The most delicate chicken part is the tenderloin. Tenderloin is regarded as the muscle located just behind the chicken breast. If you have butchered chicken for a very long time or you have cooked a chicken severally, these are known facts you might not know.
How then do you differentiate between tenderloin and chicken breast? The first main difference you will notice is the size; chicken breast is about twice as big as tenderloin. Another thing is their shapes; tenderloin has a slim and narrow shape. Tenderloin has higher calories and fewer minerals and vitamins in comparison to chicken breast.
Let’s take a deeper look into the difference and the similarities between the tenderloin and chicken breast.
Chicken Tenderloin Vs Chicken Breast
Follow the information below to get the depth knowledge of the similarities and difference between the two;
What Is Chicken Breast?
Because of its nutritious value and versatility, chicken breasts are well-loved most especially among athletes for its protein source. There are chicken breasts that are boneless and those are the less affordable chicken parts. You can cook them in several ways varying from baking to grilling and from frying to boiling. You can eat chicken breasts for several reasons including the fact that it is very low in fat and very good for people that are undergoing weight control. It is a good protein source that is irreplaceable and it also has minerals like potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc, and other major nutrients like vitamins D and B-6. Cobalamin which is a vitamin that assists in the red blood cell formation is also contained in chicken breast.
What is Chicken Tenderloin?
Every chicken most times has two chicken tenderloins; they are also called the name chicken tenders. You could easily miss out on tenderloins because they look quite small. Whenever you are cooking, you may miss out on tenderloins because you might not be aware that it is a part of the chicken. Tenderloin is always behind the chicken breast and can only be visible when you separate the breast from the bone. Tenderloins are the two muscles known as pectoralis minor, they are usually small in size.
The Difference between Chicken Breast and Tenderloin
As earlier pointed out, chicken tenderloins are also called chicken tenders because it has a much tender shape due to the location. Tenderloins are minor muscles found behind the pectoralis major which is a bigger muscle of the breast. It has been founded out to easily ruin chicken tender just as you can easily dry out the chicken breast. Chicken tenderloins and chicken breasts are very simple to cook but tenderloins will require a bit more to cook. Both chicken tenderloins and chicken breast taste equal. Chicken tenderloins are usually more expensive in comparison to chicken breast and this makes more special.
You are advised to buy chicken breast as a whole rather than buy tenderloins separately because some of the tricks in stores and supermarkets are that chicken breasts could be cut into narrow and long pieces which they may use to represent chicken tenderloins.
Chicken Breast Vs Tenderloin: Nutrition Facts
Chicken tenderloins have a different number of nutrients and calorie count to chicken breast; this is against the more conventional knowledge of people that both chicken tenderloins and chicken breast give the same value of nutrition. This is however wrong because they differ greatly. The part that has the highest calorie in a chicken is chicken tenderloins. You should consider chicken breast in your menu over chicken tenderloins in case you are dieting or trying to control your weight because of the high calorie contained in the chicken tenderloin.
Chicken tenderloins also contain higher sodium constituent and according to research, excess sodium could lead to an increase in blood pressure or other health issues such as problems with the kidney and the heart. You should select chicken breast instead of chicken tenderloins if you fall into this category.
Chicken breast has more protein, vitamins, and minerals than chicken tenderloins and could be considered more nutritious. If you will, however, want the tenderest meat of the chicken, stick to the tenderloin.
Check the chart below for a comprehensive nutritional value:
| 100 grams | Chicken Tenderloin | Chicken Breast | ||
| Calories | 136 | 165 | ||
| Daily Value | Daily Value | |||
| Total Fat | 3g | 3% | 3.6g | 5% |
| Cholesterol | 84mg | 28% | 85mg | 28% |
| Sodium | 52mg | 2% | 74mg | 3% |
| Potassium | 380mg | 11% | 256mg | 7% |
| Protein | 25g | 57% | 31g | 62% |
| Total Carbs | 0g | 0% | 0g | 0% |
| Calcium | 1% | 1% | ||
| Vitamin A | 0% | 0% | ||
| Iron | 4% | 5% | ||
| Vitamin C | 0% | 0% | ||
| Vitamin D | 1% | 1% | ||
| Magnesium | 6% | 7% | ||
| Vitamin B-6 | 20% | 30% | ||
| Cobalamin | 3% | 5% |
How to Remove Tenderloins from Chicken Breast?
Chicken tenderloins are quite hidden and they are the white pieces of meat which are very delicious. If you want to remove them from chicken breasts, the breast has to be placed on a cutting board to get a good view of the tenderloins lying on the breastbones. A tendon attaches tenderloin to the chicken breast and you will have to cut off this tendon by cutting across the chicken’s breastbone which will help you separate the tenderloin from the chicken breast.
Can You Substitute Chicken Tenderloins for Breasts?
When you cook or marinate, tenderloins take lesser time due to its small size as compared to chicken breasts. Chicken tenderloins can be substituted for chicken breast with much attention given to the time for cooking and marinating.
The Healthiest Ways to Cook Chicken Breast and Tenderloin
Tenderloins are quite versatile considering the cooking methods because they are very tender and they are also white pieces of meat. If care is not taken, you could mess up both cooking of chicken tenderloins or chicken breast.
How then are you supposed to cook both chicken tenderloins and chicken breast healthily and deliciously?
How to Cook Healthy Chicken Breast
You can cook chicken breasts in several ways to get its protein and other healthy ingredients. Chicken breasts can be cooked flavorfully or made bland. It is one of the favorite meals of the majority of health enthusiasts. You should however have at the back of your mind that you only get to eat it healthy without the skin, if it contains the skin; you will be taking a whole lot of fat which is not good for you.
Baking and grilling are the best healthiest way to cook your chicken breast. You do not need to add any other ingredient like sauces and oil that may be unhealthy when you grill your chicken breast and this makes it a very good method of cooking your chicken breast. You could use a parchment bag to bake your chicken breasts in an oven. This is healthy, quick, and easy; marinate the chicken breast properly to keep then moist and tender of the meat before you put them inside the oven.
How to Cook Healthy Chicken Tenderloin
Tenderloins are very tender white pieces of meat and it is required that you properly prepare the meat before you proceed with the cooking. They are to be marinated properly before you cook them for the moisture to remain within the meat so that it won’t get dried out easily. You should marinate your chicken tenderloin within lime juice or lemon and garnish it with some seasonings. You should also consider making several cuts on the meat for the marinated chicken tenderloins to be properly soaked.
Tenderloins are best cooked healthily by parchment paper baking, poaching, and steaming. If you steam your chicken tenderloins, your moist content and kept inside it easily and this is the most guaranteed way of keeping the moist meat inside, not through the addition to ingredients that are unhealthy. You could also try poaching chicken tenderloins which will be done without the addition of oil or another ingredient such that will make more calories added. All you need to do is to add the meat in salted simmering water that will not allow too much time before it gets cooked. Use parchment paper to bake your chicken tenderloin if you do not want to add oil that could increase the calorie. You will enjoy the delicious sauce that comes with the natural constituent of the juice of the parchment paper and it will also be beautifully cooked.
Related Questions
What Is the Difference Between Chicken Strips and Chicken Tenderloin?
Chicken tenderloins are sometimes referred to as chicken strips which are considered as any chicken part that is cut into a form of strips. If you want to get chicken strips, use the chicken breast, it is considered the best suitable for that. Chicken tenderloins are thus different in that
tenderloins are muscles that are located across the breastbone but chicken strips are chicken meat that is cut into strips.
What Goes Well with Chicken Breast and Tenderloin?
Both chicken tenderloins and breasts can be paired along with the same set of meals because they both taste the same. Check out the following options of side dishes to eat with chicken tenderloins and breasts;
- Roasted or grilled vegetables
- Rice
- Green salad
- Coleslaw
- Potato salad or mashed potatoes.
