We’ve reviewed PF Chang’s Drunken Noodles before. In fact, this was the first item we ever tried in the PF Chang’s line of frozen food. However, this item comes in two different options, the single-serve box version, which is the version we tried previously, or a multi-serve bag version. Today we’re going to check out the bagged PF Chang’s Home Menu Drunken Noodles to see how this frozen meal stacks up against its boxed counterpart.
Now, one of the key differences is size, obviously, but another major factor in how these two meals are different is cooking method. While the boxed version can be heated quickly in the microwave, the bagged version must be cooked in a wok or a pan. Our food had a tendency to stick to the pan pretty aggressively, but we’re not sure if it was the fault of the pan or the meal. It’s maybe something worth considering if you’re thinking about picking up a bag of these drunken noodles for yourself.
Despite the pan-sticking business, these noodles actually come out looking great.
Cooking this over the stovetop has some noteworthy benefits over microwaving it. In our previous review, we complained that the sauce was a bit runny. That’s not an issue here; this stuff has a great consistency, while maintaining the same great flavor as its boxed counterpart.
Additionally, the chicken comes out much better. We found the chicken in the boxed version to be a little plasticy, which was definitely not a problem with the bagged version. The chicken here is juicy and rich, absorbing a good deal of flavor from the delicious sauce.
Now, drunken noodles are typically known to be spicy. In fact, some people say the name comes from how drunk you could get trying to cool your mouth with alcohol after eating these spicy noodles. However, the PF Chang’s Home Menu version isn’t all that spicy. Don’t get us wrong, there’s a spice factor here, we just don’t think this meal will have you breathing fire or performing cartoon antics. It might clear your sinuses a little and warm your mouth, though.
The bag recommends that you eat less than half of its contents, considering that to be a serving size. However, as an added precaution the bag lists nutrition content for the full thing alongside the nutritional facts for a single serving. If you a single serving, you’ll be downing 250 calories and 760 mg of sodium. If you eat the whole bag, that skyrockets to 560 calories and 1,730 mg of sodium. Wowsers, Bowser!
The PF Chang’s Home Menu Drunken Noodles are better when cooked in a skillet or wok than they are in the microwave, which gives the bagged version a huge advantage over the boxed ones. If you’re going to pick up some of these drunken noodles, you should definitely splurge on the ones that come in a bag.
To learn more about the nutrition content, ingredients, or cooking instructions for this PF Chang’s noodle dish, check out our package scans below.
