Categories: Dieting & Weight Loss

Product Review: Sweet and Sour Chicken by Kashi

Kashi, the Seven Whole Grain Company, has a line of frozen dinner entrees. One of these is the all natural Sweet and Sour Chicken. The entree consists mainly of grilled chicken breast with a sweet and sour sauce, edamame (looks like little lima beans), roasted green beans and yellow peppers, and a whole grain and sesame pilaf.

Kashi is known for their cereal products, including granola bars and snack bars. They are known for their “Go Lean” Crunch Cereal and snack bars, such as the Go Lean granola bars. Many people don’t even realize they have make frozen meals, including pizzas. Well, Kashi makes a line of frozen entrees, and one is the Sweet and Sour Chicken.

Other Frozen Entrees

Kashi has six frozen entree selections. Other than the sweet and sour chicken, you have a choice of Lime Cilantro Shrimp, Lemon Rosemary Chicken, Chicken Pasta Pomodoro, or Southwest Style Chicken. Vegetarians can also try the Black Bean Mango entree.

Taste and Quality

I love the Sweet and Sour Chicken. It tasted great, and I will definitely repurchase the product. What was best about the taste was I knew that I was eating something really good for me instead of the traditional microwave meal.

The sweet and sour sauce was pretty sweet, and was thick. It cooked up last when microwaved. When I first looked at the sauce, it looked to me like sauce you would find at any chinese restaurant, because it was a bit lumpy before you mix it together with the rest of the meal. But, I know it came from healthy ingredients, so I don’t think it was anywhere near the same as most chinese restaurants.

The roasted green beans were different. They had an incredible flavor- the best frozen entrees green beans I’ve ever had. They had grill marks on them, like they were cooked on a grill. I always love edamame- it’s like lima beans but with a sweeter taste. The peppers weren’t too spicy so I was able to eat these too, although with some other entrees I will pick around these.

The chicken was okay. The quality could have been a bit better. As for the pilaf, this had to be the best part. Instead of eating some pure starch, with not much nutritional value like regular pasta noodles, I was eating 7 whole grains and sesame. The taste was great- especially thanks to the sweet and sour sauce.

The overall taste was delicious! When microwaving, be sure to stir the product a couple of times during the process so the edges of the meal don’t get overdone and tough.

Price and Value

The Kashi frozen entrees sell for a little over $3. Compare this to Lean Cuisine Dinner Time Selects or Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers, and you come up with a similar price. The Kashi may be a bit more, but it is so good for you! I think the price still makes this product have alot of value. The size is large enough to fill you up at dinner, and the nutritional content makes it a good value.

Nutritional Content

The Kashi Sweet and Sour Chicken has 18 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber. There are 0 grams of trans fat. There are only 320 calories, which is less than most Lean Cuisine Dinner Time Select Frozen Entrees, but a little more than the Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers. Sodium content is relatively low at 380 mg. As for sugars, there are 25 grams. This is a bit high for a nutritional product, but still is low in general. Compare this to a single bottle of Gatorade at 34 grams of sugar.

As for Vitamins, you get 6% of the recommended daily allowance for Vitamin A, 6% of Calcium and 10% of Iron. This is a bit limited, but the dish only has a small amount of vegetables, so…. Perhaps they could add more vegetables to increase the Vitamin content.

Overall Recommendation

The Kashi Sweet and Sour Chicken frozen entree is a great product. I will buy more. I like the overall taste of the product, and the whole grain makeup. I would recommend more vegetable content for a higher vitamin value. The price is reasonable and the nutritional content in all is good. I recommend the product for children and adults, as well as for families on a budget. It’s easy to fix in the microwave in about four minutes!