8 Tyson Frozen Chicken Items Ranked Worst To Best

Whether it's a weeknight mealtime shortcut, or party pleaser for game day, frozen chicken products can be a lifesaver in the kitchen. And since Tyson Foods has been bringing chicken to the masses since the 1930's, it's likely the brand knows how to do it. Having said that, I didn't want to assume all Tyson products are great because, well, you know what happens when you assume. So, I grabbed some Tyson frozen chicken and put it to the test. I was amazed by what I found. 

As a food writer, I'm no stranger to the frozen foods section of most supermarkets and big box stores. Nevertheless, I was still floored by the volume of frozen Tyson chicken products at my local haunts. In fact, Tyson had its own dedicated freezer section at most locations. That's some prime real estate, and a mind-numbing quantity of products.

For this ranking, I chose a variety of popular frozen chicken products and ranked them from worst to best. I selected chicken that was battered and fried, roasted, and grilled. Once reheated as directed, I judged each product based on taste, texture, and quality of the chicken. Let's be honest, they were all quite delicious. I mean it's Tyson after all. But some chicken products were standouts in every category — taste, texture, and chicken characteristics. The winners in this ranking are those I'll be buying again, whether it's a Tuesday time-saver, or gathering of friends.

Truth be told, I expected Tyson's oven roasted diced chicken breast to land much higher up in my ranking. I adore roasted chicken, especially the white meat, so I was excited to give Tyson's a go. I'll start with what was disappointing and move on to what I liked. First, I wouldn't call this "diced" chicken because some pieces were large and some miniscule. I suggest Tyson calls this chicken "cut up", so you know what to expect. Either way, the product still saves time since you don't have to roast and carve a chicken yourself. Next, I reheated the chicken using one of the suggested methods, in the microwave, and it leached a ton of moisture. What was left was chicken that was chewy and rubbery, in a pool of water. Next time, I'll reheat the chicken using the stovetop/skillet technique. 

Texture aside, I did enjoy the flavor of this chicken. The meat was savory and flavorful, with a true oven-roasted flavor. The label states that sunflower oil is used to create a grill flavor, but I detected roasted, not grilled nuances. I will consider using this chicken a variety of chicken and pasta dishes, even if I have to cut the pieces into more uniform sizes. This ranked last because the texture wasn't great, and, for me, all the other products were better. 

The aroma coming from my oven as the Tyson chicken patties were reheating was divine. And I loved that I could arrange the entire bag of patties on one baking sheet and have nine hot patties on the table in just 16 minutes. If I used my air fryer, it would have been nine. The scents from the oven were the precursor to great flavor. The coating on this chicken is spiked with brown sugar, onion, and garlic, so it's savory, sweet, and aromatic. I also thought there was an appropriate amount of coating — the ratio of chicken to breading was ideal. 

So why did this product rank second to last? Because I wasn't a fan of the chicken portion. The label asserts that the chicken is minimally processed white meat (with no added hormones or steroids — like all the other products). Yet, it seemed heavily processed to me. The patties were more reminiscent of finely ground chicken, not breast and rib meat. I realize you need to grind chicken to form a patty, but this chicken was more paste-like than finely ground. I would certainly consider using these patties to make sandwiches for a crowd, but I won't be buying them on the regular. This product ranked higher than the roasted chicken because the coating was tasty, but the texture kept it from moving up any higher. 

If you're a fan of chicken nuggets, Tyson's version is likely for you. And if you're buying the bite-size breaded chicken for your kiddos, you'll be happy with the ingredient list since the nuggets contain 100% all natural white meat chicken that's raised without added hormones or steroids. Plus, Tyson stopped using high fructose corn syrup in many products (including these nuggets), and has already removed additives and dyes from its products. Tyson calls these "nugget shaped chicken patties", but I liked them more than the actual chicken patties in this ranking. The breading was incredibly flavorful, boasting hints of garlic, onion, and brown sugar. The ingredient label also lists "spices", but since the blend is proprietary, I can't say what they were. I just know they were yummy. 

I liked the texture of these chicken nuggets too. The meat resembled actual chicken, not the pureed, paste-like concoction you find in many commercially-made chicken nuggets. 

I ranked these chicken nuggets sixth because I preferred them over the roasted chicken and patties, but they didn't rank higher because I enjoyed the other items a lot more.

Tyson's Buffalo style hot wings are part of the Any'tizers line of products. Appetizers any time sounds good to me. These wings had a vibrant orange-red hue and, once reheated, the skin caramelized and browned in delectable spots. I thoroughly enjoyed the Buffalo sauce on these wings — it was fiery hot and decidedly vinegary, the way chicken wing sauce should be. I liked the way the heat lingered on my palate; there was enough spice to excite my taste buds, but not enough to make me sweat or cause heart palpitations (which I prefer). The wings were saucy and finger lickin' good, but not annoyingly messy. 

In terms of texture, the meat was rich and moist, and there was plenty of it. There was nothing paltry about these wings, and I thought there was an ideal ratio of meat to skin. Plus, there were plenty of drumsticks, which are my favorite.

The only reason these hot wings didn't rank higher is because I prefer crispier skin on my wings. The skin on these wings was more chewy than crisp, but the flavor sort of made up for that. The good news is, you can easily crisp-up the skin by popping the wings under the broiler for a minute or so. 

Tyson Buffalo style hot wings make an excellent option for parties, especially because they're ready in minutes (whether you use the oven or air fryer), and you won't mess up your kitchen by deep frying.

Tyson popcorn chicken delivers perfectly sized, breaded chicken balls that you can toss into your mouth like popcorn. I'll be honest, as this popcorn chicken was heating in the oven, the aroma knocked my socks off. I detected aromatic herbs and spices, and plenty of nutty black pepper. The ingredient list revealed a similar lineup to the Tyson patties and nuggets, but there was something different about the breading on the popcorn chicken. I detected garlic and paprika, as well as an array of spices that added depth and complexity. But what I cherished most was the definitive flavor of black pepper — it was sharp, pungent, and added flair to the breading. I found it truly mouthwatering. 

The texture of this chicken was similar to the patties, which means a bit more processed than I prefer. As mentioned, I understand that if you want to shape chicken meat into patties, or in this case balls, you need to grind it up a bit. So the texture didn't bother me too much, especially because the coating made up for any textural imperfections. That's why this chicken product ranked higher than the previous frozen varieties. If you're a fan of popcorn chicken, you will adore these bite-size treats. 

Tyson's grilled chicken breast strips made it to the top three with ease. The boneless chicken breast with rib meat was delightfully moist and packed with great flavor. Like I just pulled the bird off the grill myself — which surprised me considering the meat was frozen and reheated. The chicken is seasoned with garlic, onion, and spices, which I appreciated, but what I really loved was the smoky essence. The ingredient list explains that the smoke flavor comes from natural hardwood smoked sugar and natural smoke flavor. All I know is, this tastes like chicken that got its smoke flavor from the grill. I also liked the hint of sugar that caramelized on the grill marks. 

When it came to texture, I was thrilled that nothing was lost in the reheating process (which wasn't the case with the diced roasted chicken). I used the microwave to defrost the chicken and it came out savory and moist, not dry or rubbery. You can also reheat the chicken in a skillet if that's your preference. 

I plan to use this grilled chicken to add protein to pastas, rice dishes, and salads, like the classic cobb salad and grilled chicken Caesar salad. This product didn't rank in the top two because those products wowed me more. But I will be stocking my freezer with the grilled chicken strips so I always have them handy.

When I ripped open the bag of Tyson crispy chicken breast strips I was shocked by how big the pieces were. I mean, there were some gigantic strips of real chicken in a thick, crunchy coating. In fact, I might refer to the rib meat as "strips", but some of the chicken breast pieces were enormous. In terms of taste, the crunchy coating on this chicken was delectable. I could taste the onion, garlic, and paprika, but the breading wasn't excessively spiced. There's also cocoa powder in the coating which not only produces a deep brown color, but it also adds an earthy, developed flavor.

The texture of this chicken was rock solid as well. Once reheated (I used the oven but you can use your air fryer), the coating was unequivocally crunchy, and there was plenty of it to love. The chicken itself was moist, tender, and entirely savory. And, to be clear, it was literal chicken, not ground meat. I'll be purchasing this chicken regularly, especially because I envision nestling a few pieces on a potato roll for the ultimate fried chicken sandwich.

It was tough to give this product the silver medal because it was an absolute joy to eat; I just happened to like one particular chicken product more. 

I'm pleased to present the winner — Tyson honey chicken bites. I have a lot of adoration for this product. First, the crunchy coating is infused with honey, garlic, and onion, so it delivers the perfect balance of savory and sweet. There's also some cocoa powder in the batter, so it's rich in color and deep in flavor. There's a savory earthiness to it. I also enjoyed the amount of coating — just the right amount for the bite-size chicken pieces. And although they're called bites, these are hearty, meaty, two-bite pieces of chicken. And speaking of the meat, there's real chicken inside that incredible coating. In fact, in my opinion, these bites were the most chicken-y of all the products in this ranking. The meat was juicy chicken breast and rib meat, and cooked to perfection, not dry or tough. 

I might be the new president of the honey chicken bites fan club, if one exists. There's no doubt I'll be snapping them up when parties are on my horizon. If you're craving a real chicken treat — one that marries savory and sweet, and delivers juicy chicken in a crunchy shell, this product is for you. Pick up a bag (or two) and you won't be disappointed. 

For this ranking, I purchased eight different frozen Tyson chicken products. I chose breaded and fried chicken as well as roasted and grilled. I reheated all products according to the package directions. For the grilled and roasted chicken, I used the microwave and for the breaded items, I used a preheated oven. The breaded products can be reheated in an air fryer, and the roasted and grilled in a skillet, but I chose the microwave and oven for consistency. I also chose the oven because I figured most folks will want to reheat more chicken than will fit in their air fryers. 

When ranking, I judged each product based on flavor, texture, and quality of the chicken. If the breading was flavorful and crisp, I ranked it higher. If the chicken was reminiscent of actual chicken and not a pureed paste, I moved the product up in the ranking. The winners were those that delivered whole pieces of actual chicken. I also considered versatility. If I was compelled to throw the chicken over a salad or into a sandwich, I ranked it higher. And if I thought about buying it again for parties and game day, it won my heart.

There wasn't one bad product in this grouping, so it's clear Tyson knows how to do chicken. You won't be unhappy with any of these choices, but there are a few that reign supreme.