I ordered the same meal at Chick-fil-A, Raising Cane's, and Zaxby's and preferred both of the smaller chains

I ordered a Caniac Combo, which comes with six chicken tenders, fries, two Cane's sauces, Texas Toast, coleslaw, and a large drink. I decided to swap out the coleslaw for a side of honey mustard. The chain is limited when it comes to sauces, but you can ask for honey mustard on the side if you wish.

My meal came to $14.27, including tax.

The box of food was stuffed to the brim with the crispy chicken tenders, fries, and sauces.

The chain is famous for its sauce, and after biting in, I could definitely see why. It had a slight kick to it, was super creamy, and surprisingly tangy. It paired perfectly with the chicken and was unlike any other sauce I've ever tried.

For me, the crinkle-cut fries were just OK, but I didn't mind them. They were soft and fluffy, and there was a generous serving.

I didn't feel like it was totally necessary, but I did enjoy it. As a new visitor to Raising Cane's, I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to eat it with the chicken fingers like an open-faced sandwich, dip it in the sauce, or just eat it on its own.

Regardless, I thought it was perfectly fluffy and had a nice crisp on the outside of the bread.

It was perfectly sweet and sour.

Chick-fil-A doesn't sell a six-piece chicken tenders meal so I ordered a four-piece tenders meal instead. I could have ordered two three-piece chicken tenders, but that would have made for a pricier meal.

I ordered the chicken tenders meal with a large lemonade and a medium fry at my local Chick-fil-A in New York City. I also was able to add two Chick-fil-A sauces and two honey-mustard sauces to my order. It came to $14.14 including tax, making it just slightly less expensive than the Raising Cane's meal. However, I did get less food.

A four-piece chicken tender box costs $7.65 when not included in a meal deal.

Chick-fil-A sauce is undeniably delicious, in my opinion. I even have a bottle of it in my fridge at all times. While I loved the sauce and thought it paired well with the crispy tenders, I still thought the tenders could have been a little juicier.

Whereas the Raising Cane's tenders were thick and super juicy, the ones from Chick-fil-A had more of a crunch and were flatter in shape. It's all up to personal preference, but I preferred the tenders from Raising Cane's.

They were perfectly salted and fluffy.

I'm a big fan of the waffle fry shape. I find it helps to scoop up the sauce.

I know many people love the signature lemonade from Chick-fil-A, but it was a little too pulpy for my taste. I also thought it could have been a touch sweeter.

A five-piece chicken tenders combo came with fries, a small drink, coleslaw, and a piece of Texas toast. I also asked for a side of honey mustard and Zaxby's famous Zax sauce. My meal cost $9.89, excluding taxes and fees. It was the cheapest meal that I tried.

It was perfectly crisp and had a lot of flavor.

It tasted mostly of vinegar and had a tart, refreshing taste. I actually thought it was really similar in flavor to coleslaw I've gotten from Popeyes in the past.

The breading was perfectly crispy and super flavorful, with a slight sweetness.

Zax sauce tastes similar to Cane's sauce, but I found it to be just ever-so-slightly less flavorful, and creamy. I also thought that it didn't have the same kick.

They were a good size, extremely flavorful, and addictingly delicious. I found myself craving even more than the five chicken tenders I was given, which is rare for me.

It was just Minute-Maid lemonade from a Coca-Cola Freestyle machine. However, I thought it was subtly sweet, without any added pulp, and paired nicely with my meal.

In the end, it was a really tough call on whether I preferred Zaxby's or Raising Cane's chicken tenders meal. For me, Chick-fil-A's didn't even come close. I preferred liked the addition of coleslaw in the Zaxby's meal. With Zaxby's, I could order honey mustard on the side without having to give up the coleslaw.

I also preferred Zaxby's toast, which had a more buttery flavor and a more crispy texture. I easily polished off the entire meal and for the lowest price, it simply couldn't be beat.