Chicken Breasts vs. Cutlets vs. Tenderloins: What's the Difference? (2024)

FAQs

Chicken Breasts vs. Cutlets vs. Tenderloins: What's the Difference? ›

The thing that really sets the breast and tenderloin apart is that chicken tenders have a higher fat and sodium content. Even still, they're both lean and healthy white meat options that can adapt to many flavor profiles.

Chicken breasts are larger, thicker, and more plump, whereas the tenderloin is far more petite, thin and narrow, and a bit more delicate.

Some people think that chicken tenders are just strips cut from the breast of the chicken. But in fact, the tender or tenderloin is an independent secondary muscle that lies directly under the breast. Sometimes, the whole breast is removed, which includes the tender; sometimes they are removed separately.

Since they're located on the underside of the breast, it's just a smaller region to grow in comparison. It will take two chicken tenderloins to be equal in size to a whole chicken breast. This is important to remember in case you ever need to substitute between the two based on an ingredient list.

Recipes with Chicken Cutlets

Just like a chicken breast, there isn't much you can't make with a chicken cutlet. The big difference between the two is the speed: Thinner chicken cutlets cook much quicker, making them an easy go-to for weeknight meals.

Tenderloin

Found under the breast cut, tenderloin meat comes from both sides of the breastbone and isn't attached to the ribs. Due to its location, it has a tender texture and is moister than most white meat cuts. It is perfect for breading and frying for a family-friendly dish.

Thighs may be Chef Jamie Oliver's favorite part of the chicken, or at least the bit he thinks is tastiest. Dark meat is juicier and firmer than the breast, and it's generally less expensive. It has more flavor, too. The bones in the thighs make them less comfortable to prepare and eat, though.

You can even use them interchangeably in pretty much any type of chicken recipe. The thing that really sets the breast and tenderloin apart is that chicken tenders have a higher fat and sodium content. Even still, they're both lean and healthy white meat options that can adapt to many flavor profiles.

Chicken tenders or chicken tenderloins are white meat and besides being smaller than the breast, taste exactly the same as breast meat and are tender and moist when cooked properly.

Chicken breast tenders range from $3.99 to $6.99, with organic options between $8.49 to $9.99. In our experience, chicken tenderloins typically cost more than chicken breasts, likely because each chicken only contains two small tenderloin pieces compared to the larger, more substantial breast meat.

Are chicken tenderloins healthy? ›

Chicken breast tenderloins are healthy white meat that contains only a little more fat than the larger breast pieces. Like the breast meat, the tenderloin has less fat and fewer calories than dark meat pieces like the legs and thighs.

To yield 2 cups of shredded chicken, you'll need approximately 12 ounces of cooked chicken or 1 pound raw. In terms of cooked meat, this looks like 2 chicken breasts, 4 chicken thighs, or the meat from half of a rotisserie chicken.

Chicken cutlets are also very popular, but known as chicken schnitzel. Both lamb cutlets and chicken schnitzel are a staple of Australian children's cuisine. Amongst most Australians of Italian descent, the term schnitzel is replaced by the term cutlet.

There are two occasions when you'd want to pound a chicken breast. First is when cooking them as breaded cutlets or naked paillards, and second is when rolling them around a filling before baking or pan-roasting them.

First of all, they are thinner, much thinner. This is why they are so moreish, just enough tender meat on the inside of a golden breadcrumb crust. But it's the crust that makes cutlets special. A mixture of breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, oregano and parsley adds a salty, herby flavour that makes these quite addictive.

Underneath the chicken breast is a piece of meat called the tenderloin. Attached to the tenderloin is a tough, white tendon. It can be left in and cooked, however it is more pleasant to eat if removed.

Also known as chicken fingers, chicken goujons, chicken strips or chicken fillets, tenders are chicken meat prepared from the pectoralis minor muscles. These strips of white meat are located on either side of the breastbone, under the breast meat (pectoralis major).

The chicken breast may be the go-to protein for fitness and nutrition gurus, but as Sutton points out, it doesn't have to be. The pork tenderloin matches up nutritionally and has fewer calories and cholesterol.