally’s, each restaurant kept their own names. Carls Jr is typically found on the Western Half of the US, and Hardee’s is typically found in the Eastern Half of the US.
Both restaurants offer the same menu, and as for chicken nuggets they offer Chicken Tenders in 5 different sizes with sauces. It is interesting to note that Carl’s Jr also offers Chicken Stars.
| Size | Price | Cost per Piece |
| Hardee’s 3 pcs Tenders | $5.09 | $1.69 |
| Hardee’s 5 pcs Tenders | $6.79 | $1.35 |
| Hardee’s 10 pcs Tenders | $13.19 | $1.31 |
| Hardee’s 15 pcs Tenders | $17.99 | $1.19 |
| Hardee’s 20 pcs Tenders | $24.49 | $1.22 |
| Carl’s Jr 3 pcs Tenders | $5.59 | $1.86 |
| Carl’s Jr 5 pcs Tenders | $6.99 | $1.39 |
| Carl’s Jr Chicken Stars 6-pcs | $4.89 | $0.81 |
| Carl’s Jr Chicken Stars 9-pcs | $6.59 | $0.73 |
11. Whataburger Chicken Nugget Prices
Whataburger is mainly located in the Southern US and in Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. They currently offer Whatachick’n Strips.
| Size | Price | Cost per Piece |
| 3 pcs | $5.19 | $1.73 |
| additional strips can be ordered | $1.80 ea | $1.80 |
12. KFC Chicken Nugget Prices
KFC currently offers two types of smaller chicken pieces; they are the Popcorn Nuggets and Chicken Tenders. Each type comes with a variety of sauce options.
| Size | Price | Cost per Piece |
| Popcorn Nuggets Combo (approx 6 pcs) | $6.89 | (1.32) $0.22 each |
| 8 Tenders | $16.99 | $2.12 |
| 12 Tenders | $21.99 | $1.83 |
| 16 Tenders | $27.49 | $1.71 |
-The cost breakdown of the Popcorn Nuggets Combo includes fries ($2.39), a biscuit ($0.99), and a medium size drink ($2.19) for a total of $5.57.
13. Jack in the Box Chicken Nugget Prices
Jack in the Box currently offers regular chicken nuggets and crispy chicken strips. Both are served with a variety of sauces.
| Size | Price | Cost per Piece |
| 10 pcs chicken nuggets | $4.61 | $0.46 |
| 4 pcs chicken strips | $8.36 | $2.09 |
| 6 pcs chicken strips | $10.74 | $1.79 |
14. Popeyes Chicken Nugget Prices
Popeye’s offers 2 different chicken options: nuggets and tenders. Each option comes with dipping sauces. The tenders only come in meal combos and are not available to purchase by themselves unless you order a 10-piece box.
| Size | Price | Cost per Piece |
| 8 pc nuggets | $4.89 | $0.61 |
| 12 pc nuggets | $7.19 | $0.59 |
| 24 pc nuggets | $10.99 | $0.45 |
| 36 pc nuggets | $19.39 | $0.53 |
| 48 pc nuggets | $19.99 | $0.41 |
| 10 pc Tenders Box | $14.99 | $1.49 |
15. Arby’s Chicken Nugget Prices
Arby’s currently has two options for chicken: Chicken Nuggets and Chicken Tenders. Both come with a choice of dipping sauces.
| Size | Price | Cost per Piece |
| 9 pc Chicken Nuggets | $5.49 | $0.61 |
| 3 pc Chicken Tenders | $4.99 | $1.66 |
| 5 pc Chicken Tenders | $6.79 | $1.35 |
16. Zaxby’s Chicken Nugget Prices
Zaxby’s offers a chicken nugget option called Zaxby Chicken Fingerz. They come in regular or buffalo flavors and in 3 size options.
| Size | Price | Cost per Nugget |
| Regular 5 pcs | $6.59 | $1.31 |
| Regular 10 pcs | $12.79 | $1.27 |
| Regular 20 pcs | $24.99 | $1.24 |
| Buffalo 5 pcs | $7.59 | $1.51 |
| Buffalo 10 pcs | $14.79 | $1.47 |
| Buffalo 20 pcs | $28.99 | $1.44 |
Cheapest Chicken Nuggets in 2022
We are going to break these verdicts down into Nuggets and Strips/ Tenders.
The cheapest Chicken Nuggets can be found at Burger King and at Wendy’s. The true winner is Burger King with a $0.18 per nugget in their 16-piece nuggets option. If you are wanting to feed a crowd, you will probably want to go with the Family Size Tenders (50 pieces) at Wendy’s for $0.19 a nugget.
For Chicken Tenders or Strips, we found the cheapest available at Sonic Drive In and Cookout. Sonic’s 5-piece chicken tenders for $5.69 and came out to $1.13 per tender. Cookout’s 3 piece strips for $3.39 also came out to $1.13 per strip.
For more ways to save money, check out “Is it cheaper to make your own Peanut Butter?” and “Will HelloFresh save me money?“
