Complete Guide · Cook Out Menu

Cook Out
Chicken Strips

Cook Out chicken strips are made fresh and cooked to order, giving them a crunch that stands out from other fast-food chicken options. Here is what you should know before ordering.

Fresh to Order Under $7 Tray Available as a Side 4 Dipping Sauces Wrap Option
How It's Cooked
Fresh to Order
Every strip made when you place your order — no heat lamp holding
Tray Meal Price
Under $7
Strips + 2 sides + large drink
Also Listed As
A Side Item
Order strips as one of your two tray sides
Wrap Version
Available
Ranch or honey mustard, lettuce, tomato

Chicken strips are one of the easiest menu items to get wrong at a fast-food restaurant. The typical experience involves strips that were cooked in a batch an hour ago, held under a heat lamp until the exterior went soft, and handed to you in a state that is somewhere between rubbery and dry. Cook Out takes a fundamentally different approach to chicken strips, and the difference is immediately apparent when you bite into one.

The Difference

Fresh to Order, Every Time

Cook Out chicken strips are cooked fresh when you place your order. This means there is a wait time that you do not always encounter at chains where everything is pre-cooked and held. First-time visitors sometimes find this surprising, especially in a drive-thru line where speed is usually the point. But regulars understand the trade-off and consider it more than worthwhile.

The result of cooking fresh is a crispy exterior that has not had time to soften, a juicy interior that has not dried out from sitting under heat, and an overall texture that is noticeably better than what most fast-food chicken strips deliver. The breading holds its crunch properly, which is the fundamental requirement for a good chicken strip that most chains fail to meet consistently.
Tray Value

How Cook Out Chicken Strips Fit Into the Tray

Cook Out chicken strips are available as a main entree on the tray menu, which means you get them alongside two sides and a drink for the standard tray price. This is where the value becomes obvious. Fresh-cooked chicken strips, two sides, and a large drink for under seven dollars is a deal that competing chains cannot match even when their strips are not as good.

The strip count varies slightly depending on the location and the specific tray, but the portion is consistently filling. Most people ordering the strips as a main entree alongside two substantial sides like Cajun fries and hushpuppies leave satisfied without feeling like they overate.

Regulars' Move
Cook Out chicken strips also appear in the sides section of the tray menu, which means you can technically order them as one of your two side choices while having something else as your main. This is a move regulars use when they want a taste of the strips without committing them as the centerpiece of the meal.
Side Pairings

Best Side Pairings for Cook Out Chicken Strips

Part of getting the most out of Cook Out chicken strips is choosing the right sides to go with them.

01
Cajun Fries
The most popular companion. The seasoning on the Cajun fries echoes the flavor profile of the chicken breading in a way that makes the two items feel intentionally paired rather than random combinations.
02
Coleslaw
Works as a contrast. The cool, creamy slaw alongside hot, crispy strips gives you two very different textures and temperatures in the same meal, which keeps each bite interesting. This combination is also lighter than going with two fried sides, which some people prefer if they are already getting strips as their main.
03
Hushpuppies
A more indulgent but deeply satisfying choice. Both items are warm, both have a slight crunch, and both deliver the kind of comfort food quality that makes you understand why Cook Out has such loyal regulars.
Also Available

The Chicken Wrap Option

Cook Out chicken strips also appear in wrap form. The chicken wrap takes the same fresh-cooked strips and rolls them up with ranch or honey mustard sauce, lettuce, and tomato into a compact handheld meal. Some regulars order a wrap as one of their tray sides and the full chicken strips as their main, which gives them two different chicken preparations within a single tray. It is a way to maximize variety without spending more money.

Extras

Dipping Sauces and Extras

Cook Out offers several dipping sauce options that pair well with chicken strips.

Ranch
The default choice for most people.
Honey Mustard
Adds a sweet tang that complements the breading.
BBQ Sauce
A natural fit given the restaurant's Southern orientation.
Homemade Chili
Some customers request the same homemade chili that goes on the burgers as a dipping option, which is an unconventional choice that works surprisingly well.
The Verdict

Why Cook Out Chicken Strips Stand Out

In a fast-food landscape where chicken items have become the most competitive category, Cook Out chicken strips hold their own through quality and value rather than marketing. There are no limited-time gimmicks or celebrity endorsements attached to them. They are just fresh, well-cooked chicken strips that taste like what they are supposed to taste like, which turns out to be the most effective selling point of all.

Worth One More Try

For anyone who has written off fast-food chicken strips after too many disappointing experiences at other chains, Cook Out is worth one more try. The fresh-to-order approach changes the experience in ways that are hard to fully appreciate until you are eating one.

In a fast-food landscape where chicken items have become the most competitive category, Cook Out chicken strips hold their own through quality and value rather than marketing. They are just fresh, well-cooked chicken strips that taste like what they are supposed to taste like, which turns out to be the most effective selling point of all.