Kirkwood Honey Battered Chicken Breast Tenders

EDITOR’S NOTE: We first reviewed these in 2020. We bought them again in 2025 and updated this review. 

Americans love heat-from-frozen entrees, as they’re usually quick and easy. Microwaveable foods are always popular, but ones that are bakeable are also a draw. The downside is that 1) they might not taste as good as made-from-scratch foods and 2) they usually contain more processed ingredients, to say nothing of sodium and fat. Even so, for a busy family in a hurry, the convenience is worth the trade-offs for many people.

Aldi carries a number of heat-from-frozen foods across all three meals of the day, including a wide selection in its everyday Regular Buy section. Among the lot are several varieties of chicken. We recently took one of them out for a spin.

Kirkwood Honey Battered Breast Chicken Tenders, which can be found in the Regular Buy frozen section, come in a resealable plastic bag. In 2025, we paid $5.49 for a 25.5-ounce package. When we first wrote about them in 2020, we paid $4.45.

Some Aldi fans on social media refer to this as the “yellow bag” chicken. (Fans have color-coded names for many of Aldi’s frozen chicken, with the most popular being the “red bag chicken.”)

One bag contains about eight 5-piece, 85-gram servings. One serving has 210 calories, 13 grams of total fat (17% DV), 2.5 grams of saturated fat (13% DV), 360 mg of sodium (16% DV), 12 grams of total carbohydrates (4% DV), no dietary fiber, 3 grams of total sugars, 2 grams of added sugars (4% DV), and 10 grams of protein.

If you’re looking out for allergens, these contain wheat.

The instructions allow for both oven and microwave heating, with the microwave being the faster of the two options.

To bake, you first preheat the oven to 425 degrees. You place the tenders on a single layer on a baking sheet, then cook for 4 minutes, turn, and cook for 4-6 minutes longer until heated through. You then let them sit 1-2 minutes before serving.

To microwave, you cook the tenders in a single-layer circle on a microwave-safe plate. The cook time depends on the number of tenders:

• 3 tenders cook 40-50 seconds
• 6 tenders cook 1 minute to 1 minute 10 seconds
• 9 tenders cook 1 minute 30 seconds to 1 minute 40 seconds
• 12 tenders cook 1 minute 40 seconds to 1 minute 50 seconds

In all cases, you should turn the tenders halfway through cook time, and let them sit 1-2 minutes after cooking time is over.

We’ve previously baked and microwaved these, and they turn out fine. However, we prefer to air fry them. We air fry them at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes, until they’re crispy and hot.

For the most part, our family likes them regardless of how they are cooked. The chicken is tender, and the batter crisps up nicely. Our kids especially like them and found they pair well with honey mustard. I find them to be a little more plain without sauce, so I think these do benefit from dipping them in something.

The Verdict:

If you like honey-battered chicken, the Kirkwood Honey Battered Chicken Breast Tenders, or “yellow bag chicken,” is a solid entry. It’s easy to heat and tastes pretty good, especially paired with honey mustard. We recommend air frying these tenders.