Popeyes Chicken Tenders in Canada
Popeyes sells chicken tenders in six sizes, from a three-piece snack to a twenty-piece family meal. They are made from whole white-meat strips, hand-battered in Louisiana seasoning and fried, using the same coating as the bone-in chicken on a cut that is easier to eat.
The choice between sizes is mostly about value, and the pricing is not as linear as it looks. The 20-piece works out at $2.39 per tender while the 3-piece costs $3.00. But the step up from five to eight pieces actually costs you slightly more per tender, not less.
Below is every size with current pricing, plus where the real value sits.
Browse All Tender Sizes
All Popeyes Tender Sizes
|
Size |
À la Carte |
Combo |
Platter / Family Meal |
|---|---|---|---|
|
3Pc Tenders |
$8.99 · 350 Cal |
$12.99 · 680 – 1,600 Cal |
$14.99 · 790 – 2,480 Cal |
|
5Pc Tenders |
$13.49 · 570 Cal |
$16.49 · 900 – 1,820 Cal |
$18.49 · 1,010 – 2,700 Cal |
|
8Pc Tenders |
$21.79 · 910 Cal |
— |
— |
|
12Pc Tenders |
$30.99 · 1,370 Cal |
— |
$41.29 · 2,560 – 3,600 Cal |
|
16Pc Tenders |
$39.29 · 1,830 Cal |
— |
$56.49 · 3,770 – 5,850 Cal |
|
20Pc Tenders |
$47.79 · 2,290 Cal |
— |
$65.29 · 4,980 – 8,100 Cal |
Combos are available on the 3-piece and 5-piece only. From 12 pieces upward the equivalent is a Family Meal, which includes multiple sides and biscuits.
Price Per Tender
|
Size |
Price |
Per Tender |
|---|---|---|
|
3Pc Tenders |
$8.99 |
$3.00 |
|
5Pc Tenders |
$13.49 |
$2.70 |
|
8Pc Tenders |
$21.79 |
$2.72 |
|
12Pc Tenders |
$30.99 |
$2.58 |
|
16Pc Tenders |
$39.29 |
$2.46 |
|
20Pc Tenders |
$47.79 |
$2.39 |
The 3-piece is the worst value on the menu. At $3.00 per tender it costs 25 percent more per piece than the 20-piece. You are paying for the small portion, not getting a discount for it.
The 8-piece is not a step up in value. At $2.72 per tender it is marginally worse than the 5-piece at $2.70. If you were planning to size up from five to eight for better value, you will not get it. The next real saving is at twelve pieces.
The savings are real but modest overall. Going from the 3-piece to the 20-piece saves 61 cents per tender, roughly 20 percent, which only matters if you can actually use twenty.
How Many Tenders Do You Need?
|
Order |
Feeds |
Best for |
|---|---|---|
|
3Pc Tenders |
1 person, light |
Snack or small meal |
|
5Pc Tenders |
1 person |
Standard single meal |
|
8Pc Tenders |
2 person |
Sharing, no sides included |
|
12Pc Tenders |
3 to 4 people |
Small family dinner |
|
16Pc Tenders |
4 to 5 people |
Family or gathering |
|
20Pc Tenders |
5 to 6 people |
Party or large group |
Calories and Nutrition
Tender calories scale almost perfectly with piece count, at around 114 calories per tender at every size.
|
Size |
Calories |
Per Tender |
|---|---|---|
|
3Pc Tenders |
350 |
117 |
|
5Pc Tenders |
570 |
114 |
|
8Pc Tenders |
910 |
114 |
|
12Pc Tenders |
1,370 |
114 |
|
16Pc Tenders |
1,830 |
114 |
|
20Pc Tenders |
2,290 |
115 |
Protein. At 31 grams of protein for 350 calories, the 3-piece tenders deliver roughly 8.9 grams of protein per 100 calories. That is the strongest protein-to-calorie ratio of any boneless item on the Popeyes menu, better than any sandwich, wrap or nugget order.
Sodium. The same serving contains 1,780 mg of sodium. Health Canada’s adequate intake for sodium is 1,500 mg per day, so a single 3-piece tenders exceeds a full day’s worth before you add a side. Cajun fries add another 580 mg, and a biscuit adds 450 mg.
Both figures deserve attention if you are tracking either. Full menu breakdown on our nutrition and calories page.
What Comes With a Combo
Combos on the 3-piece and 5-piece include one side and one drink. The Platter upgrades to two sides and a large drink.
Sides you can choose: Cajun Fries, Onion Rings, Coleslaw, Mashed Potatoes with Cajun Gravy, Macaroni and Cheese, Cajun Gravy, Cajun Poutine
Drinks you can choose: Coca-Cola, Fuze Iced Tea, Minute Maid Orange Juice, Minute Maid Lemonade, Minute Maid Apple Juice, Dasani, Smart Water, Monster Energy
The combo range spans over 900 calories because of these choices. A 3-piece combo with mashed potatoes and water sits near 680. The same combo with large Cajun fries and a regular soft drink approaches 1,600.
Tenders combos also include a biscuit, which is why they run about 220 calories higher than a sandwich combo at the same size.
Tenders vs Nuggets vs Boneless Wings
All three are boneless white-meat chicken, and the menu does not make the differences obvious.
|
Size |
Tenders |
Nuggets |
Boneless Wings |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Cut |
Whole strips |
Bite-sized pieces |
Bite-sized pieces |
|
Coating |
Louisiana breading |
Louisiana breading |
Breading plus a sauce coating |
|
Calories per piece |
about 114 |
about 65 |
Varies by sauce |
|
Protein per 100 cal |
8.9 g |
5.6 g |
Varies |
|
Cheapest per piece |
$2.39 |
$0.78 |
Varies |
|
Best for |
A filling meal, protein |
Snacking, kids, sharing |
Flavour variety |
Tenders are the largest pieces and the most filling per item, with the best protein-to-calorie ratio of the three.
Nuggets are the cheapest way to get boneless chicken and the easiest to share, though they carry more breading per gram of chicken.
Boneless wings are essentially nuggets with a sauce coating, which is why their calorie counts vary so widely by flavour.
If protein is what you are after, tenders win. If you want different flavours in one order, boneless wings do
Feeding a group? Compare against bone-in family meals.