noun
chicken tender; chicken tenderloin
Refers specifically to the tenderloin muscle of chicken, a lean and tender cut.
ささみは脂肪が少なくてヘルシーです。
Chicken tenderloin is low in fat and healthy.
今夜はささみの唐揚げを作ります。
Tonight I'll make fried chicken tenderloin.
Kanji spelling using 笹; rarely used.
胸肉 is chicken breast, a larger cut that includes the tenderloin; ささみ is the smaller, more tender strip inside the breast.
The name ささみ is said to come from the shape resembling a bamboo leaf (笹, ささ), but the exact derivation is uncertain.