Chiral effects cannot be described by means of the classical theories of continua. In the context of the strain gradient theory of porous elastic solids we study the deformation of a chiral cylinder subjected to torsion, extension and bending by terminal couples. This work is motivated by recent interest in using the chiral continuum as a model for some auxetic materials, bones and carbon nanotubes. The problem is reduced to the study of some two-dimensional problems. We show that the torsion of a chiral cylinder is accompanied by extension, bending, and a variation of the volume fraction field. The solution is used to investigate the deformation of a circular cylinder.