The U.S. Is Now Facing a Chicken Tender Shortage

Say it ain’t so!

Shoppers have seen items from ketchup to boba disappear from shelves across the country as pandemic-caused supply chain issues make food shortages become almost commonplace.

The newest item in short supply has been the saving grace for parents of picky eaters at mealtimes for decades—the chicken tender.

Due to supply chain issues in the past year, the price of tenders along with many other meats, like bacon, has gone up. According to Today, the price of chicken fingers has risen nearly a dollar a pound. The news website also writes that because tenders require more processing and more packaging than chicken nuggets, for example, they’re not only going to be more expensive but harder to find. Fast food chains like KFC and A&W have even stopped promoting chicken tenders to avoid a total shortage at their restaurants, per Today.

The news has already earned the dread of one parent who told Today that if chicken tenders are not on the table, their kids aren’t happy. “The shelves have been empty recently, restaurants have been out of chicken tenders, and that makes it very difficult when you have kids that have limited options.”

Although grocery store shelves may be looking sparse in the chicken tender department, restaurants have yet to totally pull chicken tenders from their menus. Either way, it may be time to pick up a new pandemic-era cooking hobby. Instead of bread baking, learning how to make chicken tenders the good ol' fashioned way may be the next cooking trend.

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Janae Price is a News Staff Writer at Thrillist. She's a native New Yorker and loves all things cheese, K-pop, and culture. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @janae_larie.