Ugh -- accidently bought chicken tenders

16 years ago

instead of chicken breast at Costco. They are VERY tender when cooked but how I hate having to remove that stupid white strip in each one. Adds an extra 10 minutes to my prep time.

I wonder why they don't come with that yukky white thing already removed?? It's not like anyone wants to eat it!

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foodonastump

16 years ago

I can't remember the last time I bought tenders, so I guess I don't buy them enough to be bothered by it. But what kills me is the gobs of the extra fat and meat that's neatly tucked away out of view in a package of thighs.

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Comments (32)

lowspark
16 years ago
Oh yeah, I know! I had forgotten all about that thing and bought four pounds of chicken tenders on sale a few weeks ago. Got them home and started to separate them out into 1 lb packages and then I remembered. I went ahead and removed it right then. What a huge pain. I am going to try to remember never to buy them again!
foodonastump
16 years ago
I've never tried this, but what happens if you just leave it there? If it were nasty when cooked, wouldn't we have to find and remove it from a whole roasted chicken?
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User
16 years ago
Ugh, I bet it starts off as that white yucky thing in eggs!
lindac
16 years ago
I opened a package of frozen chicken tenders last night....I had been looking at it in the freezer for weeks, avoiding the problem.
If you leave that white thing in, it's a tough spot in the cooked meat.....blech!
Linda C
cookebook
16 years ago
LOl Miss Chase. You are probably right!
compumom
16 years ago
I agree, who eats that part?
caliloo
16 years ago
Definitely yucky but easy enough to remove. Just put the tender on a board, grab the yucky white thing with a paper towel and slide it against a knife to scrape the yucky white thing off.

And Chase - I bet you are right! lOLOLOLOLOL!

Alexa
User
16 years ago
The white tendon is easy to remove. You just take hold of the tendon between thumb and index finger on your right hand (I'm right handed) and with your thumb and index finger of your left hand just slide down the tendon while pulling. Comes right out. I use a paper towel to hold on to it so that it doesn't slip out of my fingers.
annie1992
16 years ago
It may have started as the white thing in the egg, but the real reason it's there is because the company can charge you for it. You can't eat it and you don't want it, but you're paying by the pound for it.

Annie
User
16 years ago
Annie, I'm trying to imagine just how many tendons it would take to make a pound. LOL! In a one pound package of chicken tenders I bet the white tendons wouldn't equal 1/2 an ounce.

Ann
annie1992
16 years ago
Ann T, that's true. However, take that one pound and multiply it by however many pounds a big company like Tyson or who ever sells. Subtract the time it would take an employee or machine to remove it. You have a couple of cents per package, times thousands of packages or tens of thousands, or whatever.

It's the same with all products, if the manufacturer can save one or two cents by making plastic gears instead of metal or by requiring the consumer to take over a step in assembly, or remove that little tendon in the chicken tneders, times thousands or tens of thousands, they increase their profit.

Annie
cookebook
16 years ago
Preach it, Farmers Daughter! LOL
annie1992
16 years ago
Sorry, I just can't help myself. (grin)

FOAS, I agree, I hate the fat hidden under the cuts of meat, or the pieces of fat and gristle hidden under the nice cuts, or the moldy fruit hidden in the middle of those bags or plastic packs. Sigh.

Annie
lindac
16 years ago
Oh and the lovely roast you buy and turn over out of the package and find the back side all silverskin and fat!
When possible I buy my meat at a store where you go to the meat case and say..."I want that one" and then I want to see the bottom and smell it....and then you buy it!!
Linda c
ruthanna_gw
16 years ago
I use the ann t method of removing the tendon if I'm using the chicken tenders whole. If I'm cutting them crosswise into chunks for a dish, I just cut through the thin part of the tendon and leave it in and cut the top chunk with the thick part of the tendon close to it on either side and discard it.

One thing I like about shopping at the butcher stalls of the farmers' markets is that they pick up the piece of meat and show it to you on all sides before they weigh it.
arabellamiller
16 years ago
Annie's right - % yield is a BIG deal in commercial food service. As I work with hospitals, nursing homes, rehab facilities, school systems and all their food service providers, I'm finding that they are primarily budget driven and percent yield plays a huge role in calculations.

At home, it's less of a big deal, unless you're on a super tight budget. Knowing that larger birds have a higher % yield than smaller birds can make a difference.

AM
lyfia
16 years ago
I buy a lot of chicken tenders because they cook faster than chicken breasts and dinner around my house is a race against a grouchy kiddo when I get home from work. Last time I bought a different brand and found it didn't have that little piece and I bought it to save money as this other brand is cheaper. Guess I'll be buying the cheaper ones from now on.

Based on that it can't be to make more money. I wonder if it is a processing things in how they are cut.
Wai_Kane
13 years ago
Easier solution! I purposefully use tenders when cooking gumbo, and actually use the tendon as a sort of "pop-up timer", because once the chicken has cooked the proper amount, that tendon just slips right out! Not only is it easier, but I never touch the raw chicken, (since tenders don't require the trimming/fat removal that other pieces do).
azzalea
13 years ago
It just cracks me up that the stores have turned a piece of garbage (the chicken 'tender') into a viable product. That used to be a strip of waste they cut out of the meat when trimming. Now they package them up and sell their garbage to us. If I want chicken strips for something I'm cooking I won't buy tenders, I'd rather cut a chicken breast up than deal with the tendon (the basis for the name, if you notice).
cloudy_christine
13 years ago
The tender isn't garbage at all, it's the tenderest and best part of the chicken breast. Except for the slight annoyance of removing that tendon, they really are a convenience for dishes where you want pieces of chicken breast. And they cook in no time at all.
User
13 years ago
The name is short for "tenderloin" not tendon. I wouldn't call the chicken "tenderloin" garbage any more than I would call a pork or beef tenderloin garbage. It is a lovely little piece of tender chicken. Chicken tenderloins are sold at a premium here.

~Ann
Lars
13 years ago
I've never seen chicken tenders for sale. Are they sold frozen - I never shop the frozen meat market, although I will buy frozen fish once or twice a year - usually shrimp, but I did buy some breaded cod filets recently. I hope I remember to cook them, as I tend to forget what is in the freezer.

I won't be buying chicken tenders unless they are very cheap. I don't shop at Costco, and so if they are not available at other stores, I will not find them.

I hate it when I acciently buy things!!

Lars

This post was edited by publickman on Fri, Jan 25, 13 at 19:33
compumom
13 years ago
Lars Gelsons' definitely has them as I imagine so do the other supermarkets. I avoid buying them for the reasons stated. I prefer to cut up chicken breasts than to trim that piece of tendon.
caliloo
13 years ago
I have no idea why someone would think the "tenderloin" of the chicken breast is garbage! I love buying them for Satay or any time I want chicken on a skewer - the are the perfect size and shape to thread on a bamboo stick for grilling.

Alexa

This post was edited by caliloo on Sun, Jan 27, 13 at 11:39
jeri
13 years ago
At my CostCo, the Chicken Tenders are less expensive than Chicken Breasts. I usually buy the tenders because of the price, and because I believed them to be the "tenderloin" of the chicken breast, and because they seem easier to work with. But I have *never* noticed this white strip! This really has me wondering now... I'll have to defrost a bag and check it out... Tenders for dinner tonight! :-)
Nunyabiz1
13 years ago
The tenderloins are the best white meat on the chicken.
Removing the little white vein takes about 3 seconds with a pair of kitchen sheers.
foodonastump
13 years ago
Nunya - If it's taking you 3 seconds with kitchen shears, you might want to save half the time and try a knife. :)

Jump to about 4:30 in the video below and Jacques Pepin shows how easy it is, pretty much what Ann posted above except he uses a knife. Keep watching and at about 5:08 he removes a second sinew in under 2 seconds.

By the way, this is an excellent video to watch if you're interested in boning a chicken. Practice a couple times and it's every bit as quick and easy as he makes it out to be.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jaques Pepin

This post was edited by foodonastump on Sun, Jan 27, 13 at 16:18
mereward
11 years ago
I called Perdue's hotline at 800-473-7383 and described the tenderloin issue. She said the tenderloin will always have the tendon. The regular boneless skinless breast will not. She said "remember BS for boneless skinless". They must get this question a lot. I would buy any meat's "tenderloin" thinking it was a better cut or easier to prep. Not in the case of chicken.
User
11 years ago
The best meat on the chicken are the oysters ;-)
Jasdip
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
The tenderloin is always sold as part of the boneless breasts here. I cut them off and freeze them separately. So good in stir-fries, fajitas, etc.
HU-384485729
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Sadly I bought the sale 4 lb bag and mine tasted gross! Sort of like it was bad and I just bought it the day before. It's going back. Hopeful y a bad batch... because I never had this happen ever!! Kirkland products are isually awesome. It had undertones of liver! What happened is beyond comprehension! Ugh.

Ugh -- accidently bought chicken tenders

foodonastump

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lowspark

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