Midwesterners are proud to claim the fried pork tenderloin as their own. The deep-fried frisbee of a sandwich recalls the German schnitzel, with only a hamburger bun hoisting its floppy girth.

Technically, this form of chicken is made from the pectoralis minor, which is a small piece of meat found under the chicken breast. Chicken fingers can be made from this meat, too. However, some ...