chicken
Chicken Tenders
The pectoralis minor — a separate small muscle lying under the breast, not a strip cut off it. It is the most tender thing on a chicken and the thinnest, so it goes from raw to overdone in about the time it takes to answer the door.
In one line
A muscle of its own, not an offcut of the breast.
Buy it if
You're breading something, or you have ten minutes.
Take the tendon out. Every tender has a white tendon running up one side, and no amount of cooking softens it. Lay the tender flat, hold the exposed end of the tendon with a paper towel for grip, and push the meat off it with the back of a knife — the blade stays still and the tendon slides free. If you leave it in, it contracts in the heat and bows the tender into a curl.
Why it's the tender one: the pectoralis minor sits beneath the breast and does almost no work. Muscle fibers are finest where the workload is lightest, and this is the least-worked muscle on a bird that does not fly much to begin with. It is the same reason the tenderloin is the tender cut on a steer.
The name does two jobs. Raw 'tenders' at a butcher counter are this muscle. 'Chicken tenders' on a menu are almost always breast sliced into fingers, because a kitchen needs uniform pieces and there are only two real tenders per bird.
Where it comes from on the animal
| Species | chicken |
|---|---|
| Subprimal | pectoralis minor — the inner fillet on the underside of the breast |
What else it’s called
How to cook Chicken Tenders
| Best methods | Pan sear Deep fry Grill Roast Sous vide |
|---|---|
| Cook to | 165°F, reached in three or four minutes a side. Check the first one before you commit the rest. |
High heat, short time, and off the pan before you think you should. There is almost no thermal mass here, so nothing about a tender waits for you.
Common questions
Do I have to remove the white tendon?
You can cook them with it in, but you will notice. It stays chewy at any temperature and it shrinks in the heat, pulling the tender into a curve so it cooks unevenly. Thirty seconds a piece with a knife and a paper towel is the whole job.
Is the tendon a sign of poor quality?
No. It is anatomy — every tender on every bird has one, because it is what attaches the muscle to the keel bone. A pack with no visible tendons has simply had them removed already, usually at a small premium.
Can I use tenders wherever a recipe calls for breast?
For anything sliced, breaded or stir-fried, yes, and cut the cooking time roughly in half. For anything that needs a thick piece — stuffing, a butterflied cutlet, a roast — no, because a tender is only about half an inch at its thickest.
Why does the breading fall off?
Surface moisture. Pat the tenders dry, dredge in flour before anything wet touches them, and let the breaded pieces sit for ten minutes before they hit the oil — the coating hydrates and grips instead of sliding off in the pan.
More chicken
Whole Chicken
One bird, two finish lines.
Ground Chicken
It steams before it browns, and that is a solvable problem.
Chicken Sausage
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Chicken Wings
Almost no meat on it, and that is the entire appeal.
Chicken Drumstick
Cheap, forgiving, and routinely pulled off the heat too early.
Chicken Thigh
The safe temperature and the good temperature are not the same number.
Chicken Breast
The shape is the problem, not the cooking time.