We’re always curious to see how Michelina’s frozen meals will end up tasting. While this is a budget-friendly brand (typically on sale for $1.50 per meal or less), we’ve found some surprisingly competent options in their lineup. They make a mean mac and cheese, for example, and their buffalo pizza bites are quite good.
So we’re not sure what we’re going to think of the Michelina’s Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken & Broccoli. While the $1.25 price tag suggests this could be a dud, our history with the product line gives us hope that this could be another diamond in the rough. And the people seem to love it! This has a 4.5/5-star rating on the Michelina’s website.
So let’s dig in.
First, of course, we must cook it. That’s easy enough: Simply pop this into the microwave for three minutes, give it a quick stir, and pop it back in for about 90 seconds longer. There’s nothing to it, really. (If you want to read the full cooking instructions off the back of the box, check out the package scan at the bottom of this review.)
Now, we point this out every time we review a Michelina’s meal, but there is no inner carton here. No, when it comes to Michelina’s, you’ll be eating your food straight out of the box. This is certainly not a dealbreaker, but it does mean these frozen meals won’t last quite as long is the freezer as their counterparts at Lean Cuisine or Stouffer’s. Keep that in mind if you decide to stockpile these (it’s always tempting to go hog wild when these are on sale for a buck a piece).
This isn’t the first time we’ve reviewed a Michelina’s fettuccine. The last time we tried one (the plain Fettucine Alfredo), we thought the sauce ended up overly runny. That’s not the case this time, however, as our alfredo sauce had a lovely, creamy consistency to it. The flavor is surprisingly rich, too, making this whole meal feel a lot less cheap than it otherwise could have.
Unfortunately, the chicken tastes a bit plasticy, and it has a rubbery consistency. Plus, it’s cut into tiny cubes, which doesn’t really do it any favors. While the sauce might cover the fact that this is a budget-friendly meal, the chicken definitely wears its cheapness on its sleeve.
The broccoli is also cut into tiny cubes, but there are a lot fewer of those than the chicken bits. What’s here tastes overly salty for some reason. We’re not sure what that’s all about, but it’s honestly not as much of an issue as it could be in a different type of meal. The saltiness sort of blends into the creamy sauce, and while it’s not the best flavor combo in the world, it works well enough for what it’s trying to do.
If you’re looking for a diet-friendly pasta option, this isn’t a bad one. With only 230 calories and 650 mg of sodium, this is definitely on the lighter end of the frozen food spectrum. Then again, it’s also not very big, so if you pack one of these as a full lunch, you might end up hungry by the time 3:00 rolls around.
So what’s our overall impression of this budget-friendly pasta? Well, if not for the cheap chicken, the Michelina’s Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken & Broccoli could have tricked us into thinking it was a more expensive meal than it actually is. The sauce is pretty dang decent, and the broccoli certainly doesn’t ruin it. But that chicken is always there to remind you that this was a bargain find.
To learn more about the nutrition content, ingredients, or cooking instructions for this frozen meal, check out our package scan below.
