Fingers, goujons, strips, tenders, or fillets, a rose by any other name. Regardless of what you call them, they are not just for the kid’s menu. Chicken fingers are an excellent comfort food that should be enjoyed by all! Join us as we discuss this versatile meal option.

I tell people all the time that my children are Chicken Finger connoisseurs. They will eat Chicken Fingers at River City Cafe, Nacho Hippo, Pawley’s Raw Bar, or just about anywhere. Chicken fingers are a food they will never grow weary of! But they don’t have to just be food for kids. Personally, I can’t imagine a world without these flavorful, juicy, and fried strips of heaven, and to be honest, I don’t want to try.

Let’s get this out of the way first. No, chickens do not have fingers. Chicken fingers are made from the pectoralis minor muscles of the chicken. In everyday words, they come from the lower part of the breast meat. But any cut of chicken breast will work to make chicken fingers.

Savannah, Georgia, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Manchester, New Hampshire, have all claimed to be the inventors of chicken tenders. However, there is a general consensus supporting the claim from Manchester. You might be shocked to learn that chicken fingers came about in the 1970s. Before that, cooking the whole bird was generally accepted in the 1950s and 1960s, but people started to prefer eating boneless and skinless breast meat. Following Southern traditions of breading and frying everything, it would only be a matter of time before someone cut those boneless and skinless chicken breasts into smaller pieces and threw them in a fryer.

The name supposedly came about from The Puritan Backroom restaurant in 1974. No one knows for certain how the name was created. However, they are meant to be eaten easily with your fingers, but the fact they are shaped a bit like human fingers contributed more to the name than anything.

How popular are chicken fingers? According to statistics: extremely! According to Statista, 182.91 million Americans ate chicken fingers in 2018. Basically, a whole lot of people like chicken fingers.

Although they are not the healthiest option on the River City Cafe menu, they are a lighter alternative to some of our more adventurous burgers. At River City Cafe, you will find our hand-battered chicken fingers served with your choice of homemade avocado ranch, honey mustard, or BBQ sauce. Served with a generous portion of our famous fries and slaw, this is a meal designed to satisfy!

 

River City Cafe has seven locations to serve you along the Grand Strand. Visit your closest location today! Need directions? Visit https://rivercitycafe.com/locations/

Did you know that River City Cafe is part of the Divine Dining Group family of restaurants? Check out our sister restaurants, view our open staff positions, and/or purchase gift cards for your next visit here: https://divinedininggroup.com/