Cane’s chicken is a popular fast food chain known for its hand battered chicken fingers. Many customers wonder if Cane’s chicken is deep fried or prepared another way. This article will examine how Cane’s fries their chicken, look at the nutritional information, and compare it to other fast food chains.
Is Cane’s Chicken Deep Fried?
Yes, Cane’s chicken is deep fried. According to the Cane’s website, their chicken fingers go through a 7-step process to get from raw chicken to your plate. After the chicken is cut into strips, it is hand battered in Cane’s signature batter. Then, the battered chicken is dropped into a deep fryer filled with oil heated to 350 degrees. The chicken fries for 5 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. This high heat helps seal in the juices and gives the chicken its crispy coating.
Other menu items at Cane’s are also deep fried like their crinkle cut fries, Texas toast, and fried shrimp. Deep frying seems to be the primary cooking method used at Cane’s to achieve the chain’s signature crunch and flavor.
Cane’s Chicken Nutrition Information
Since Cane’s chicken is deep fried, it does come with some nutritional drawbacks. Below is the nutrition information for some popular Cane’s menu items (based on data from their website):
3 Chicken Finger Meal with Fries and Coleslaw
| Calories | 840 |
| Total Fat | 39g |
| Saturated Fat | 7g |
| Trans Fat | 0.5g |
| Cholesterol | 145mg |
| Sodium | 1830mg |
| Carbohydrates | 78g |
| Fiber | 5g |
| Sugar | 5g |
| Protein | 43g |
6 Chicken Fingers
| Calories | 760 |
| Total Fat | 35g |
| Saturated Fat | 6g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Cholesterol | 130mg |
| Sodium | 1160mg |
| Carbohydrates | 56g |
| Fiber | 2g |
| Sugar | 0g |
| Protein | 39g |
As you can see, Cane’s chicken is high in calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium compared to non-fried chicken options. The coating and oil add extra calories and fat. The sodium comes from the batter, spices, and potential brine solution injected into the raw chicken.
Still, Cane’s does use trans fat free oils for frying their chicken. They also offer some lower calorie sides like coleslaw and Texas toast that provide fiber. Overall, while not the healthiest, Cane’s chicken does seem to be lower in trans fats than some other fast food chains.
How Cane’s Nutrition Compares to Other Chains
To better evaluate the nutrition of Cane’s chicken, let’s compare it to a few other popular fast food chains:
McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets
A 6 piece serving of McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets has:
| Calories | 280 |
| Total Fat | 16g |
| Saturated Fat | 3g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Cholesterol | 40mg |
| Sodium | 500mg |
| Carbohydrates | 15g |
| Fiber | 1g |
| Sugar | 0g |
| Protein | 13g |
McDonald’s nuggets are lower in calories, fat, and sodium compared to Cane’s chicken fingers. McDonald’s no longer uses trans fats for frying either. The lower fat and calories are likely because McDonald’s nuggets contain leaner white chicken meat while Cane’s fingers use fattier breast and tenderloin meat.
Chick-fil-A Chicken Strips
A 3 piece serving of Chick-fil-A chicken strips with a dipping sauce has:
| Calories | 450 |
| Total Fat | 20g |
| Saturated Fat | 3.5g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Cholesterol | 100mg |
| Sodium | 880mg |
| Carbohydrates | 27g |
| Fiber | 2g |
| Sugar | 0g |
| Protein | 28g |
Chick-fil-A strips are also lower in fat, saturated fat, and sodium compared to Cane’s chicken fingers. Chick-fil-A cooks their chicken in 100% refined peanut oil instead of palm, soybean, or canola like many chains. They also pressure fry their chicken for a different texture.
KFC Extra Crispy Chicken Strips
A 4 piece order of KFC extra crispy chicken strips has:
| Calories | 470 |
| Total Fat | 24g |
| Saturated Fat | 4.5g |
| Trans Fat | 0.5g |
| Cholesterol | 80mg |
| Sodium | 980mg |
| Carbohydrates | 30g |
| Fiber | 2g |
| Sugar | 0g |
| Protein | 28g |
The KFC strips contain slightly more trans fat than Cane’s, but less saturated fat. The calories, total fat, and sodium are also lower compared to Cane’s based on a similar serving size. KFC fries their chicken in palm oil or soybean oil depending on location.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Cane’s chicken is deep fried to give it the chain’s signature crunchy batter and flavor. While tasty, the deep frying does add significant calories, fat, and sodium compared to grilled or baked chicken options. However, Cane’s nutrition information is fairly standard for fast food style fried chicken. Their preparation methods result in less trans fat than chains like KFC while offering some lower calorie side dishes.
When comparing Cane’s to McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, and KFC, the Cane’s chicken fingers tend to be higher in fat, calories, and sodium. Cane’s uses fattier chicken cuts and only deep fries their menu chicken items. The other chains rely more on grilling, pressure frying, lower fat cuts, or slightly different oil blends.
Overall, while not the healthiest fried chicken choice, Cane’s does offer a delicious deep fried fast food option made with care. Consumers looking for lower calorie and sodium chicken meals may prefer grilled options or lighter menu items from places like Chick-fil-A or McDonald’s. But for deep fried chicken finger lovers, Cane’s remains a go-to guilty pleasure.