When it comes to frozen chicken selections at the grocery store, there's no shortage
of choices. We even have an excellent frozen non-chicken option. While the list isn't endless,
there is plenty to choose from. Grab one of these popular brands and you can't go wrong.
A quick Google search will reveal that there are mixed feelings about this
box of frozen fried chicken, but we're here to tell you to tune out the haters:
Banquet's Original Crispy Fried Chicken is one of the very best in the biz.
Celebrated in many forms — including cakes, apparently — their recipe has been around for over
65 years. It brings the undeniably American flavor of fried chicken right to your freezer.
It is wonderfully non-greasy, and against all frozen-food odds, always cooks to a perfect crisp.
Banquet created this delicacy to be accessible to even the least
culinarily-inclined people. Anyone can pop these babies in the oven!
But according to multiple reviews,
Banquet allegedly recently updated their Original Crispy Fried Chicken recipe. While
the old recipe was a consistent hit with reviewers, things recently took a turn.
Fear not! Banquet's PR team is on the case, and if their responses lead us to believe anything,
it's that whatever change did occur in the recipe won't last long.
Like most Trader Joe's creations, the Mandarin Orange Chicken tastes like it was made by a person
who really cared. The flavor is perfectly balanced: sweet, salty, and, ultimately,
maybe the most savory item you can pluck out of the low-lying freezers at the famous grocer.
But don't just take our word for it! According to Trader Joe's, the Mandarin Orange Chicken
is consistently voted by consumers as the number one overall favorite product.
The brand wrote, in a blog post promoting the fan fave.
"And why wouldn't it be? Tender chunks of juicy chicken in a crispy breading,
coated with a house-made sauce of fresh California orange peels, fresh ginger,
fresh garlic, fresh green onions, and soy sauce... Heck, even we're drooling at the thought."
Dare we say that Tyson's Fully Cooked Crispy Chicken Strips are among the
most highly-reviewed frozen chicken ever? That's a claim that is hard to substantiate,
but these bad boys have over one thousand reviews on Mercato.com and 4 stars on Walgreens' website.
Didn't know so many people were passionate enough about frozen crispy chicken strips to actually go
review them? Neither did we, but apparently Tyson's is the brand to beat in that realm.
The bag of chicken typically retails around $15 for 25-ounces, and on the packaging, Tyson assures
consumers that these strips are fully ready to eat. Simply microwave or toss them in the oven.
Not only are these strips crispy and ready-to-eat, but they are made from
chicken that was raised without antibiotics and are guaranteed as preservative-free.
"We've been working too hard. Time to kick back a bit; shake those tail feathers!"
Foster Farms has truly done the inconceivable:
taken fried chicken like you might find at a stadium or carnival, frozen it,
and packaged it up in one perfectly sized bag. Just look at these winners.
The strips, which are quite large compared to the rest of the contenders on this list, are just as
ideal for dipping as any other chicken finger. Foster Farms refers to them as "crowd pleasers,"
and we'd agree that crowds are probably where this specific frozen chicken brand really shines.
They're made to go front and center at a Super Bowl party, in all their crispy, fried glory.
"Well Foster Farms chicken has no added hormones!"
"Well, I wish you didn't have any added negativity!"
"High five!"
"Yeah!"
As any amateur connoisseur might be, we saw the name here and were immediately
skeptical. Just how great a value could these chicken breast strips actually be?
The Great Value Breaded Chicken Breast Strips are, first and foremost, indeed a great value.
At just $6 for 40 ounces, they are perhaps the best value in frozen chicken.
But pricing aside, these strips stack up based on flavor alone.
Reviewers say they come out of the oven tasting "tender,
buttery flavored and delicious," and "better than some name brands."
Many fans of the Great Value Breaded Chicken Breast Strips cite their full-family appeal
as a reason to buy, and we can see why. They're plain enough to please any kid,
while also packing tons of flavor to keep adults satisfied, too.
Applegate Naturals' Grilled Chicken Breast Strips are almost in a league of their own
when it comes to frozen chicken. Why, you ask? Unlike the others in this roundup,
there is no heating necessary for these absolute champions.
While a quick microwave hit may definitely make the flavor pop, you can just store these
in your fridge and grab a few to top a salad or round out a sandwich whenever the urge strikes.
They come grilled and seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, and black pepper,
making for a snack that's not only super convenient, but also really health-conscious.
And, while we've learned that the frozen chicken field is a divisive space in terms of reviews,
Applegate Naturals Grilled Chicken Breast Strips tend to do positively on feedback forums.
It's only natural that Costco would come up on the list at some point here.
And leave it to the nationally-adored superstore to come out with the most
seemingly simple, yet highly praised, rendition of a product.
In this instance, "high praise" extends beyond online reviews:
the Just Bare Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks are a Tik Tok sensation.
According to the social media masses, the Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks that you can find
at Costco taste like an at-home replica of Chick-fil-A's delectable chicken nuggets.
Of course, there is room for debate — but after one mother-daughter duo posted
a video comparing the two, it started trending and hoards of viewers agreed.
Apparently, it's all in the shape, the size, and the bread-to-meat ratio. That,
and eating the Just Bare chunks with the Chick-fil-A sauce doesn't hurt.
On our list, there are several options that offer a true bang for your buck.
Kevin's lemongrass chicken is not one of them. This package of pre-made chicken typically
retails for around $15 for sixteen ounces, so you're shelling out about a dollar per ounce.
But, as you might imagine, you very much get what you pay for.
Made from coconut milk, basil, and hints of garlic, the sauce is paleo and keto-friendly,
making it the ideal quick dinner option for those who are adhering to even the
strictest of diet regimens. And when we say quick,
we mean it; Kevin's guarantees that this dish will be ready in under five minutes.
Here we have a Target specialty — their in-house brand, Good & Gather, often nails it
on the food front, and this organic, skinless, boneless chicken is no exception to that rule.
This chicken requires slightly more effort to get from freezer to plate than others on this list,
but in the longer process lies possibility. These chicken breasts can become whatever
you want them to be, and since they come ice glazed and thin cut similar to these slices,
odds are they will transform into something great.
At $12.99 for two pounds of chicken found in Target's grocery section,
the resealable bag truly does pack the value, and Target-shoppers seem to recognize that.
It's hard to even look at the name of these delectable strips without getting hungry.
Frozen, blackened chicken strips? Sign us up. The trick here is that we aren't the first,
nor will we be the last, to pick up on the beauty of this Tyson creation.
For that reason, although these are some of the all-time greatest,
they can often be hard to get your hands on; more often than not, they're sold out. But
if you luck out and are able to grab a bag of these bad boys, you're in for a treat.
The blackened flavor, which Tyson describes as "simple" and "zesty," with a pinch of heat,
is incredible — perhaps the best flavor profile on this list. As one customer summed it up:
"The heat is there, but it isn't the kind that lingers and makes you want to cry or avoid it."
Seriously, what more could you ask for from a frozen meal?
A great that goes by two names, this bag of chicken was originally deemed
the fairly simple, "Kirkwood Breaded Chicken Breast Fillets." However,
in a sure sign of the size and dedication of its following,
this frozen chicken option is now also known as the more-elusive and fun "Aldi Red Bag Chicken."
A frozen chicken bag’s fandom isn't always easy to measure — exact numbers can end up being somewhat
hard to track. However, when it comes to the Red Bag Chicken, there's a simple way to measure
just how many fanatics there are out there: they have a Facebook group with over 20,000 members.
In the group, dedicated consumers post recipe tips, profess their love,
and perhaps most crucially, share where they found the coveted Red Bag Chicken.
Amidst complaints that this specialty, like Tyson's blackened chicken strips above,
can be difficult to nail down, the power of social media has united fans across the country.
And finally, for those who love frozen chicken but are weaning off meat, an incredible option
from relatively-new-to-the-market brand, SIMULATE: plant-based chicken nuggets.
These meat imposters taste arguably better than the real thing, and have been specially
created to be just as juicy, tender, and battered as any option on this list.
They use soy protein to recreate that signature chicken flavor, but in an ironic twist,
these nuggets actually contain about 25 percent more protein than animal-based options,
according to a press release by the company. They are easy-to-eat, but perhaps even easier to cook:
just zap them in the oven for 15 minutes and you'll be good to go.
You can find this delicious chicken alternative at Walmart, Target, Sam's Club, and Whole Foods,
where you'll get around 20 nuggets for just $5.99, making this one of the cheaper options
in this roundup in addition to one of the most environmentally and health-conscious.
"Now all you have to do is hold the chicken. Bring me the toast. Gimme a
check for the chicken salad sandwich and you haven't broken any rules."
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