While some of our reviewers are vegetarians through and through, we do have some folks on staff who like eating meat. You might even say we’ve got a “mega” hankering for meat… For those people, Banquet’s Mega Meats line is just the thing to knock a meat craving upside the head.
Today we’re checking out the Banquet Mega Meats Garlic Parmesan Boneless Strips. We’ve really been on the hunt for some good boneless chicken to heat ‘n eat, so we’re hoping these hit the spot.
Of course, before we put these to the taste test, we must cook them. According to the box, you can heat these in the conventional oven or the microwave. We’re going to be honest here: On this particular morning, we don’t feel very patient. Our tummies are rumblin’ so we’re going to go with the microwave here.
One thing that’s easy to miss is that this meal also includes a side of mashed potatoes. That actually makes this slightly more effort to heat, as you’ve got to remove the chicken strips and microwave the mashed potatoes for a minute, then put the strips back in the tray and microwave for two more minutes. After that, you’ll stir the potatoes and rearrange the chicken strips, then microwave this for two and a half to three and a half more minutes. Whew!
Now, that’s admittedly not a hugely exhausting or time-consuming process, but it’s more effort than you’d expect from a simple microwaveable meal. (If you want to read the full cooking instructions straight off the box, check out the package scans at the bottom of this review.)
After all that microwaving, the nuggets end up a little bit soggy. They’re not horribly rubbery or anything; they’re just a bit soft and damp. We actually think that baking these in the oven would have resulted in a much better consistency. As far as flavor, though, these are actually very good. The chicken itself is wonderful, and the garlic parmesan seasoning really sells it. The seasoning isn’t super powerful, and it has a nice amount of saltiness to it.
The mashed potatoes are really bland, especially compared to the chicken strips. There’s a little bit of a garlic flavor to them, but that’s kind of just there to cover the blandness. The texture is light and fluffy, which is good, but the flavor is just all garlic and nothing else. We think we’d have preferred this meal without the mashed potatoes, to be honest.
We do have to admit, though, that this is a fantastic-smelling dish. It comes out of the microwave with a mouthwatering scent that made us want to dig in immediately.
This certainly isn’t made for dieters and calorie-counters. With 560 calories and a whopping 2,530 mg of sodium, you’re definitely making a commitment if you decide to chow down on this mess of food. Those numbers certainly ain’t small. You won’t want to make this a regular meal.
The Banquet Mega Meats Garlic Parmesan Boneless Strips is a decent-tasting meal with a mediocre batch of mashed potatoes. The chicken strips are great, but the potatoes really knock down the overall quality level a notch. Plus, that sodium level is off the charts — steer clear of this if you’re looking to reduce your sodium intake.
To learn more about the nutrition content, ingredients, or cooking instructions for these frozen chicken strips, check out our package scans below.
