If you've ever cut up raw chicken breast or tenders before, you've likely encountered those thick, pesky white tendons. Removing said tendons without shredding the chicken to pieces has always seemed like a heroic feat to many home cooks — until now.
TikTok user @raising_krazies recently discovered a chicken cutting hack that makes removing those tendons look effortless. Now, just a few weeks after a video was posted featuring the hack, the brilliant trick has quickly gone viral.
In the video, the TikTok user begins by showing off raw, organic chicken breast tenderloins to viewers and points out the annoying tendon that often makes cutting chicken so challenging.
"I don't know if maybe I'm just late to the game, but I learned that if you take a fork, you slip the tendon into the middle of the fork," she said.
Next, she uses a paper towel to get a good grip on the tendon before working some true magic. "You grab the tendon and you just push down. You can pull the whole thing out!" she said excitedly, amazed at the results.
The results are pretty impressive and @raising_krazies seems to be pretty pleased with her handiwork. She even captioned the post: "Best cooking hack ever!"
"Did anybody else know this? I literally thought this was the coolest thing ever," she said.
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TikTok followers quickly showed their love for the hack, flooding the post with over 600 likes and over 9,500 comments.
"This is amazing! I always end up throwing away a LOT of meat bc I just cut the whole thing out lol," one follower said.
Some social media users even said they've avoided cooking tenderloins in the past because they can be so hard to cut.
"I did not know this! I don't buy tenderloins because of that tendon. I might have to rethink that now! Thank you!!" said another.
So far, the original video has been viewed 3.9 million times and many TikTok users said they're excited to put the cutting hack to the test.
While many people seemed amazed by the creative cutting method, a few folks admitted that they've already been using it for years.
"in 1968 my momma taught me this so the meat could be hammered for making thin stuffable pieces. I don't think you're late it's just a lost skill set," one person wrote.
But is this cutting trick an effective way to clean up chicken or could it actually ruin a good piece of poultry?
"This is one way to remove the tendons," Palak Patel, a chef at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, told TODAY Food. "I’ve seen people use this method, as well as using pliers, to remove the tendons before."
Palek noted that this technique should not be used on smaller chicken tenderloins, however, as they can easily tear apart if you pull too hard on them. Also, you don't actually have to remove every tendon you come across, especially the smaller ones.
"Oftentimes, merely trimming the excess nub of the tendon that sticks out with a knife or kitchen shears is enough. The remaining tendon is very thin, so it cooks away easily," Patel said. "A larger, thicker tendon will toughen as it cooks and can be simply removed with a knife and fork while eating.
"Lastly, cutting the chicken tender down the middle is another way to remove the tendon."