 | |
| Alternative names | Chicken fingers, chicken fillets, chicken goujons, chicken strips |
|---|---|
| Course | Appetizer,main course |
| Place of origin | Manchester, New Hampshire, United States |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Chicken,breading |
Chicken tenders (also known as chickengoujons,chicken strips,chicken fingers,chicken tendies, orchicken fillets)[citation needed] arechicken meat prepared from thepectoralis minor muscles of the bird.[1][2] These strips of white meat are located on either side of the breastbone, under thebreast meat (pectoralis major).[3] They may also be made with similarly shaped pieces cut from chicken meat, usually the breast, or sometimes just pulverized chicken flesh.[4]
Chicken tenders are prepared by coating chicken meat in abreading mixture and thendeep frying them, in a manner similar to the preparation ofschnitzel.[5] They are a very popular fast-food snack or main course due to their convenience and have become a staple across the United States.[6] Some of the most popular fast-food restaurants that sell chicken tenders includeGuthrie's,Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers,Chick-fil-A,Church's Chicken,KFC,Popeyes,Zaxby's andCulver's.[7]
Chicken tenders were first made at thePuritan Backroom inManchester, New Hampshire, in 1974.[8] Charlie Pappas salvaged chicken pieces that had been trimmed from larger cuts of chicken, marinating and frying them to create chicken tenders.[2][9]
Other restaurants inSavannah, Georgia, andBaton Rouge, Louisiana, have challenged this claim with later assertions to the invention of chicken tenders, although the consensus supports the claim in Manchester.[10] In 2023, Manchester was officially declared the "Chicken Tender Capital of the World" by MayorJoyce Craig.[11]
Chicken tenders are amass-produced product in the United States.[12][13] They gained popularity in the mid-to-late 1980s as an alternativefast food choice tochicken nuggets, since they retained more chicken meat.[14] Production can involve coating chicken meat with spices,polyphosphate and breading or crumbs, flash-frying the product to hold the breading in place, and then freezing it[12] prior to shipment for consumer, retail and commercial use.Tyson Foods is one such company that mass-produces chicken fingers.[13] Some are manufactured with a specific flavor profile, such as with aBuffalo-style hot sauce flavor.[13] They are also manufactured with flavors such as Honey BBQ and Parmesan Herb Encrusted.[15]
Chicken tenders are sometimes grilled rather than fried; they may accompany salads or pasta.[16]
The chicken tenders invented at the Puritan Backroom in 1974 were marinated in pineapple juice, and marinated "Manchester chicken tenders" can be found at other restaurants in theManchester area.[17]
Media related toChicken strips at Wikimedia Commons