There’s nothing quite like a creamy bowl of chicken alfredo. So when we picked up the Marie Callender’s New Orleans Style Chicken Alfredo Bowl, we had high hopes that it would be a tasty frozen meal. Of course, we’ve not had a lot of luck with the Marie Callender’s brand in the past, but our forgiveness comes cheap when there’s alfredo on the table.
This frozen food is easy enough to make. Simply toss it in the microwave for 5 1/2 to 6 minutes and it’s done. You can also cook it in the oven if you’d really like, but that takes quite a bit more time. We went with the fast option this time around. (If you want to see the full cooking instructions, check out our package scans at the bottom of this article.)
As true northerners who come from a land of ice and snow, we’re not really sure what “New Orleans style” alfredo would be. We imagine something like the Devour Cajun-Style Alfredo with Sausage and Chicken. What we don’t imagine, however, is a soupy, oily mess like the one pictured below.
But you shouldn’t let looks deceive you, as this definitely tastes a whole lot better than it looks. Plus, if you give it a good stir, the worst aesthetic qualities are diminished.
The big win here is the sauce. This stuff is delicious and creamy, with a strong garlic-y flavor and just a little bit of kick. You probably won’t find this to be super spicy, especially if you’re quite used to Cajun food, but there’s sort of a lingering ghost of spiciness to this.
The chicken is so-so. Some of it is nice and juicy, while other pieces tend to be a little bit hard. It doesn’t have a ton of flavor, but that doesn’t matter when it’s soaked in this wonderful sauce.
The pasta is round and hollow, which means that sauce gets inside. When you bite into a piece of pasta, sauce oozes out, which makes this a really great shape for this particular dish. Plus, there are red bell peppers scattered about, giving this just a little bit of color.
This is no diet food. With 440 calories and 700 mg of sodium, you’ll want to avoid making this a regular meal. This is for those willing to indulge a little bit rather than those trying to lean up for the beach.
The Marie Callender’s New Orleans Style Chicken Alfredo Bowl is one of the better frozen foods in the Marie Callender’s lineup. While it’s not made for dieters, it has a lovely flavor and a creamy consistency. We’ll be trying to keep this out of our regular meal rotation, as the calorie count is just too high, but we wouldn’t mind having one or two of these on-hand for those nights when we just want to feast on something tasty.
To learn more about the nutrition content, ingredients, or cooking instructions for this frozen alfredo bowl, check out our package scans below.