How Many Calories Are in a Chicken Breast Tenderloin?

Chicken breast tenderloins are a lean, versatile, and easy-to-cook cut of chicken that has become a staple for health-conscious home cooks. But when counting calories, it’s important to understand exactly how many are in a chicken breast tenderloin. In this article, we’ll provide a deep dive into the calorie count, nutrients, and all the factors that affect the calories in a chicken tenderloin.

What is a Chicken Breast Tenderloin?

Let’s start by being clear about what part of the chicken we’re talking about. The chicken tenderloin, which is also known as the inner filet or tender filet, is a small muscle in the shape of an oval that lies below the larger chicken breast. Chicken tenderloins are commonly sold boneless and skinless. They are mildly flavored and soft, which makes them great for quick cooking.

Nutrition Facts for Raw Chicken Tenderloins

Before you look at the nutrition facts for cooked chicken tenderloins, it’s helpful to look at the nutrition facts for raw chicken tenderloins. For a 4 oz (113g) raw chicken tenderloin, these are the averages:

• Calories: 120
• Protein: 26g
• Fat: 1g
• Carbs: 0g

This provides a baseline to understand how cooking impacts the calories and nutrients

How Cooking Method Affects Calories

The cooking method significantly affects the final calorie count of chicken tenderloins. Methods that add extra fat like frying increase calories while methods like grilling baking, or poaching keep calories down.

Here’s how popular cooking methods impact calories:

• Baking: Minimal effects, adds around 10 calories per serving.
• Grilling: Also minimal impact if no fatty marinades are used.
• Pan-frying: Adds a significant amount of calories via absorbed oil, up to 100+ extra calories.
• Deep-frying: Adds substantial calories and fat from the frying oil.
• Poaching or Boiling: Very minimal calorie changes since no fat is added.

In general, dry heat methods like grilling, broiling, baking, or air frying are lowest in added calories. Wet cooking methods add variable calories depending on if and how much fat is present.

Calorie Count for Common Cooking Methods

Now let’s look at estimated calorie ranges for various cooked chicken tenderloin preparations:

Baked or Grilled

• Calories: 130-140
• Protein: 30g
• Fat: 2g

Pan-Fried

• Calories: 220-260
• Protein: 30g
• Fat: 15g

Deep-Fried

• Calories: 270-310
• Protein: 30g
• Fat: 18g

Poached or Boiled

• Calories: 120-130
• Protein: 30g
• Fat: 1g

These ranges account for preparation methods only. Additional ingredients like batter, breading, sauce or oil will further increase calorie counts.

Factors That Change Calorie Amount

Several factors lead to calorie differences in cooked chicken tenderloins:

• Size: Larger tenderloins have more calories than smaller.
• Thickness: Thicker cuts may have slightly higher calories than thin.
• Cooking oil: Type of oil and amount used impacts calories.
• Breading: Breading adds carbs and calories.
• Marinades and sauces: Ingredients like sugar and fat increase calories.
• Frying method: Deep-frying adds more fat than pan-frying.

If you know about these things, you can change how you cook or what you use to make your chicken tenderloins lower in calories.

Tips for Reducing Calories

If you’re looking to control calories, here are some tips for preparing chicken tenderloins:

• Use dry heat cooking methods like grilling, broiling, baking, or air frying.
• Avoid deep-frying or pan-frying in oil.
• Skip batter or thick breading.
• Limit high-calorie sauces and dressings.
• Use herb rubs or citrus marinades instead of creamy sauces.
• Measure oil and sauces carefully to control portions.
• Grill on a rack to allow fat to drip away.

With some simple modifications, you can keep chicken tenderloins as a lean, flavorful, and low-calorie protein option in your diet.

Chicken Tenderloins for a Healthy Diet

Chicken tenderloins are a good source of high-quality protein that your body needs to build muscle, repair tissue, and satisfy your hunger. A 4 oz portion contains around 30g protein.

They are also rich in nutrients like niacin, selenium, vitamin B6 and phosphorus. Niacin helps convert food to energy, selenium acts as an antioxidant, vitamin B6 supports red blood cell production, and phosphorus maintains bone health.

When prepared using low-calorie methods, chicken tenderloins can be part of a healthy diet. Enjoy them in moderation along with plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains for balanced nutrition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are chicken tenderloins healthier than chicken breasts?

Chicken tenderloins and breasts have a very similar nutritional profile. Tenderloins are slightly lower in calories and fat compared to chicken breasts. Both are excellent lean protein options.

How many calories in breaded chicken tenderloins?

Breaded chicken tenderloins contain significantly more calories, around 150-180 calories for a 3 oz breaded tenderloin. The breading adds extra carbohydrates and fat.

What’s the healthiest way to cook chicken tenderloins?

Grilling, broiling, baking, poaching, and air frying are healthiest. They use little or no added fat. Frying adds significant calories from the oil.

How do chicken tenderloins compare to nuggets?

Chicken nuggets are higher in calories, fat, and carbs because they are chopped chicken meat combined with batter or breading then fried. Tenderloins are whole cuts of chicken without batter.

Can you eat chicken tenderloins raw?

Raw chicken is not recommended. Chicken must be thoroughly cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F to eliminate the risk of salmonella and other foodborne illness.

The Bottom Line

A 3-4 oz chicken breast tenderloin contains 90-140 calories when prepared with low-fat cooking methods like grilling, broiling, poaching or air frying. Breading, frying, and high-calorie sauces will increase the calories. Chicken tenderloins can be part of a healthy diet when eaten in moderation and prepared with care to avoid excess calories.