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CHICKEN · Portion

Tenderloin

Inner fillet · goujon · sasami

Tenderloin
Tomás Castelazo · CC BY-SA 3.0

The small strip lying under the breast, attached along a tough white tendon. It is the most tender muscle on the bird and cooks in a fraction of the time, which is why it is the natural candidate for skewers, goujons and a lightly seared sashimi in Japan.

Profile

Tenderness88
Fat10
Umami45
Price50

Pairs with

Skewers90
Frying84
Poaching70

Recommended cooking

74°CA few minutes only

It is thin enough that residual heat alone can finish it — pull it from the pan the moment it turns opaque.

How to pick it

Pull the white tendon out before cooking by gripping it and scraping the meat back with a knife; it never softens.

Grading & naming

Should be small, even strips with no tendon sheath left attached after trimming.

Grading systems →

Nutrition · Per 100 g raw edible portion

105kcalCalories
23.2gProtein
0.9gFat
0.3gSaturated fat

Calories & protein →

Next steps

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Temperatures are guidance for whole-muscle cuts. Ground meat and poultry need 71°C / 160°F throughout.