I ordered the same meal at 3 fast-food chains in the Midwest, and I preferred the no-frills chicken tenders from Culver's

I consider myself a chicken tender aficionado. As a child growing up in New York, I loved eating chicken tenders or chicken nuggets at America's favorite fast-food chains, like McDonald's and Burger King, and over the years, I learned the perfect chicken tender is crispy, lightly seasoned, and moist.

When I visited Chicago a couple of weeks ago, I decided to try chicken tenders and fries at three fast-food chains I never had access to growing up. I visited Culver's, Raising Cane's, and Steak 'n Shake, all of which have locations in the Midwest.

The first Culver's opened in Sauk City, Wisconsin, and it quickly became famous for its hamburgers — known as ButterBurgers — and custard. Today, Culver's is located in over 20 states, including Florida, Georgia, and Arizona, but most of the franchisees are located in the Midwest.

The restaurant had wood-paneled walls, exposed brick, rugs, and the Food Network playing on a TV in the corner.

I ordered the famous ButterBurger, chicken tenders, fries, and frozen custard. The four tenders and fries cost $8.

The chicken tenders were simple, but they had crunchy breading on the outside and a juicy, meaty inside. Although they weren't as thick as other fast-food chicken tenders, they were as delicious as McDonald's chicken tenders.

I'm not usually a big fan of crinkle fries, but I enjoyed these. I also dipped the fries in some barbecue sauce, which made them even better.

Steak 'n Shake was founded in Illinois and became known for its milkshakes. Now the company has locations throughout the Midwest and the rest of the country, except New York.

During my stay in Chicago, I ordered Steak 'n Shake to my hotel room. Although I didn't get a chance to visit the physical restaurant, I did eat in a Steak 'n Shake in Florida many years ago. The interiors are always decorated like an old-school diner, which I love.

I was excited to dig into my chicken tenders and fries, which cost me $12.

I was disappointed to see that these chicken fingers and fries didn't come with any sauce even though I ordered honey mustard.

Melvin Buckley, the owner of the Steak 'n Shake, said his business has been having employee issues since the start of the pandemic and that may have been the cause of the missing sauce.

As someone who loves a crispy chicken tender, this one was difficult for me to judge. It had a great crunch to it that other tenders don't. However, I noticed there wasn't a lot of meat in it because it was mainly breading.

Buckley, however, believes their food is among the best.

"Steak 'n Shake is a force to be reckoned with," Buckley said. "When someone tries our food, they won't go anywhere else."

These fries most resembled McDonald's french fries, which are my usual favorite. The Steak 'n Shake fries were perfectly fried, seasoned, and crunchy. Plus, they weren't crinkled!

Raising Cane's is not technically a Midwestern chain — it was founded in Louisiana — but the company has several locations throughout the Midwest. Unfortunately, it hasn't reached New York yet.

I've heard a lot about Raising Cane's famous chicken tenders, so I was excited to get my greasy hands on them.

This Raising Cane's had three disco balls hanging from the ceiling and bright artwork.

When I opened the box, I was surprised to find so much food for the price. There were four chicken tenders, a mound of fries, a piece of Texas toast, coleslaw, and sauce.

For me, the breading is one of the most important components of a chicken tender. The fact that the breading did stay on the chicken suggested to me it was not crispy and, in fact, quite soggy. The chicken itself tasted very fresh and delicious, but it didn't make up for the lack of crunch.

Additionally, they served crinkle fries like Culver's, and these were way too salty for me.

In my opinion, Raising Cane's sauce puts Chick-fil-A's sauce to shame.

The Texas toast was made with sesame bread, butter, and garlic. I tasted every single one of these ingredients, and they all complemented each other well. The toast was also crispy yet soft — the perfect texture for a piece of toast.

I thought Steak 'n Shake's chicken tender meal lacked meat, and I was disappointed it didn't come with any sauces, while Raising Cane's delicious toast and sauce didn't make up for the soggy chicken or salty fries.

Meanwhile, Culver's no-frills chicken tenders stood out for being both crispy and juicy. The fries were also well seasoned and a great complement to the chicken.

Although all three of the Midwestern fast-food chains had something to rave about, Culver's came out on top for me.