Product Review: Gardein Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick'n

I went to the store after work, hungry, and worried about what I'd make for dinner, when I happened upon this, which I'd never seen before. It looked good, sounded better, and I knew I had to try it that night with some jasmine rice and a broccoli, yellow bell pepper, carrot and onion stir fry.

It was great! This was a perfect, 20 minute meal, that tasted great and left us feeling happy, satisfied, and healthy. I pan fried the chick'n pieces in a small amount of oil until the inside was warm and tender and the outside was crispy, then added the sauce. Preparing this alone would have taken less than 10 minutes, so if you had leftover grains, you could easily make a whole meal in about 12 minutes.


I was worried that the sauce would be way too sweet, and it was just a bit sweet, but with 4 or so drops of shoyu, it was perfect. You could add some ginger juice or chili pepper flakes if you wanted a little heat. The chick'n had a buttery flavor and tender texture, with the perfect amount of crispness.


We've tried it a few more times, and loved it each time. The last time I made it, I added some stir fried carrots, ginger juice, red pepper flakes and the juice of one small tangerine (because I was adding so many carrots, and needed to stretch the sauce) to the glaze while it cooked, then served on a bed of jasmine rice, topped it with white and black sesame seeds and scallions, along with a side of blanched asparagus.


JD says it's as good as, or better than some of the poultry versions of Mandarin Chicken he's had. He also thinks most omnis wouldn't miss anything if they tried it this way.

I have already bought it again, for those times when I don't have time to make anything from scratch. I could definitely see us enjoying this once a month or so. It's so buttery and delicious, not to mention easy! It about as fast as Chinese takeout would be, too. Maybe even faster, and much healthier. We highly recommend Gardein's Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick'n.