The Origins of Chicken Fingers: Traditional & Chinese

This Saturday, July 27, is National Chicken Finger Day! Back in 2010, Raising Canes invented this holiday to celebrate the chicken finger, which is their specialty. 

When were chicken fingers invented? Did they originate in Chinese-American restaurants? Let's explore these questions, and others, and seek out its true origins. 

Many sources claim that chicken fingers, and usually referred to as chicken tenders, were invented at the Puritan Backroom restaurant in Manchester, New Hampshire, back in 1974. However, other sources note that there are other contenders for their invention. Nowadays, there are technical differences between chicken fingers and tenders, as fingers can be made from any part of the chicken breast while tenders must come from a muscle located beneath the breast which is called the pectoralis minor or inner filet. Back in 1974, when the term "chicken tenders" was first used, that difference didn't exist. 

There were multiple references, extending at least back to the 1940s and earlier, in newspapers to "chicken fingers" although they failed to mentioned whether they were fried chicken fingers or not. So, it's difficult to accept those references as applicable to our inquiries. 

However, 1966 was a key year in the history of chicken fingers, as there's mention of fried chicken fingers in multiple states. The Standard-Speaker (PA), February 12, 1966, published an advertisement for Mussari’s Sun Valley Restaurant which offered a dish of "French Fried Chicken Fingers with spaghetti pasta, tossed salad, rolls and butter." This clearly predated the Puritan's claim. 

The Valley News (NH), April 2, 1966, had an ad for The Green Lantern Inn, located in Hanover, which offered “Fried Chicken Fingers” in a Supreme Sauce. So, we already find fried chicken fingers in New Hampshire, at least 8 years before their alleged invention by Puritan. 

The Daily Item (MA), August 12, 1966, ran an article about the Chickland Barbecue in Saugus, and one of their specialities included a “chicken finger plate.”  The Birmingham Post-Herald (AL), April 25, 1968, detailed a buffet dinner with “chicken fingers (strips of chicken breasts).” 

The Houston Chronicle (TX), May 28, 1970, provided the above recipe, maybe the first printed recipe in a newspaper. This was published four years before the alleged invention by Puritan. 

With all of these references, it's absolutely clear that Puritan didn't invent chicken fingers. At best, they coined the term "chicken tenders" and helped popularize them. However, I'll also add that all of the newspapers I've reviewed from the 1970s didn't mention Puritan and its alleged invention of chicken tenders.

Now, all of these chicken fingers appear to have been fried as normal, like regular fried chicken, and what we now find at places like Raising Canes, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and many other fast casual fried chicken spots. I'll refer to them as traditional chicken fingers. 

However, Chinese Chicken Fingers usually are prepared differently, with a thicker fried batter, and an amount of air between the batter and the chicken. Such an air pocket generally doesn't exist in traditional chicken fingers. Chinese chicken fingers bear similarity to the preparation for Chinese fried shrimp, often found on Pu-Pu platters. I'll also note that sometimes Chinese chicken fingers are simply known as "Golden Fingers."

So when did Chinese chicken-fingers first appear? Interestingly, they too predate's Puritan's alleged invention in 1974.

Interestingly, the first reference I found to "golden fingers" dealt with shrimp. The Florida Today (FL), January 18, 1970, published an ad for the Hong Kong Restaurant which offered “Golden Finger Shrimp.”

The first documented reference to "golden fingers," which likely was chicken, was from 1971. The Portsmouth Herald (NH), April 24, 1971, had an ad, pictured above, mentioning free “Fried Golden Fingers”with dinner. 

The Transcript-Telegram (MA), May 17, 1972, also had an advertisement for a Chinese restaurant offering “Golden Fingers.”

    

And the first mention of "chicken fingers" came in 1972. The Post-Star (NY), September 12, 1972, published an advertisement for the Peking Restaurant. The ad mentioned their lunch menu and special combination dishes, including the "No.4 Chicken Fingers, Chow Mein and Fried Rice."

Now, golden fingers/chicken fingers certainly could have existed prior to 1971, but they didn't apparently garner any mention in the newspapers until 1971. 

Curiously, the Biddeford-Saco Journal (ME), November 27, 1972, printed an ad for Ying’s Chinese restaurant, mentioning their lunch menu and special combination dishes. This included the "No.4 Chicken Fingers, Chow Mein and Fried Rice." It's an unusual coincidence that two restaurants, in different states, offered the exact same lunch combination. And in fact, all seven of the lunch combinations were the same. It seems likely that the same owners might have been connected to both of these restaurants.  

The Boston Globe (MA), June 17, 1973, discussed the two new Ocean Kai restaurants, one in Hingham and one in South Boston. They offered appetizers including egg rolls, pork strips, barbecued spare ribs and “the most unusual fried chicken fingers.” This seems to imply that chicken fingers might have been a relatively new dish in local Chinese restaurants.  

There were more local mentions of chicken fingers, and during the 1970s, many of the newspaper references would be for Massachusetts. The Boston Herald (MA), December 25, 1973, noted that the Hong Kong restaurant in Harvard Square served chicken fingers. The Boston Globe (MA), June 9, 1974, discussed the famed Kowloon Restaurant, in Saugus, and that they also served fried chicken fingers. 

Texas chicken fingers! The Houston Chronicle (TX), August 30, 1974, mentioned that a Houston Chinese restaurant offered, “An imaginative pu pu platter forms an appetizer tray of ribs, chicken fingers, shrimp and rumaki.” This is the first mention of a connection between chicken fingers and pu pu platters. 

In my prior article, Origins of the Pu-Pu Platter, I noted that the first mentions of the contents of Pu-Pu platters were from the 1950s. One menu stated it included only Fried Shrimp, Egg Roll, Won Ton and Spareribs while another menu mentioned it included Tim Sam (dumplings), Shrimp Vela (fried shrimp with coconut), Egg Rolls, Barbecued Spare Ribs, and Rumaki. In 1961, Bob Lee's Islander, located in Boston, served Pu-Pu Platters "heaped with shrimp puffs, fried won-ton, rumaki, barbecued spare ribs, fried shrimp and barbecued chicken wings,...”

As we can see, chicken fingers weren't initially included in these early Pu-Pu platters. The closest item were the fried shrimp, which were fried in a similar batter to what would eventually be used for chicken fingers. Eventually, chicken fingers would become a staple in many Pu-Pu platters but that would take time.

The Philadelphia Inquirer (PA), October 6, 1974, printed a Chinese restaurant review, noting their Pu Pu Platter had “golden fingers (chicken breasts rolled in batter).”    

Two more Golden Finger mentions. The Nashua Telegraph (NH), February 13, 1975, printed a Chinese restaurant ad, mentioning "golden fingers" while the Rapid City Journal (SD), September 19, 1975, also printed a Chinese restaurant ad, mentioning “Golden Finger.”

The Evening Gazette (MA), February 2, 1976, published a restaurant ad, noting, “Deep Fried Chicken Fingers. Served with white rice and tangy sweet n’ sour sauce.” This is the first mention of the pairing of fingers and a sweet and sour sauce, which would eventually become a norm. The Sun (MA), September 16, 1976, discussed the Chow Chow Cup restaurant in Chelmsford, noting it offered “chicken fingers topped with the tangiest sweet and sour sauce this side of Peking.” 

And The Jewish Advocate (MA), October 7, 1976, in an ad for the Diamond Head restaurant, offered a dinner special with chicken fingers, egg rolls, spareribs, fried rice, chicken chow mein and pepper steak.  

More mentions outside Massachusetts. The Daily Camera (CO), October 11, 1976, ran an ad for the  McDuck’s restaurant which offered “Sweet & Sour Chicken Fingers” which were “chicken fingers fried in tempura batter, and served with rice and a tempting sweet & sour sauce.” The Playground Daily News (FL), December 16, 1976, had an ad for Miss Chen Authentic Chinese Foods, which sold appetizers like chicken fingers, eggrolls, fried wonton and Formosa meatballs.  

The Clarion-Ledger (MS), January 2, 1977, published a Chinese restaurant ad, noting their Pu Pu Platter came with egg roll, BBQ spare ribs, Chinese roast pork, braised chicken wings, and chicken fingers. The St. Paul Daily Press (MN), March 20, 1977, had an ad for the Bali-Hai, a Polynesian-Chinese restaurant, with a dinner special of Chicken Fingers, Porkstrips, Chow Mein, and Fried Rice. The Transcript-Telegram (MA), September 30, 1977, had a Chinese restaurant ad offering a Pu Pu platter with “golden fingers.”

As an aside, it's interesting to note that the Indianapolis Star (IN), October 2, 1977, briefly mentioned that, “The latest British delicacy, rivaling fish and chips in popularity….is ‘chicken fingers’ made of chopped, breaded and deep-fried chicken.” Did chicken fingers actually originate in England? That's an issue I need to research more.   

The Plain Dealer (OH), February 3, 1978, presented a Chinese restaurant ad, which mentioned their “golden fried finger.” The News-Herald (OH), March 10, 1978, had a Chinese restaurant review, which noted a “fried-chicken type dish called Golden Fingers.”

The St. Paul Dispatch (MN), June 29, 1978, noted the grand opening of the Tahitian Room and Aloha Lounge, which served a Pu-Pu platter of chicken fingers, shrimp, beef teriyaki, egg rolls, and spare ribs. 

The Post-Star (NY), September 22, 1978, had a Chinese restaurant ad which offered “golden finger” while the Standard-Speaker (PA), September 30, 1978, also had a Chinese restaurant ad, but offering “golden fingers” on their Pu Pu platter. 

The Star Tribune (MN), February 1, 1979, also mentioned the Bali Hai restaurant again, noting they served, “Chicken Fingers, pieces of white meat coated in batter and deep-fat fried—terrific with the sweet and sour sauce” The Muncie Evening Press (IN), October 26, 1979, briefly mentioned a Chinese restaurant that had Chicken Fingers as an appetizer. The Penascola New Journal (FL), January 11, 1980, stated that traditional Chinese dishes in the area including chicken fingers. 

So, we see that the history of Chinese Chicken Fingers/Golden Fingers extends back at least to 1971 and that they were not just a Massachusetts dish, but we have little evidence of the reasons why they were created. As they are similar to Chinese fried shrimp, it's possible that shrimp was becoming more expensive (which it was during that time period), and that chicken was a less expensive substitute. Second, the popularity of fried chicken, and the creation of chicken fingers at least as far back as 1966, may have motivated Chinese restaurants to capitalize on that growing popularity. And maybe, chicken appealed more to children than shrimp, so this was a way to get more families to dine at Chinese restaurants. 

What is your favorite place for traditional chicken fingers? What is your favorite restaurant for Chinese chicken fingers?

(Revised/expanded as of July 26, 2024, to add references about "golden fingers.")