Texas Roadhouse chicken covers a full section of the menu, not one dish. The anchor item is Chicken Critters, hand-breaded tenders at $15.99 and 480 calories, served with your choice of BBQ, Honey Mustard, or Ranch and two sides.
What Texas Roadhouse chicken is
Texas Roadhouse chicken is a group of entrees built on boneless breast or hand-breaded tenders, priced below the steaks and served with the same two-sides-plus-rolls format. Chicken Critters, the fried tender basket, is the most ordered of them.
This is a steakhouse, so the chicken stays simple. No roasted half bird, no wings platter, no rotisserie. You get either a seasoned grilled breast dressed with a sauce and toppings, or breaded strips fried to order. Both cook on the same line as the steaks, which is why the grilled chicken carries the same smoky char you taste on a sirloin.
| Spec | Chicken Critters (dinner) |
|---|---|
| What it is | Hand-breaded chicken tenders, fried to order |
| Size / portion | Tender strips served as a dinner portion (count varies slightly by kitchen) |
| Price | $15.99 |
| Calories | 480 (entree alone, before sides and sauce) |
| What’s included | Choice of BBQ, Honey Mustard, or Ranch dipping sauce; two sides; fresh-baked rolls with cinnamon butter |
| Category | Chicken entrees / Country Dinners section |
The dipping sauce is included, not an upcharge. Pick one when you order, or ask for a second on the side.
The full chicken lineup
Most locations carry four to six chicken options: Chicken Critters, a grilled seasoned breast, a BBQ-glazed version, a smothered version with sautéed onions, mushrooms and melted cheese, plus chicken as a salad protein and a kids portion.
Names shift by market and menu print year. Common items:
- Chicken Critters: hand-breaded tenders, sold as a dinner and often as a smaller basket in the appetizer or bar section.
- Herb Crusted Chicken: grilled breast with a seasoning crust, usually the leanest plate in the section.
- Grilled BBQ Chicken: the same breast finished with barbecue sauce, sometimes topped with cheese and bacon.
- Smothered Chicken: grilled breast under sautéed mushrooms and onions with jack cheese.
- Chicken Critter Salad: the tenders sliced over a house salad, a lighter way to eat the fried item.
- Kids chicken: a smaller tender portion with one side.
Any single location may be missing one of these. If a specific plate matters, pull that restaurant’s own menu page rather than trusting a national list.
Texas Roadhouse chicken prices
Chicken Critters is verified at $15.99. The rest of the chicken entrees generally land in the $14 to $19 range depending on region, with grilled breast plates typically sitting at or slightly under the Critters price and smothered or topped versions slightly above.
| Item | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken Critters (dinner) | $15.99 (verified) | Includes two sides and a dipping sauce |
| Grilled / herb crusted chicken | Roughly $14-$17 | Varies by market; confirm locally |
| BBQ or smothered chicken | Roughly $16-$19 | Toppings push the price up |
| Chicken salad entrees | Roughly $13-$17 | Often the cheapest way to eat chicken here |
| Kids chicken portion | Roughly $6-$9 | One side, drink usually separate |
Those ranges are estimates, not quotes. Individual restaurants set their own numbers, so a suburban Ohio location and a downtown California one can differ by several dollars on the same plate. The only exact price we stand behind here is the $15.99 Chicken Critters listing.
Calories and nutrition
Chicken Critters is 480 calories for the entree by itself. That number excludes the dipping sauce, the two sides and the rolls with cinnamon butter, which together can easily add more calories than the chicken does.
A realistic full plate: 480 for the tenders, roughly 100 to 200 for a sauce cup, a few hundred per side depending on whether you pick a loaded baked potato or steamed vegetables, and another block for the rolls. Grilled entrees run lower than the fried version before toppings; anything smothered in cheese and bacon runs higher.
Texas Roadhouse prints calorie counts next to items on its dine-in menus. If you are counting closely, read the printed menu in front of you rather than any third-party figure, including ours.
How to order chicken here well
Order Chicken Critters fried fresh and ask for a second dipping sauce, then spend your two free sides wisely. Chicken has no doneness choice, so your only real levers are sauce, sides and toppings.
- Use the two sides. Every dinner entree includes two from the same list the steaks pull from. Seasoned rice or steamed vegetables balance the fried tenders; a loaded baked potato does not.
- The rolls arrive first. Fresh-baked rolls with cinnamon butter hit the table before the meal. Pace yourself if you plan to finish the chicken.
- Sauce on the side. On smothered or BBQ chicken, ask for the sauce served separately to keep the crust or char intact.
- Ask about plain grilling. Many locations will grill the breast with no butter or seasoning blend on request, the closest thing to a clean-eating order here.
Is the chicken worth it vs the steak?
Chicken here is worth ordering if you want a $15 plate that still comes with two sides and rolls, but a 6 oz sirloin often costs only a couple of dollars more and is what the kitchen is built around. Order chicken for preference, not for savings.
The value math here is dominated by the steak specials, and chicken entrees rarely undercut them by enough to be the obvious budget play. Where chicken wins: it is faster to fire, it is consistent across locations, and it is the safer order for anyone who has been burned by a steak cooked past their doneness request. Against the ribs it is the leaner choice; against a country fried plate, Chicken Critters is the lighter version of the same fried-and-dipped idea.
Chicken Critters vs grilled chicken
Chicken Critters is the hand-breaded fried option at $15.99 and 480 calories; the grilled breast entrees are lower in calories, usually similar or slightly cheaper, and take toppings like BBQ sauce, cheese or sautéed mushrooms and onions.
Pick Critters for texture, a dipping sauce, or a picky eater who will eat tenders anywhere. Pick a grilled plate if you want the char the steak grill produces, if you are watching calories, or if you want the chicken to carry a topping rather than a crust.
Accuracy and limits
This is an independent guide, not the Texas Roadhouse website. We verified the Chicken Critters listing at $15.99 and 480 calories against location menus in July 2026. Everything presented as a range is an estimate.
Three limits, plainly. Prices are set per restaurant, so regional swings of 10-15% are normal and any quoted figure can be wrong for your town. The lineup itself changes; items get rotated off and renamed, and not every location carries every plate listed here. Calorie figures move whenever a recipe or portion spec is revised, and sides, sauces and rolls are not in the entree number.
To confirm anything, pull up your location’s menu through the official Texas Roadhouse site or app, or call the restaurant. For allergen questions, ask the manager directly rather than relying on any published list, including this one.
FAQ
Does Texas Roadhouse have chicken?
Yes. Texas Roadhouse carries a full chicken section, usually four to six options including hand-breaded Chicken Critters at $15.99, grilled and herb crusted breast entrees, BBQ or smothered versions, chicken salads and a kids portion.
How much are Chicken Critters at Texas Roadhouse?
Chicken Critters is listed at $15.99 for the dinner portion, which includes a dipping sauce and two sides. Prices are set per location and can vary by roughly 10-15% by region.
How many calories are in Texas Roadhouse Chicken Critters?
480 calories for the entree by itself. That does not include the dipping sauce, your two sides, or the fresh-baked rolls with cinnamon butter, which can add more calories than the chicken.
What sauces come with Chicken Critters?
You choose one of BBQ, Honey Mustard, or Ranch at no extra cost. Most locations will bring an additional cup on request, though a second sauce may carry a small charge at some restaurants.
Does Texas Roadhouse chicken come with sides?
Yes. Chicken dinner entrees include two sides from the same list the steaks use, plus the rolls with cinnamon butter brought to the table. Kids chicken portions typically include one side.
What is the healthiest chicken option at Texas Roadhouse?
A grilled or herb crusted breast with steamed vegetables and no loaded toppings is the lightest order. Ask whether the kitchen can grill the breast plain, and skip the cheese, bacon and heavy sauces.
Is there grilled chicken at Texas Roadhouse?
Yes. Grilled breast entrees are cooked on the same grill as the steaks, which gives them a char you will not get from the fried tenders. Exact names and availability vary by location.
Can you get Chicken Critters as an appetizer?
Many locations offer a smaller Critters basket in the appetizer or bar section, often enough for an adult who does not want a full dinner plate. Availability varies, so check the menu at your restaurant.
Related guides
For the complete lineup and current pricing across every section, start with the full Texas Roadhouse menu. If you are trying to bring the cost of a chicken dinner down, check the discounted early dine plates and the running weekly specials by day. Ordering for the family or taking it home? See takeout prices with photos.