Calories: 300
Fat: 3 g
Fiber: 4 g
Protein: 15 g
Sodium: 500 mg
Carbs: 53 g
"Chicken Tenderloins with Rice and Vegetables in Authentic Spicy Brown Sauce"
Whenever I order Chinese takeout or go to a Chinese restaurant, the first thing I look for on the menu is their General Tso's. If they don't have that specifically, then I search out the closest alternative in the area of spicy chicken. Bearing the General Tso's name, this dish has a lot to live up to for me.
Luckily, unlike the Sweet Sesame Chicken, this meal did not disappoint.
For a boxed meal, I was pleasantly surprised at the heat put forth by the brown sauce. If you aren't a fan of spice, I recommend avoiding this meal. I would have preferred more spice personally, but I'm the kind of guy that goes into an Indian restaurant and orders a dish at "Indian Hot", as they call it. The sauce has excellent flavor that makes up for the fact that the chicken has not been deep fried like its very unhealthy namesake, and complements the other ingredients well.
The chicken was of good quality, as only one piece had that annoying "dry" texture; and the rice accompanied the rest of the dish excellently. Unlike the sesame chicken, where a different kind of rice would have improved the overall taste, the brown sauce was strong enough that it allowed the rice to act as a proper bedding that helped balance the flavor. The vegetables added a nice element of crunch to the dish, though very little in regard to the overall taste. They added some very subtle flavors, but nothing outstanding that really enhanced the sauce itself.
Though it may be somewhat off topic, I question the soybeans listed in the ingredients. Not the quality of them, but whether or not they are actually soybeans. Given the texture and taste of the "beans" individually, I would go so far as to say that these are actually peas. Even after searching online to compare the two, I have yet to find a soybean that looks as much like a pea as these do. But I digress...
The only real complaint I have about the dish is that it may be too salty. The jump in sodium between the Sweet Sesame Chicken (330 mg) and General Tso's (500 mg) is quite drastic, and is evident in every bite. At times it is difficult to distinguish whether I am tasting the heat of the sauce or the saltiness, though in the end I'm sure that the added sodium works to enhance the spiciness overall.
Despite its higher sodium however, it is still much lower than say, a Lean Cuisine sandwich such as the Chicken Club Panini. You get an entire dish of the General Tso's with 500 mg of sodium, while a single serving of the Chicken Club Panini consists of 675 mg of sodium. That is a 7% difference in the % Daily Value!
I had high expectations of the General Tso's Spicy Chicken from Healthy Choice, and it lived up to those with very few exceptions. The meal was delicious and definitely satisfied my spicy side.
Needless to say, the General Tso's Café Steamer will continue to be a staple in my frozen-lunch repotoire for a long time to come.
In Short: "YUM!"
*** Overall Score: 4.5 / 5
Be sure to check back next time for part 3! What promises to be "the best of both worlds", the Sweet & Spicy Orange Zest Chicken!
For additional information from Healthy Choice on this product: Click Here
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