Cane’s Chicken Fingers is a fast food restaurant chain that specializes in chicken fingers and sandwiches. Their menu is simple, focusing on quality chicken with few extras or sides. A common question for those looking for healthier options at Cane’s is whether they offer grilled or unbreaded chicken options. In this article, we’ll take a close look at Cane’s menu and ingredients to find out if you can get unbreaded chicken there.
About Cane’s Chicken Fingers
Cane’s was founded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1982 by Todd Graves. The restaurant chain is named after Graves’ yellow labrador retriever, Raising Cane. Cane’s specializes in chicken fingers, which they claim are made from premium chicken tenderloins battered and breaded daily. The signature Cane’s sauce is also a popular menu item.
Today, Cane’s has over 600 locations across the United States. They have a very limited menu, focusing on quality over quantity. The main offerings are chicken fingers, chicken sandwiches, Texas toast, crinkle-cut fries, coleslaw, and the Cane’s sauce. There are no hamburgers, wraps, or salads on the menu.
Breading at Cane’s Chicken Fingers
The signature item at Cane’s is the chicken fingers. According to their website, each chicken finger consists of a premium chicken tenderloin covered in a light, crispy breading. The chicken is always hand-battered and breaded throughout the day to ensure freshness.
The chicken breading contains the following ingredients:
| Enriched bleached wheat flour |
| Water |
| Yellow corn flour |
| Salt |
| Leavening |
| Spices |
| Garlic powder |
| Onion powder |
| Extractives of paprika |
As you can see, the breading contains mostly typical batter ingredients like flour, cornmeal, spices, and leavening agents. There is no option to get Cane’s chicken without this signature breading.
No Grilled Chicken Options
When reviewing the Cane’s menu, there are no grilled chicken entrees or sandwiches available. The only chicken offerings are the breaded chicken fingers, breaded chicken sandwiches, and breaded chicken wraps. Everything contains Cane’s signature crispy batter.
There are also no salads on the menu that would traditionally offer grilled chicken as a protein option. The menu is purposefully very simple, with no salad, veggies, or health-focused choices beyond the crinkle-cut fries and coleslaw.
Customization and Allergies
Since there are no unbreaded chicken options on the regular Cane’s menu, could you customize an order to get grilled chicken? Unfortunately, the answer is no.
Cane’s employees have confirmed that substitutions or custom orders like unbreaded chicken are not possible. The kitchen is set up to only cook the breaded chicken fingers and sandwiches. Special orders would disrupt their quick cooking process.
For customers with gluten allergies or celiac disease, the breaded chicken is also off limits. The flour in the breading contains gluten. Cane’s sensitively handles allergens and does have gluten-free toast available. But there is no gluten-free chicken breading option.
Nutrition Information
How does the nutrition stack up on Cane’s breaded chicken versus unbreaded grilled chicken you might get elsewhere? Here’s a comparison:
| Chicken Type | Calories | Fat | Carbs | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cane’s Chicken Finger | 230 | 12g | 12g | 16g |
| Grilled Chicken Breast (no breading) | 165 | 3g | 0g | 31g |
The Cane’s breaded chicken contains more calories, fat, and carbs compared to an unbreaded grilled chicken breast. The grilled chicken has much higher protein. So from a health perspective, grilled chicken would be the better choice. But Cane’s is all about the crunch and flavor of their signature breaded fingers.
Keto and Low Carb at Cane’s
The high carb count in the Cane’s breading also makes it a poor choice for low carb and keto diets. While the chicken itself is keto-friendly, that crispy coating adds 12g net carbs to each finger. Eating keto requires keeping net carbs below 20-50g per day, so just one or two fingers would use up your daily limit.
To stay low carb at Cane’s, your best options are:
- 3 Piece Chicken Finger meal with coleslaw as the side (say no toast to avoid those carbs)
- Box Combo with Texas toast swapped for extra crinkle-cut fries
- Chicken sandwich hold the bun
You won’t get the same crunch, but removing the breading is the only way to reduce carbs at Cane’s.
Making Unbreaded Chicken Fingers at Home
Since you can’t order unbreaded grilled chicken at Cane’s, one way to get a similar flavor is to make it yourself at home. Here is a simple recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken tenderloins
- 1⁄2 cup buttermilk
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 1⁄4 tsp garlic powder
- 1⁄4 tsp paprika
- 1⁄4 tsp salt
- 1⁄4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Trim any excess fat or tendons off the tenderloins.
- In a bowl, mix together buttermilk, hot sauce, and spices.
- Add chicken and turn to coat in buttermilk mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 30 mins – 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
- Remove chicken from buttermilk and place on prepared baking sheet. Discard marinade.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until cooked through and lightly charred.
- Optional – brush with melted butter and broil 2-3 minutes for crispier texture.
- Serve with desired sauces and enjoy!
The buttermilk gives these homestyle tenders a tangy flavor and tender juiciness just like Cane’s. Feel free to tweak the spices to match your tastes. And dip them in Cane’s sauce ordered on the side if you really want to replicate the restaurant experience.
Conclusion
Cane’s has build a massively successful brand around their signature hand-battered chicken fingers. Their simple menu means no grilled chicken options or other low carb choices are available. The breading contains gluten and added carbs that make it less ideal for some dietary needs. While not the healthiest choice, Cane’s stands by their principle of quality over quantity when it comes to their crispy breaded fingers. Fans will just have to get their unbreaded chicken fix elsewhere or try making it themselves at home.