Any Food Network fan can tell you that chicken is one of Andrew Zimmern’s favorite mains. “My sticky, spicy chicken wings are the best wings there are,” he tells Tasting Table. He loves making crunchy Japanese fried chicken alongside his homemade yuzu-chile sauce. And for years, Zimmern and his family have visited Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami, Florida — where he says fried chicken was once a secret menu item. His go-to order at Joe’s when he touches down on the South Beach sands? “As much fried chicken and stone crabs as I can stuff into my face,” he explains.

But Zimmern’s not afraid to explore what chain restaurants have to offer, either. And of the limited encounters he’s had with fast food establishments, one plucky Southern chain sticks out above the rest. “I have eaten at Raising Cane’s — which people classify as fast food, right?” says the chef. “But all they do is serve chicken tenders … [and] they do them really well. I like Cane’s, and people tell me that’s fast food.” Most everyone can agree that Raising Cane’s counts as fast food, though we might have to draw the line at his next spicy take.