Finally following through on a rivetting serious of frozen meal reviews. First up: Healthy Choice’s Grilled Basil Chicken.
I find that a lot of frozen pastas, at least the ones carried at my local Publix, involve cream or creamy sauces (lots of alfredos). I don’t like cream sauces, so I stick with clear or tomato sauces. If I did like alfredo, I don’t think I would bother with a “diet” version of it.
Anyway, it was pretty easy to make. It was a one-step meal: put it in the microwave for 4-5 minutes. I put it in for 4 minutes and 30 seconds, just to be safe, and then let it cool for a few minutes as well. I normally pop these in and then walk away, but I guess a lot of people think they make microwaves stink? I’ve never thought the smell is worse than any other warm food, myself.
This was one of those “steamer” meals (that sounds dirty, but it’s not, I swear) so after it cools you pick up the “basket” and dump it into the warm puddle of sauce underneath, and mix it all up. The sauce looks kind of gross and plasticky, and it is kind of thick and cloying, but it doesn’t taste terrible.
The dish is composed of the sauce, noodles, broccoli, chicken, red peppers, and yellow squash. The noodles had a surprising al dente bite to them, which I liked, especially since I don’t normally care for thicker noodles. The broccoli and squash were of course overcooked, but the red peppers were fine. The chicken was a little gristly; Taco Bell serves better chicken.
I thought the portion size looked small, but I was surprised by how long the food lasted, and how full I felt afterwards. Eating slowly and with a fork really does help you feel more sated after eating. Overall I would rate this meal an OK; it wasn’t terrible but I wouldn’t crave it.