Dr. Gourmet's Food Reviews

Kashi Sweet & Sour Chicken

Sweet & Sour Chicken and Lime Cilantro Shrimp

I have been looking forward to trying the Kashi frozen meals again. I am not sure that I ever thought I would say this about tasting TV dinners, but the last test of their meals turned out pretty good. The Southwest Style Chicken and Chicken Florentine were pretty good. This week I brought home the Sweet & Sour Chicken and the Lime Cilantro Shrimp.

The Sweet & Sour Chicken is also pretty good. Not as good as the previously reviewed Kashi meals, but if they weren't on the shelf this would be a fine alternative. As with other Kashi meals, the ingredients have an almost fresh flavor and texture to them. The chicken is fairly moist and tender, not being dried out as with a lot of frozen meals.

The sauce is a little too sweet, and not very sour, but my sense is that this might have appealed to folks better than a true sweet and sour recipe. As with most of their meals, it is on a whole grain pilaf that has good texture and helps the meal to 6 grams of fiber. A great alternative to overcooked rice or gummy pasta. At 320 calories this is a pretty good meal, but the 600 mg of sodium is a bit high considering the slightly bland flavor.

Today's review is a split decision and the Lime Cilantro Shrimp is a disappointment. The same fresh tasting ingredients are there, as with the other meals, but the folks at Kashi really missed on the sauce. It just simply doesn't have much flavor. It's a bit like the sweet and sour without the sour (even though it's a "lime" sauce). There's no cilantro taste at all and this one is even higher in sodium at 690 mg. If this one was the only Kashi in the freezer case, I'd look for something else.

Posted: November 2, 2007