I spent $50 at Guy Fieri’s Chicken Guy! restaurant. It beat every other fast-food chain’s chicken sandwich and tenders.

Down on the Atlantic City boardwalk, I found myself craving chicken tenders, and who knows chicken better than Guy Fieri?

During a recent trip to the beachside city, I stopped at Chicken Guy!, the fast-casual spot from the spiky-haired creator of “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.”

Fieri launched the concept with restaurateur Robert Earl back in 2018, debuting at Disney Springs in Orlando with a simple mission: to serve up bold-flavored chicken tenders in a quick and casual way.

It was the first venture of its kind for Fieri, who had previously only done full-service restaurants.

Chicken Guy! now has 16 locations nationwide, with three more on the way.

I went to the location inside Resorts Casino in Atlantic City to eat my way through the Chicken Guy! menu and judge it based on flavor and value.

I arrived at the Chicken Guy! location on the Atlantic City boardwalk around noon.

The restaurant was easy to spot from down the boardwalk thanks to its bright-red exterior, vibrant sidewalk sign, and the life-size mural of Guy Fieri himself welcoming guests to the restaurant.

The menu, which was posted outside the restaurant, was pretty varied and big on customization.

The chain is built around its tenders, aiming to serve crispy, juicy chicken enhanced with “bold brines, fresh herbs, and a wide range of signature sauces,” according to its website.

In addition to chicken tenders, the restaurant serves up classic fast-food favorites like chicken sandwiches, mac and cheese, fries, and more.

At lunchtime on a Friday, the restaurant was busy with people waiting to order or eating their meals at the various tables inside.

We ordered our meal at the service window and were given a table number. Despite being a little busy, it was easy to grab one of the open tables and wait for our food to be delivered.

Bright-red paint and Guy Fieri shoutouts throughout made the restaurant feel like a fun homage to the celebrity chef.

Along one wall was a collage of family photos, and on another a mascot reimagining Guy Fieri as a chicken, complete with his signature goatee and spiky hair.

After about 10 minutes, our food was delivered to the table.

We ordered two chicken sandwiches, a three-count of chicken tenders, fries, mac and cheese, and four dipping sauces. I also ordered a banana pudding milkshake to try, and my friend got a bottled soda.

The total for our meal came to $56.46, including tax. Even though it was just the two of us, our meal was more than enough to feed three people — we just wanted to try as much of the menu as possible during our visit.

My friend ordered the B.L.A.T. chicken sandwich.

Rather than using a standard fried chicken breast, Chicken Guy!’s chicken sandwiches are made using a buttery bun, two large chicken tenders, and other toppings.

There were four sandwiches on the menu, priced between $10.49 and $12.49.

The sandwich lineup ran from a B.L.A.T.-style creation to a bourbon brown-sugar BBQ piled with cheese, sauces, slaw, pickles, and chips.

The B.L.A.T. chicken sandwich was topped with a thick slab of sweet and savory bacon.

The lettuce on top of the B.L.A.T. ($11.99) had an almost shaved consistency, while the thick-cut bacon added a slight maple flavor that balanced out the creamy and slightly tangy avocado crema.

The two chicken tenders layered inside the sandwich were crispy and juicy. It was a big bite and definitely worth the price.

I went with the most classic chicken sandwich on the menu, which was the O.G.

The O.G. chicken sandwich ($10.49) kept it simple with just pickles and special sauce.

The tenders were so large that they spilled out of the soft, buttery bun. At first, I thought one tender would’ve been plenty to make the sandwich, but in this case, more really was merrier.

The sandwich struck the perfect balance. It was hearty but not heavy.

The chicken tenders were perfectly juicy on the inside, and the thick crust on the outside audibly crunched with every bite.

The seasoning of the chicken’s breading also impressed me — it was salty and peppery, and I did get the hint of brine that Fieri promised.

Though the toppings were simple — just special sauce and pickles — they tied the whole sandwich together, adding creamy, savory flavor and crunch. Topped off with the pillowy bun, this chicken sandwich might be the best I’ve ever had from a fast-food or fast-casual spot.

Next up were the chicken tenders.

Even though we had tried them as part of the sandwich, we decided to see if the chicken tenders ($9.99) would also hold up on their own.

I also tried four of the chain’s dipping sauces.

We chose the buttermilk ranch, donkey sauce (a blend of mayonnaise, lemon, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and roasted garlic), and two servings of chipotle ranch.

The sauces took the chicken tenders to the next level.

I loved all of the sauces, which sold for $0.75 each, but I liked the donkey sauce and chipotle ranch the most.

The combination of the crispy chicken tenders with the flavorful, creamy sauces really impressed me.

The seasoned fries were perfectly fried and crispy.

These fries ($4.49) were so good, I couldn’t stop eating them by the handful.

We also tried the mac and cheese, which was dusted with breadcrumbs.

The mac and cheese ($5.99) was just one of the sides sold at Chicken Guy! Other options included fried pickle chips and American slaw.

The mac and cheese was gooey and flavorful.

The sharp cheese flavor really came through, beating out other fast-food mac and cheeses I’ve had in the past.

For dessert, I had the banana pudding milkshake.

Chicken Guy! offers a rotating selection of limited-time-only milkshake flavors, including this banana pudding shake ($7.99). It was sweet and packed with banana and caramel flavor, the ideal ending to our meal.

My friend ordered a diet soda, which cost $3.79.

Chicken Guy! more than lived up to the hype and its celebrity-backed branding.

Between the loaded chicken sandwiches and crispy, juicy tenders, the flavor-packed sauces, and the delicious sides, every element of this meal impressed me from start to finish.

While it’s rare for me to spend more than $50 on fast food — even for two or more people — I thought it was completely worth the cost.

I would have been completely satisfied with just one of the chicken sandwiches, fries, and a soda for lunch, which would have brought the total cost for an average meal to just under $20.

The restaurant’s fun branding, delicious food, and fair prices impressed me, and I can’t wait to go back to Flavortown.

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