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Chicken tenderloin is a lean meat with a high protein-fat ratio. It consists of long thin pieces of white meat located below a part of breast meat. This product is an excellent choice for maintaining a balanced diet.
You can cook it in different ways: fry, stew, or cook. The cooking method depends on your culinary skills and preferences. Also, this meat is great for pickling and salting.
Chicken tenderloins: pros and cons
Chicken meat is a dietary product with a rich vitamin and mineral composition. It is a source of pure proteins and essential amino acids for humans. Chicken meat also contains B vitamins, iron, selenium, cobalt, and other beneficial substances.
This composition of the product allows it to have a positive effect on the human body:
- Normalize metabolic processes
- Improve the work of reproductive organs
- Improve the state of vision
- Strengthen hair, teeth, and bones
- Relieve stress and depression
However, chicken tenderloin contains a lot of fat, which turns into cholesterol in the body. What’s why it can play a negative role for humans:
- Worsen the condition of blood vessels
- Provoke food poisoning
However, the dosed consumption of chicken meat will not harm your body, but only become a valuable source of protein.
Selection and storage rules
Choosing the right chicken fillet ensures the quality of the future dish. Experts advise to adhere to the following principles:
- Buy meat from trusted farmers, this will prevent parasites and antibiotics from entering your body.
- Choose dense meat of pale pink color.
- The color of the chicken tenderloin should be uniform and the smell neutral.
- Choose a chicken tenderloin with an average ratio of meat and fat.
It is also significant to store the product correctly. You can put the chilled chicken fillet on the refrigerator shelf for up to 3 days. Useful tips:
- If you do not plan to cook the dish right away, put the chicken in the freezer.
- Store the product by placing it inside a container with an airtight lid or a tight polyethylene bag.
- Carry out long-term storage after cutting the carcass into pieces.
- Pack the pieces of butchered chicken separately.
How do you keep chicken tenders moist when baking?
Keeping tender chicken meat moist during cooking is a difficult but necessary process. Professional chefs advise letting the chicken tenderloin stay in hot water for another 10-15 minutes after boiling.
It will split the meat fibers and nourish them with moisture. If you want to get moist chicken tender meat after frying, follow the instructions:
- Beat off chicken meat or tenderloin with a special hammer.
- Marinate, add seasonings and spices.
- Let the chicken meat stay in the marinade for at least 1 hour.
- Roast chicken meat or tenderloin over medium heat for 1 minute on each side.
- Turn over and roast again.
- Reduce the heat to a minimum and simmer the chicken meat for another 10-15 minutes under the lid.
- After frying, let the dish rest for another 10 minutes.
This cooking technology will allow you to get tender chicken meat or tenderloin, keeping the moisture of the product.
How do restaurants make chicken so tender?
Professional chefs in expensive restaurants know how to make chicken meat tender and juicy. To repeat their success, follow the proven tips:
- Use a meat chopping tool. It can be a wooden or metal kitchen hammer.
- Cover the meat with plastic wrap and beat it off with a hammer.
- Use unsweetened yogurt as a marinade. The milk composition of the product will soften chicken meat.
- Marinate the meat for at least 1 hour. It is best to leave the product overnight.
- For softness, you can also use a marinade based on lemon juice, pineapple, or orange. Vitamin C softens meat fibers.
- Use carbonated drinks as a marinade. Soft drinks are an affordable and surprisingly effective marinade. Acidic properties soften the fibers at the chemical level and give the meat flavor. Pour the chicken meat with the selected drink and add a teaspoon of salt.
- Choose the appropriate heat treatment method and cooking time. It should not over-dry the product and make it tough.
How long do I put chicken tenders in the air fryer?
You can easily cook juicy chicken in a deep fryer. It is the perfect dinner that the whole family will enjoy. The cooking time of a chicken fillet in a deep fryer depends on the power of your device.
To begin with, marinate the meat and leave it in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
Next, set the fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and fry the product for 30 minutes.
Remove the basket and turn the chicken over, then cook the dish for another 20 minutes.
Can you put foil in an air fryer?
To make the chicken meat in the fryer more tender, you can use foil. This method of cooking will allow you to get a crispy crust, leaving juicy meat inside. Wrap the chicken tenderloin, legs, or fillets tightly in foil and place them in the fryer basket.
Dip the basket into the boiling oil and cook a little faster than the standard cooking time. The foil helps to keep the temperature and does not allow moisture to escape from the meat.
Does baking soda tenderize chicken?
Baking soda is a standard softener for baking and meat products. You can use it to make chicken meat more tender. Baking soda breaks down dietary fiber and protects the meat from drying out. You can also use it to dry the chicken skin when you need a crispy chicken.
To calculate the proportions, use the general rule – 1 teaspoon of baking soda per pound of chicken meat.
How do you grill frozen chicken tenderloins?
You can cook chicken fillet on the grill without first defrosting the product. The main thing is to achieve the internal temperature of the dish. When the temperature reaches 170 degrees Fahrenheit, your frozen chicken will be ready. You can also pre-defrost the product.
To do this, take out the chicken tenderloin and place it on a plate. Professional chefs advise avoiding defrosting in microwaves and hot water. The product must independently reach room temperature.
Best way to cook chicken tenderloins
Chicken breast dishes are an integral part of our diet. There are many ways to prepare this weeknight dinner.
However, the best, fastest, and most convenient is frying in soy sauce. To repeat this recipe, prepare the necessary ingredients:
- chicken fillet – 300 g
- sugar – 30 g (6 teaspoons)
- garlic – 1-2 cloves
- table vinegar 9% – 5 g (1 teaspoon)
- soy sauce – 15 g (1 tablespoon)
- ground black pepper – to taste
- ground red pepper – to taste
Step-by-step cooking technology:
- Wash the chicken fillet, dry it with a paper towel and cut it into small thin pieces about 1 cm thick.
- Heat a frying pan with thick walls and pour sugar into it.
- Add 1-2 teaspoons of water. Melt the sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly with a spoon.
- Reduce the heat, lower the fillet pieces into the caramel. Mix everything.
- Cover the pan with a lid and simmer the chicken meat over low heat for 7-10 minutes.
- Peel the garlic from the husk and cut it into thin plates.
- Add garlic or garlic powder and soy sauce to the pan.
- Pour in the vinegar, sprinkle with black and red pepper.
- Cook the chicken fillet in caramel sauce without a lid for another 3-4 minutes, until the sauce thickens and the chicken meat begins to caramelize.
- Remove the pan from the heat, transfer the chicken to a plate and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
How long to bake chicken tenders at 400
Professionals consider a temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit ideal for baking chicken. If you use frozen food, cook the dish for at least 35-40 minutes. If you have thawed your chicken breasts in advance, just 25 minutes will be enough.
You can choose different chicken tender recipes and cooking techniques, but the meal prep time will remain approximately the same.
Marinated chicken tenderloins in the oven recipe
You can cook juicy and tender chicken tenderloin in the oven using a marinade. To do this, prepare the necessary ingredients:
- chicken fillet
- onion powder
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- tomatoes
- mayonnaise
- Parmesan cheese
- egg mixture
Step-by-step cooking technology:
- Prepare the chicken tenderloin, beat it off with a kitchen hammer.
- Make a marinade: mix salt, pepper, onion powder, mayonnaise, and a few cloves of garlic.
- Marinate the chicken fillet in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
- Put the fillets on a baking sheet, put the chopped tomatoes on top.
- Make a mixture of grated cheese, mayonnaise, and egg mix.
- Put the resulting sauce on the chicken. Place the baking sheet in the oven for 30 minutes.
How to cook chicken tenderloins in a pan
You can choose any chicken tender recipe – make tenders on a baking dish, grill it or use a simple frying pan. Frying is a classic and fastest way of cooking this dish.
To repeat that chicken tenders recipe, prepare the necessary ingredients:
- olive oil
- garlic
- butter
- salt and pepper
- chicken tenders
Step-by-step cooking technology:
- Cut the fillets horizontally into 4 flat pieces and process them with a tenderizer (meat softener).
- Preheat the pan, add two types of oil.
- Roast the chicken fillet on a mixture of melted butter.
- Turn the steaks to the other side, add salt and pepper.
- The cooking time is 10 minutes.
Oven-baked chicken tenders (no breading)
There are many fans of chicken finger food by the type of chicken strips.
However, classic tenders in the oven remain a priority for many chefs. To repeat their recipe, prepare the necessary ingredients:
- chicken fillet – 300 g
- large egg (protein only) – 1 pc.
- instant oat flakes – 30 g
- onion – 80 g
- vegetable oil – 15 ml
- salt – to taste
Step-by-step cooking technology:
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Wash the chicken fillet, dry it with a paper towel and cut it into medium pieces.
- Peel the onion and cut it into pieces.
- Place the chicken and onion in a blender. Make minced meat.
- Add the oat flakes and salt to the mixture. Grind everything with a blender again.
- Make minced meat tenders. Place them on a greased baking sheet.
- The baking time is 20 minutes.
Baked chicken tenders with flour recipe
You can make a great appetizer of chicken fillet – chicken tenders. To make such a dish, prepare the necessary ingredients:
- wheat flour – 3 cups
- chicken fillet – 900 g
- chicken egg – 1 piece
- ground paprika – 3 tablespoons
- seasoning – 3 tablespoons
- milk – 1 cup
- salt – 2 tablespoons
- ground red pepper – 1 teaspoon
- sunflower oil – 500 ml
Step-by-step cooking technology:
- Defrost chicken fillet, remove fat, cut into not very thick pieces, about 2 by 8 cm.
- In a deep bowl, make the sauce: break an egg, pour a glass of milk, beat. While whipping, gradually add a glass of flour, a tablespoon of salt, and a tablespoon of paprika.
- Put the sauce-soaked pieces in a bag, shake them.
- Put a deep frying pan on the fire, pour a large amount of sunflower oil.
- Place the fillets in a pan and fry for 5 minutes on each side until golden brown.
What to serve with chicken tenders
You can serve chicken tenders with lots of side dishes – potatoes, pasta, buckwheat. You can also serve steamed vegetables to the chicken: carrots, onions, and tomatoes. Many chefs in restaurants serve breadcrumbs to chicken fillets.
They are great not only for meat but also for chicken broth. Garnish the dish with fresh herbs, lemon slices, and sauces.
Sauces for chicken tenders
You can choose any dipping sauce for chicken. The ideal sauce for meat enhances the taste of the product and gives it a pleasant aroma. Among the most common sauces for chicken, professional chefs distinguish ketchup, barbecue sauce, salsa, teriyaki sauce, and cranberry sauce.
You can experiment and make your versions of sauces, however, they should reveal the taste of chicken.
Closing and Final Thoughts
Chicken is healthy gluten-free meat with a rich vitamin and mineral composition. You can cook fillets, tenderloin, chicken legs, or wings. Use marinades to get tender and juicy meat.
Pre-softening of meat will help you choose any cooking technology: baking in the oven, frying in a pan, grilling, or baking in an instant pot.
Experiment with flavors and create masterpieces from chicken meat!