Chicken tenders

History

Chicken tenders were first made at the Puritan Backroom in Manchester, New Hampshire, in 1974. Charlie Pappas salvaged chicken pieces that had been trimmed from larger cuts of chicken, marinating and frying them to create chicken tenders.

Other restaurants in Savannah, Georgia, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, have challenged this claim with later assertions to the invention of chicken tenders, although the consensus supports the claim in Manchester. In 2023, Manchester was officially declared the "Chicken Tender Capital of the World" by Mayor Joyce Craig.

Mass production

Chicken tenders are a mass-produced product in the United States. They gained popularity in the mid-to-late 1980s as an alternative fast food choice to chicken nuggets, since they retained more chicken meat. Production can involve coating chicken meat with spices, polyphosphate and breading or crumbs, flash-frying the product to hold the breading in place, and then freezing it prior to shipment for consumer, retail and commercial use. Tyson Foods is one such company that mass-produces chicken fingers. Some are manufactured with a specific flavor profile, such as with a Buffalo-style hot sauce flavor. They are also manufactured with flavors such as Honey BBQ and Parmesan Herb Encrusted.

Variants

Chicken tenders are sometimes grilled rather than fried; they may accompany salads or pasta.

The chicken tenders invented at the Puritan Backroom in 1974 were marinated in pineapple juice, and marinated "Manchester chicken tenders" can be found at other restaurants in the Manchester area.

References

Works cited

References

1. [http://leitesculinaria.com/52349/writings-history-chicken-fingers.html "The History of Chicken Fingers"] ({{Webarchive. link. (2016-01-09 ). ''Leite's Culinaria''.)
2. [http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--365/chicken-description-of-parts.asp "Chicken – Description of Parts"] ({{Webarchive. link. (2007-02-20 ). RecipeTips.)
3. [http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/05/living/chicken-fingers-recipe-eatocracy/ "Give a hand for homemade chicken fingers"].
4. Ellie Krieger. [http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/crispy-chicken-fingers-recipe/ Crispy Chicken Fingers Recipe] ({{Webarchive. link. (2017-04-19 ). [[Food Network]].)
5. [http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/8270/how-can-i-make-chinese-chicken-fingers-like-in-the-northeast How can I make Chinese chicken fingers like in the northeast?] ({{Webarchive. link. (2011-07-18 ). Cooking.stackexchange.com. Retrieved on 2012-04-19.)
6. McDowell, Erin. "I ordered chicken tenders from 8 fast-food chains and the best were from the smallest chain".
7. Sylvia, Byline: Andrew. (2025-04-18). "Puritan Backroom hosts celebration honoring 50 years of chicken tenders, feeds Jersey Shore gang - Manchester Ink Link".
8. (1 October 2024). "How Chicken Tenders Conquered America". [[The New York Times]].
9. (2020-07-06). "The History of Chicken Tenders and the Best Places to Get Them".
10. SouthFloridaReporter.com. (2019-07-27). "Chicken Fingers Were Created In Baton Rouge, Savannah Or Manchester (NH)?".
11. [https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2023-08-18/reviewing-culinary-history-in-manchester-the-chicken-tender-capital-of-the-world "Reviewing culinary history in Manchester, the Chicken Tender Capital of the World"]. Liu, Michelle and Furukawa, Julia. ''New Hampshire Public Radio''. Published August 18, 2023. Accessed December 20, 2023.
12. Booth, R.G.. (2012). "Snack Food". Springer US.
13. Bangura, Fatima. (April 17, 2019). "You still can't eat Tyson Buffalo-style chicken strips sold in Michigan". [[WSYM-TV]].
14. "Breaded Chicken".
15. Jawad, Yumna. (8 December 2019). "Grilled Chicken Tenders".
16. Jagoda, Caleb. (2023-02-15). "Love Me Tenders: A Chicken Tender Crawl Through Manchester".