Welcome! This is the first post on this website! I look forward to trying/reviewing meals and posting them on this blog. It is a new hobby for me, but one I anticipate enjoying quite a bit. I hope you find my first review usefull and please drop a comment if you have time. Thanks, Patrick

    Today’s Lunch entailed the Country Fried Chicken frozen dinner from Boston Market which is priced at $3.49 at a local grocery store. Like most other selections, the picture on the box was scrumptious, so I had to select this meal for review and for survival.

3 stars: good rating
     This meal consist of a Breaded Chicken Patty with Home style Mashed Potatoes, White Gravy, and a Side of Peas & Carrots. The marketing hype from Boston Market suggest:

“We use tender all white meat chicken dipped in a seasoned batter. It’s served up with country gravy and our Homestyle Mashed Potatoes along with a side of tasty peas & carrots.” http://www.bostonmarketfrozen.com/products/dinner.aspx

 Nutrional information  is as follows:

 

 

 

Nutrition Facts
Calories 470
Calories from Fat 220 % Daily Value*
Total Fat 24G 37%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Trans Fat 1g  
Cholesterol 50mg 16%
Sodium 1430mg 59%
Total Carbohydrate 44g 15%
Dietary Fiber 6g 24%
Sugars 10g  
Protein 21g  
Vitamin A 110% * Vitamin C 10%
Calcium 8% * Iron 8%

The Review

 

Appearance and Packaging
The presentation after opening the box was not impressive. The potato’s were actually hidden underneath the fried chicken mixed with the gravy.  The vegetables appeared healthy and colorful. The container was solid enough to support the weight of the food.

 A seperate gravy packet would help the presentation quite a bit. It would also allow the customer to control how much gravy gets on the food for odvious taste and health reasons.  Another suggestion that would help the look of this meal would be a seperate area for the potato’s to hang out so it all does not end up looking like hog food mashed together in a trough. 

Consistency
The vegetables appeared to be fresh, steamed and firm which are my favorite. After biting into them, they were soft and “cheap” feeling. The fried chicken crust was soggy as expected, but the chicken texture was actually fork and plastic knife tender. The mashed potatos were completely creamed.

Taste and Flavor
The most important thing ofcourse is the taste, and this meal did deliver with the exception of the vegetables. The basic flour gravy tasted fresh and comporable to what you would find at high quality restaurant or home made.

The fried chicken, which is the flagship of this meal delivered in taste. Like the gravy, it was cooked in a more traditional fashion fried in batter, with no suprise spice/flavors. It did also appear to be a high quality peice of breast meat which the gravy complimented nicely.

The mashed potato’s also made a great showing “after un-hiding them”. They tasted and probably were real potatos as opposed to instant. Again, hope you like the gravy mixed in with them (I do), because the gravy and potatos were already mixed. Leave the salt shaker alone, these potatos already were seasoned with plenty, I did add a bit of pepper though.

Overall
I made it through half the vegetables soaked in butter sauce before losing interest.  The flavor of the fried chicken, cream gravy, and potatoes is where this dinner shines. Kudos Boston Market! No, I did not leave any scraps in that arena.  The meal was generally a tad bit salty for my taste, but as you can see did not keep me from going without. The quantity was enough where I felt comfortable but not stuffed. I was satisfied with this purchase, and will probably purchase again , especially if it can be found cheaper than $3.49. I give it a 3 out of 5.