The Discontinued Burger King Menu Item That Redditors Still Yearn For

One of the best and worst things about fast food restaurants is how often the menu can change. While some tried-and-true greats stay with a chain from the start (like Arby's original roast beef sandwich or Five Guys' peanut oil fries), others can be discontinued almost without warning, never to return. Once these items are gone, they often fade into the stuff of fast food legend, fondly remembered on nostalgia pages and social media threads but usually not gaining enough traction to make the chain reconsider its decision.

This seems to be the case with Burger King's chicken tenders, which became a popular talking point on a Reddit thread about discontinued fast foods. One commenter complained the "chicken tenders from BK were so good back in the day [but] now they're just generic and boring." Another agreed the tenders were "nice and peppery [and] full of flavor."

Launched in 1985, Burger King chicken tenders went through several major changes before being officially scrapped in 2012 and relaunched as chicken nuggets. Although the exact reason for the tenders' discontinuation wasn't explained by the restaurant, it's possible the recipe was changed to help Burger King compete with McDonald's Chicken McNuggets, which was the original reason Burger King brought its chicken tenders out back in the '80s.

While the tenders are sadly still missing from the Burger King menu, customers can purchase BK chicken fries. Like the tenders, chicken fries are made from white meat coated in crispy breading. According to Reddit, they simply don't compare with the original. As one Redditor writes: "I'll still get chicken fries because it's the closest thing, but it's not the same." The chicken tenders were briefly re-introduced in 2018, but their reappearance was short-lived as part of a limited-time offer.

Interestingly, in 2012 (the same time that BK tenders vanished) the chain also brought in several new menu items as part of a healthy options revamp which included chicken salads, wraps, and chicken strips. Again, this was likely an attempt to compete with McDonald's, which had been gradually releasing its own healthy choices throughout the '00s. However, if the Reddit threads are anything to go by, Burger King's healthy chicken options simply didn't cut it when it came to replacing the beloved chicken tenders. The BK salads were discontinued in 2022, going the same way as the Wendy's salad bar and the McDonald's McPlant burger.