Chicken fingers

Chicken tenders

Origin
Alternative name(s)	Chicken fingers, chicken strips, toes, chicken fillets
Details
Course	Appetizer, main course
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredient(s)	Chicken, breading

Chicken tenders, also known as chicken fingers, chicken strips or chicken fillets, are chicken meat prepared from the pectoralis minor muscles of the animal. These strips of white meat are located on either side of the breastbone, under the breast meat (pectoralis major).

Chicken tenders are prepared by dipping chicken meat in a breading mixture and then deep frying them.

In the northeastern United States, chicken tenders are often made with an egg batter and have a smooth texture. This particular variety of chicken tenders, in this part of America, are often served in Chinese restaurants as an appetizer or as a main dish.

Elsewhere, the breading mixture can lack eggs and the texture of the dish itself can often be rather coarse. This version is often served alongside various dipping sauces. The dipping sauces can include: ketchup, blue cheese dressing, ranch dressing, barbecue sauce, honey mustard, Buffalo wing sauce, butter and garlic, plum sauce, curry mayonnaise, sweet and sour sauce, or a southern traditional mixture such as Bumpkin Bob's original chicken finger sauce. These kind of chicken fingers are often served in a basket with French fries, served on a garden salad, or in a sandwich, such as a wrap or on a bun.

Chicken tenders are offered by various fast food chains such as Zaxby's, Dairy Queen, KFC, McDonald's "Chicken Select Strips" and Church's Chicken "Tender Strips". They are also a common offering on children's menus in American restaurants.

See also

• Sweet and sour
• American Chinese cuisine
• Chicken nuggets
• List of hors d'oeuvre