Chicken tenderloins, also known as chicken tenders or chicken strips, are a quick and easy protein to cook for meals. Tenderloins are strips of meat cut from the underside of a chicken’s breast. When preparing chicken tenderloins, a common question is whether you need to trim or cut anything off of them before cooking.
Quick Answer
In most cases, chicken tenderloins can be cooked as-is without cutting anything off. Tenderloins are already an evenly sized and uniform cut of meat. The only trimming needed is to remove any loose pieces or excess fat if present.
Looking at the Anatomy of a Chicken Tenderloin
To understand whether trimming is necessary, it helps to know exactly what part of the chicken tenderloins come from:
- Tenderloins are cut from the pectoralis minor muscle which is located underneath the larger pectoralis major breast muscle of the chicken.
- This muscle is responsible for wing motion and is less used than the breast muscle, resulting in an extremely tender piece of meat.
- Tenderloins are a thin strip of meat that tapers at one end.
- They have a striated muscle fiber appearance and are usually no more than 0.5 inches thick.
When properly cut and trimmed by processors, chicken tenderloins require very little additional trimming or work before cooking. The anatomy and size are already ideal for quick cooking and eating.
Inspecting Tenderloins Before Cooking
Before cooking tenderloins, it is important to give them a quick inspection:
- Look at the size and shape. Tenderloins are long, thin strips of meat. If the tenderloin is oddly shaped or uneven, you may need to trim excess fat or uneven pieces.
- Check for bones. Tenderloins should not contain any bones or cartilage. Remove any that are present.
- Trim excess fat. While tenderloins do not typically have a lot of fat, you can trim any large pieces of visible fat remaining.
- Remove skin or membrane. There should not be any skin or silver skin membrane present.
- Cut off discolored portions. If any area looks especially dark or unappetizing, simply slice it away.
In most packages of tenderloins, however, very minimal trimming is actually required before cooking. The main goal is just to remove anything that looks undesirable before eating.
Should You Trim the Tapered End?
Since tenderloins taper at one end, you may wonder if that narrower tip needs to be removed. This comes down to personal preference:
- The tapered section is safe to eat and cook as-is. Leaving it on results in more meat per tenderloin.
- Some people prefer to cut the tapered tip off for aesthetic reasons if all the tenderloins will be cooked together. Uniformly shaped strips can look nicer.
- The narrow tip will cook faster than the rest. You can trim it for more even cooking if desired.
Many recipes call for leaving the tapered end intact, while others suggest cutting the ends off for presentation purposes after cooking. Do what works best for your needs!
Should You Pound the Tenderloins?
Pounding chicken tenderloins is another technique some cooks use:
- Pounding tenderloins results in more even thickness so they cook more evenly.
- It also tenderizes the meat.
- The thinner cutlets cook faster with more surface area to brown.
If cooking tenderloins whole or in longer strips, pounding is optional. If cutting tenderloins into smaller nuggets or pieces, pounding helps achieve uniform thickness.
How to Cut Up Tenderloins
While chicken tenderloins can be cooked whole, some recipes call for cutting them into smaller pieces. Here are some common ways tenderloins are cut:
- Tenderloin strips or fingers: Cut whole tenderloins into 1-inch wide strips.
- Cubes: Cut tenderloins into 1-inch cubed pieces.
- Nuggets: Cut tenderloins into bite-sized pieces.
- Diced: Cut tenderloins into 1/4-inch or smaller diced pieces.
The cutting method depends on the recipe and cooking method. Strips, cubes, and nuggets all expose more surface area for getting crispy and browning when pan-fried or baked.
Do You Have to Pound Chicken Tenderloins Before Breadcrumbs?
When breading tenderloins:
- Pounding before breading is optional. Thinner cutlets will fry up with a larger crispy exterior.
- Pounding before breading makes the tenderloins a uniform thickness for even cooking.
- If breading small nuggets or cubes, pounding is less important since the pieces are already thin.
For a nice big coating of crispy breadcrumbs, pounding the tenderloins out into thin cutlets is recommended. But it’s not required for basic breading and frying.
Conclusion
Chicken tenderloins are a fast and convenient cut of meat that usually requires minimal trimming or cutting. In most cases, tenderloins can be cooked as-is after a quick rinse and pat dry. The tapered tip can be left on or removed. Pounding is optional but helps create thin, evenly-sized pieces for breading and frying. With little preparation needed, chicken tenderloins make an easy protein to add to a variety of recipes.