Everything You Need To Know About Publix's New 'Chickenless' Tenders

Healthy and diet-friendly meal options are not new, but we are certainly appreciative of the plethora of new (and tasty) options available to us each day — especially options that are convenient, whether its at your local grocery store or a popular fast food chain. Burger King's Impossible Whopper, for instance, has garnered quite a bit of buzz and, honestly, it's nice to see big chains taking note of the fact that not everyone wants to eat meat.

Publix is the most recent big-name grocer that has hopped on the plant-based bandwagon — though technically not for the first time. The grocery store chain has actually offered a variety of plant-based groceries for a while (via Publix), but there's one product in particular that it recently added to its vegetarian- and vegan-friendly arsenal that's got customers excited. Food Dive covered the release of Publix's new meatless chicken tenders and here's what they are all about.

The new meatless tenders are crafted by Publix's own GreenWise brand, which takes its product creation seriously. (For those who are not familiar, it's similar to Kroger's Simple Truth brand.) To be labeled under the GreenWise brand, products must meet a rather strict set of requirements, including being: USDA Organic; made with at least 70% organic ingredients; made without certain potentially harmful preservatives, flavors, and colors; raised without antibiotics or added hormones; and made only with added colors from natural sources, to name a few. (Yes, there are more.)

According to Food Dive's review, the tenders are made using pea-based protein, similar to its Meatless Burgers, which were released earlier this year. And the best part? You won't have to look hard for the new chickenless tenders (or the burgers, for that matter); they will be available right alongside traditional chicken tenders and burgers in the frozen foods aisles of your local store.

Aside from the pea-based protein which packs a whopping 11g of protein into the meatless tenders (which also have a taste and texture similar to the meat itself), there is a lack of dairy, soy, and gluten, making them viable options for those with food sensitivities, too (via Supermarket News).

The 11g of protein does not come from the textured pea protein along, though — it results from a combination of that and fava bean protein, too. You will also find a list of several other natural ingredients that make up the tasty, meatless tenders, including canola oil, salt, starch, bamboo fiber, and dried brandy vinegar.

The only thing you might want to watch out for, according to the nutrition facts on Publix's website, is the amount of sodium these puppies pack. In a single serving, which is listed as three tenders, there's 570 mg of sodium (or 25% of your daily intake). That's quite a lot of sodium if you are not carefully watching the levels in everything else you eat in a day!

While there is no confirmed price yet for Publix's GreenWise chickenless tenders, a comparison to a Target product of similar size and quality has us guessing what the eventual cost might be. Target's 9 oz, plant-based "chicken" tenders are priced at $3.29 per package, and with Publix's plant-based tenders coming in an 8 oz package, we are assuming the price will be in the same ballpark (if not a little less).

Of course, any package of frozen chicken tenders that's actually made with chicken will cost dollars less, as we have seen the rise in plant-based product prices over the last several years, especially between 2019 and 2021. Supermarket News reports that plant-based retail jumped 27% over the course of 2020 alone, as more and more consumers seek out healthier, meatless products.

And, though you would think that, despite a higher demand for said products and an increasing availability of them would result in lower price points, that's not exactly the case. There are definitely understandable reasons why meatless and plant-based products burn a bigger hole in your wallet. That said, we will obviously have to pick up a package (or two) of Publix's new chickenless tenders — for research purposes, of course.