How To Remove The Tough Tendons On Chicken
White meat chicken does not get the respect it deserves. More often than not, it is presented as a bland, boring item that you'd only eat if you were an actor trying to lose as much weight as possible in time to play Jack Skelington in a live-action remake of "The Nightmare Before Christmas." Most of the press around chicken breast is centered on its nutritious value, as is the case with this MasterClass article noting its low calories, lean protein content, and abundance of vitamins B and D. In actuality, the nutritional values of white meat and dark meat are not as divergent as we're often led to believe, but if you think that takes anything away from the former, we'd have to argue against you.
When prepared properly, with ample seasoning (not just salt and pepper) and tricks to maintain tenderness (such as using a brine), white meat can be legitimately delicious. It's also readily accessible, affordable, and easy for home cooks to prepare ... except for one little issue. If you've handled raw chicken tenders, you've surely noticed their tendons: a white strand that runs through the meat with one end poking out. Give this tendon a squeeze and you'll find that it's remarkably tough and far from appetizing. Fortunately, there's an easy way to remove it.
What's a chicken tendon made of?
Tendons are connective tissues that link muscle and bone (via Britannica). One end of the tendon is bound to muscle fibers, while the other end connects to a portion of bone. They are immensely strong, having some of the highest tensile strength among animal tissues. Tendons are made of collagen, which is also found in bones. It's the same stuff that makes stock (a.k.a. bone broth) thicker than regular broth. However, The Exploratorium notes that collagen only breaks down like this when you cook it low and slow. That's not the typical approach we take with chicken tenders, which is why Eating Well warns that the tendons in chicken can become tough and rubbery.
The specific tendons we're talking about are located in the chicken tender, a widely misunderstood cut of meat. When you hear "chicken tenders," you probably think of those tasty fried tendies we all loved as kids (and that many of us continue to love as adults). Many people think they're synonymous with chicken fingers or chicken strips, but Eater points out that the tender is actually a specific muscle called the pectoralis minor, attached to the underside of each chicken breast. It is sometimes removed from the breast and sold separately, so if you really want to avoid the tendon, you could get chicken cutlets, which are just chicken breasts cut in half. However, the tendon isn't as difficult to remove as you might think.
How to remove the tendon from a chicken tender
There are two basic ways to remove tendons from chicken tenders. For the first method, Eating Well tells us to place the chicken breast or tender on a cutting board with the side that normally has the skin facing up. Grab the exposed end of the tendon, using a paper towel to get a better grip. Take a knife and gently press down on the tendon at an angle. You don't want to sever the tendon; you just want to trap it between the knife edge and your cutting board. You may need to wiggle the knife back and forth a bit to expose more of the tendon and get a firm grip on it. Once you've done that, simply slide the knife forward along the cutting board, pushing the chicken away from the tendon.
The other method for removing chicken tendons involves swapping the knife for a fork. As demonstrated by TikTok user @peachesandproteins, you can grip the tendon (again using a paper towel) and slip it between the tines of a fork. Then, pull up on the tendon while keeping the fork in place, thereby yanking it free from the meat. This particular technique has been widely spread across TikTok, and it seems to have been met with mostly positive results. However, Today consulted chef Palek Patel, who warned against using the fork method on small tenderloins, as it can cause the delicate meat to tear apart.