I tried chicken fingers from Chick-fil-A, Zaxby's, and Raising Cane's, and a beloved chain let me down

• I tried chicken fingers from Southern-based chains Raising Cane's, Zaxby's, and Chick-fil-A.
• Though I usually like the chain's food, I found Chick-fil-A's chicken fingers underwhelming.
• Zaxby's perfectly crispy chicken fingers and flavorful sauce were my favorite.

Chicken fingers might seem like kid's food, but I think they make the perfect lunch or afternoon snack. They're fun to enjoy by themselves or dip into flavorful sauces if you have time to take a proper meal break.

In an attempt to find the best fast-food chicken fingers in San Antonio, Texas, I compared meals from three Southern-based chains: Zaxby's, Chick-fil-A, and Raising Cane's.

In addition to comparing the chicken strips, I tried each restaurant's signature sauce to see which chain packed the most flavor into this classic finger food.

I started off with Zaxby's chicken strips

I started with Zaxby's, a Georgia-based fast-casual restaurant known for its chicken and sandwiches.

Though the restaurant has over 900 locations in the US, Zaxby's is mainly spread across the Southeast.

I ordered the chain's five-piece chicken "fingerz" which cost $4.99 plus tax. The meal also came with crinkle-cut fries, toast, and one container of the chain's signature condiment, Zax sauce.

Zaxby's chicken was everything I wanted

Zaxby's chicken fingers were crispy and flavorful on the outside and tender on the inside.

The batter had a strong flavor and the meat itself was plump and generally seemed high quality.

The Zax sauce was tangy and smoky

The Zax sauce that came with my meal was perfection — it was tangy, smoky, creamy, and flavorful without being overpowering.

My meal came with one pack of sauce, and, if I wanted more, it would've been $0.39 extra per cup.

Some copycat Zax sauce recipes call for a combination of ketchup, mayo, garlic powder, pepper, and Worcestershire, which sounds about right. The Worcestershire sauce is probably what accounts for that tangy, zippy finish.

Whatever is in it, I'm all about it. I even dipped my fries in the Zax sauce.

Chick-fil-A's fingers were up next

Next, I tried a Georgia-based chain I already visit quite frequently, Chick-fil-A.

Known for its chicken sandwiches, Chick-fil-A is the most widespread out of all of the chains I tried, with over 2,800 locations across 49 states.

I ordered a four-piece portion of Chick-fil-A's "chick-n-strips" with waffle fries and a drink for $7.35. I ordered my lunch at the drive-through and then ate it at home.

Chick-fil-A's original chicken sandwich, with a delicious spice blend and its buttery bun, has always been a weakness of mine. Since I almost always have a positive experience with the chain's food, my expectations were high.

My Chick-fil-A meal wasn't as great as I expected

My chicken strips were soft and almost soggy. The breading, though flavorful, lacked the crunch I think is essential to fried chicken.

I thought my food was only so-so and don't think I got enough fries. I wouldn't say it was bad, but it just wasn't as good as what I've come to expect from Chick-fil-A. Maybe the location was just having an off day.

Overall, I think it's fair to call the fingers just OK.

Chick-fil-A's sauce was my favorite part of the meal

The best part about my meal was the Chick-fil-A sauce, which, according to the chain, is a mixture of barbeque sauce, ranch, and honey mustard.

It had just the right balance of a sweet and zesty flavor, which I think saved my lunch from being below average.

I also love how generous Chick-fil-A is with its sauce, as my order came with four containers of the dip. I haven't been charged extra when I've asked for additional cups before, though Chick-fil-A also sells an 8-ounce bottle of its signature sauce for $2.50.

Finally, I tried Raising Cane's fingers

Lastly, I tried Raising Cane's, which I'd never been to despite a location being 3 miles from my house.

The Louisiana-based fast-food chain is known for its chicken fingers and has over 600 locations across the US.

I ordered the box combo, which comes with four chicken fingers, fries, coleslaw, Texas toast, one thing of Cane's sauce, and a drink for $8.69. Since I don't like coleslaw, I asked for extra fries instead.

My daughter, who lives in Florida, also asked me to pick up some Cane's sauce for her, which gave me very high hopes for my meal here. Sauce so special that it has to travel across state lines seemed to speak volumes.

Raising Cane's chicken fingers were OK, but I wanted more flavor

I wasn't that disappointed in Raising Cane's chicken fingers, but I wish they had more flavor.

They seemed fresh and hit the spot, but they didn't have a standout taste. The breading itself was crispy, but I thought it lacked flavor as well.

There was nothing overly negative about my meal, I just didn't think it was anything more than standard fast-food chicken strips with some flavorful sauce.

Cane's sauce didn't live up to my expectations

The box combo comes with one container of Cane's sauce, which costs $0.39 per additional cup.

According to Raising Cane's website, the sauce is created with a proprietary blend of spices made fresh in the restaurant daily. To me, it tasted quite like Zax sauce but slightly more peppery, so I wouldn't be surprised if they use similar spices.

The sauce kept the meal from being bland, but it didn't live up to my expectations.

Zaxby's was my favorite of the 3

Any of the three Southern chains' chicken fingers would check the box for a comforting and quick meal.

But I thought Chick-fil-A's and Raising Cane's sauces, rather than the chicken, were what saved the meal from being so-so. I'm going to give Chick-fil-A the benefit of the doubt and call it an off day since my experience with its food is usually more positive.

Zaxby's gets the highest marks from me because of the flavor of its actual chicken.

I'm absolutely a sauce girl, but it stood on its own. Zaxby's breading was also more flavorful than the other chicken fingers I sampled.