Kashi Sweet and Sour Chicken

August 28, 2006 | Reviewer: Jess

Kashi Sweet and Sour Chicken Price: $3.00 on sale, free from Kashi
Serving: 1 package, 10 oz.
Calories: 320
Fat: 5%, 3.5g
Sodium: 12%, 35mg
Sodium: 16%, 380mg
Protein: 18g
Carbs: 18%, 55g
Fiber: 24%, 6g
Diabetic Exchange: 3 1/2 carbohydrates, 3 very lean meats
Weight Watchers Points: 6 Points

Kashi says: Sliced chicken with roasted green beans and yellow pepper, red pepper, crimini mushrooms, onions and edamame (soybeans), served over KashiÂ® 7 Whole Grains Pilaf, and topped with a light, tangy sweet and sour sauce.

Jess says: The Kashi food development company totally has a crush on Heat Eat Review and sent us freebies from their new line of frozen meals as a token of their favor. While they did not include a “Do you like me? Circle Yes or No” letter, it was only because they did not want to appear too forward. Well I would have circled “YES” twice with emphasis, Kashi. You have my heart (and my happy belly).

The chicken looks like someone just decapitated the fowl in the backyard, de-feathered it and roasted it just for me. That’s how fresh! Even though I know in my heart of hearts that the chicken died en masse and was frozen for a while somewhere. The edamame is a lovely crunchy addition of protein power. The beans have odd grill marks that distract the eyes, but happily not the taste buds. The sauce tastes somehow mesquitey, which offsets the sweetness in a pleasant tasty way. It’s like eating Chinese food in Arizona. Or like eating BBQ in a Chinese restaurant. Or perhaps like neither of these things. Finally, there are the whole grains that make this filling meal taste somehow wholesome, like malt shops and Disney movies. I was full all day long and only needed to have beer for dinner. It turns out this was a poor life choice but that is irrelevant to this review.

If you go the Kashi website you may become freaked out by their cultish mottos (Ex. “Wellness isn’t a race; it’s a journey. And every day is a new opportunity to live life a little healthier than the day before.”) and emphasis on changing your life by bowel regularity. Don’t let this deter you from buying this meal. It is a good choice, unlike drinking beer for dinner.

Tanya at Iateapie.net also gave this meal a try. She agrees with our assessment of the tastiness of Kashi’s Sweet and Sour Chicken, but notes that it does contain more sugar than you’d expect in a ‘health’ food.

comments

68 Responses to “Kashi Sweet and Sour Chicken”

tanya on August 28th, 2006

I tried the sweet and sour chicken too and loved it. I really like kashi products too and the way they emphasize health and using the best ingredients. of course, I am also pretty gullible so …
Abi on August 28th, 2006

Tanya, I’ve added a link to your review. Thanks for commenting.
Colleen on September 5th, 2006

Damn. My grocery store FINALLY finally go these meals, and I just ate this tonight, and on the inside of the box it said that I could go to kashifrozenmeals.com to take a survey about the product and they’d send me a free meal. Too bad they already have “recieved enough answers for this current study, so it is now closed.”
For the record I would have had to say I think the sauce tastes horribly like ketchup, and I really didn’t like it.
Abi on September 7th, 2006

Colleen,

I’ll have to pick up the sweet and sour chicken to see if I concur with Jess. She has a sort of strange relationship with Chinese food, if you didn’t know:

http://heateatreview.com/2006/05/12/lean-cuisine-sweet-and-sour-chicken/
Joanna on September 8th, 2006

I tried and liked the southwestern chicken. Lots of flavor.
Cindy on September 9th, 2006

I tried the mango something and it was perfect and filling.
barbara welsh on September 10th, 2006

Tried the Black Bean Mango. It was truly delicious…tangy and satisfying. I will definitely try some of the others. I usually do not like frozen dinners, but this was not typical of the frozen dinners I have tried before.
MILLIE on September 12th, 2006

TRIED THE LIME CILANTRO SHRIMP. DELICIOUS!
MILLIE on September 12th, 2006

WHAT HAPPENED TO KASHI MEDLEY CEREAL???
Linda on September 12th, 2006

I JUST FINISHED EATING THE ‘LEMON ROSEMARY CHICKEN’ MEAL AND I REALLY ENJOYED, NOT ONLY THE FLAVOR, BUT THE TEXTURE AS WELL. THE PORTION WAS PERFECT!! I LOOK FORWARD TO TRYING THE OTHER MEALS AS WELL! I’VE BEEN BUYING YOUR CEREAL FOR A WHILE NOW AND I JUST BOUGHT SOME KASHI CRACKERS!
Abi Jones on September 12th, 2006

Millie-
If you’re looking for information on Kashi products, I recommend visiting their website at http://www.Kashi.com.
Linda Cole on September 13th, 2006

I TRIED THE lIME CILANTRA SHRIMP,,, it was wonderful got the sweet &sour going to try it today … i love most of the kashi products can’t wait to try the new oatmeal they don’t have it here yet . we eat all the other oatmeal ita very good to.the kashi products are so healthy for u.has good fiber just what we all need .
mary curry on September 15th, 2006

I tried the chicken pasta pomodoro and I liked it, I will try some of the other dinners as well.

Thank you, Mary curry
kathy mcgahey on September 17th, 2006

the best frozen meals i’ve ever eaten.thanks
hilary on September 18th, 2006

As a nurse I see first hand what a poor diet can do to the wiastline, blood pressure, and health in general. I take my lunch for many reasons; some of which are to control my caloric intake, increase healthy choices for myself, and to resist the urge to eat the ever present junk food on the unit. I have tried almost every brand out there. And there are a lot of really disgusting things out there being called a meal! Not to mention the amount of sodium in most of the diet/ lo cal versions would endanger most peolples’ health, unless drinking 2 gallons of water to even things out is something you enjoy! I have tried all of the varieties of the New KASHI meals and I love them! Very flavorful, lodts of whole grains, and a very reasonable amout of sodium. Even a few of the Dr. ’s have inquired as to what smells so good when I am heating up my meals and now are trying them too! Thank you for a lovely addition to my day, and to my health!
mary on September 20th, 2006

All the new Kashi frozen dinners are great. Finally, a frozen meal that’s good and I don’t have to feel guilty about.
mary on September 20th, 2006

Finally–great frozen dinners that I can enjoy guilt free and healthy too.
Loretta on September 21st, 2006

I tried your cereal and your sweet and sour chicken. They are soooo good. I would buy them again. I love the fact that they are organic. My daughter has food allergies so I have been trying to feed her organic foods. She even likes your cereal.
Ruth on September 22nd, 2006

Just discovered the Kashi frozen dinners. I tried the black bean with mango. It was delicious. I demo products in a grocery store on the weekends. I’m going to request this one if it ever comes up. I can’t wait to try the rest of them. Highly recommend Kashi products.
Mary Jo on September 23rd, 2006

Kashi

You have done a great jo b with the frozen meals! You put the others to shame. The Lemon Rosemary Chicken meal is great and so different from the usual frozen dinners. Keep up the quality and great taste. Thanks.
Gretchen Rogers on September 26th, 2006

Folks,
I’ve tried two different Kashi frozen dinners and both of them gave me severe indigestion. I love Kashi cereal, eat it every morning, I love cooked Kashi in the winter time, I can’t figure out what’s in the frozen dinners that’s not agreeing with me. Dissapointed, was looking forward to a new choice for frozen dinners. Can’t remember the first one I ate but last night I had the Lemon chicken with green pea pods. Tasted pretty good but still gave me indigestion. Just thought you ought to know

Gretchen Rogers
Karen Hamburger on September 27th, 2006

Tried the Chicken Pasta Pomodoro yesterday and I really liked it. I dont usually eat frozen dinners but I like every thing I have tried from Kashi so I took a chance! I would have prefered more squash in it but then I LOVE squash and the more there is the better.
I am going to try the Black Bean Mango next. I hope you come out with more vegetarian selections in the future
THANKS KASHI!
Karen
Anita Mitchell on September 28th, 2006

I agree that these dinners by Kashi are some of the most flavorful and filling frozen meals I have purchased. Today I ate Sweet&Sour Chicken, really enjoyed the aroma as it cooked in the microwave and the wonderful taste. I look for your product now, as I first tried the Lime Cilantro Chicken, then the Rosemary Chicken. I’m glad to have found your frozen meals!
hplaetzer on September 29th, 2006

tried the lime cilantra shrimp. has good flavor,nice size shrimp,easy prepperation. wtll buy again.
Debbi on October 3rd, 2006

My favorite new Kashi frozen dinner is the Sweet and Sour Chicken. I love the ‘crunchy’ consistency of the pilaf and peas. I would prefer that the green beans were just a little bit more cooked; they tend to taste a little raw. The chicken is very tender and the sauce is delicious. My biggest concern is the price and will only buy the dinners when on sale.
drew on October 4th, 2006

a lot of the reviews on this product seem fake for some reason
Abi Jones on October 4th, 2006

Drew-

That’s probably because there are a lot of fake product reviews out there. You really can’t trust a lot of food review sites because you don’t know what makes people tick and just who is paying for the review.

These meals were donated by Kashi, but you’ll probably find that the ratings line up pretty well with other reviews from that reviewer. That’s part of why I didn’t review the shrimp meal. I already don’t like microwaved shrimp, so what good would my review do someone?

But back to your point. I definitely, definitely agree that there are some shady reviewers out there. I trust Tanya at Iateapie.net for her takes on diet food (plus she has a Ph.D. in food science) and a few others for their honesty.

I do not at all trust so-called ‘review’ sites that happen to like everything they try. That doesn’t help anyone. Oh, and though I haven’t tried this meal yet, I plan on offering my own review of Kashi’s Sweet and Sour Chicken in the future.
Joan on October 4th, 2006

Hi,

I just tried the Black Bean Mango and loved the flavor. Just enough peppers and onions and of course the mango added just the right amount of sweetness. I enjoyed with an avacodo and some juice, this made a complete lunch that I could enjoy at my desk.

Thanks for going frozen. It’s hard to find good food to eat in a hurry.
Beverly on October 5th, 2006

I tried the Mango Bean entree, and thought it was very tasty. Parts were more spicy than others, which means I did not stir it enough, I think. It was also satisfying. I appreciate that you included a vegetarian meal, and hope you will add others.
Cheri Griffin on October 7th, 2006

I was extremely skeptical about the Sweet and Sour Chicken dinner. I took it to work with me for lunch. It was outstanding. I am going to the store today and get more. Keep up the good work!
Joan Zapata on October 10th, 2006

I love your cereals but want to try the frozen meals as I am looking for something filling and good for my lunches at work — I am tired on lean cusines and looking for something that is more appealing
Orcelia Louden on October 11th, 2006

I got your $1 coupon in the mail. I saw your meal at my local super market, they were on special. Of course I had to try one. Lemon Rosemary Chicken was my dinner that night. It was so good I went back the next day and bought more. This is the first time that I have had a micro wave dinner that tastes like real food, really GOOD food. Thank you Kashi.
Sherry Haffer on October 11th, 2006

Kashi meals are wonderful. They have helped me to lose weight and to control my diabetes.
Sheryl Fiedler on October 11th, 2006

This was awesome! I bought the frozen dinners because I loved your Blueberry Cereal and granola bars. I love that they are healthy, satisfying and it tasted GREAT!! This was my favorite kind! Keep them coming and keep running the specials! Thanks Kashi
Kandy Kahn on October 11th, 2006

Kashi frozen meals ROCK
Barbara Miller on October 12th, 2006

I just tried the Lemon Rosemary Chicken for the first time. I was very impressed. Nice aroma, tasty, and decent size portion. I think it is an excellent improvement over other “healthy” frozen entrees’ I have tried. I am planning on trying all of the others and I will keep them in the freezer at work so I know I will have a healthy balanced lunch waiting for me. It’s about time someone came up with this great food idea!
Kimbee on October 13th, 2006

I am so glad Kashi started offering frozen meals. My family has been eating Kashi cereal for about six months and love all the varieties. The Kashi crackers are very good also. I tried the sweet & sour chicken (good but the sauce was a little tangy),the Lime Cilantro Shrimp had good flavor but I have to say the shrimp were on the chewy side. I tried the southwest chicken and it was very good. I have to say that my favorite is the Rosemary Chicken. It is something I can make fast for dinner that is VERY easy, good and nutrious. Both of my children ( 3 & 5 years old ) are on a very strict diet and they love the Rosemary chicken. I have bought 15 meal, some with coupons, but I think they are very well worth the price and I will continue to buy them and try the other two flavors.
julie on October 16th, 2006

I tried the Sweet and Sour Chicken last night for supper, it was delicious. I had a salad on the side. What a great low calorie, low fat and high fiber dinner. Just what Weight Watchers ordered!
I just bought 4 more dinners.

Thank You
Shannon Lord on October 16th, 2006

I was skeptical, but they are very good. I buy them for lunch at work to stick to my WW. I found a 4 pack at Costco (2 Sweet & Sour Chicken and 2 Chicken Pasta Pormadoro) for $9.99.
Colleen on October 21st, 2006

Woah. After donating these meals to you guys, Kashi has sneakily crashed the comments section.
Celeste Williams on October 22nd, 2006

I’m so excited about the tip on Costco - I am about to get back on the wagon with my frozen entree diet and LOVED the Kashi entrees- loved them. I tried the Go Lean cereal a couple of years ago while on WW and did not like it at all. But the frozen Kashi dinners is making me want to purchase their pilaf in a box.
Sally Takashiba on October 23rd, 2006

Yum-yum! I have always been a die-hard fan of Amy’s entrees, but your sweet and sour chicken and black bean in mango sauce have completely sold me. The tastes are so different and unique- the perfect blend of spices. And, I love the 18 grams of protein you get with the sweet and sour chicken. For those of us who work out- it’s terrific!
Maxine Wheaton on October 25th, 2006

I have tried your frozen Lime Cilantro Shrimp and The Southwest Style Chicken. Loved both of them. I also love your cereals. Eat some every day.
Will always have one or two of you frozen meals on hand.
Evelyn Tofte on November 1st, 2006

I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. The only cereal I eat is Kashi Crunchy with blueberries and strawberries. I also have enjoyed the snack bar.
John L on November 5th, 2006

Best frozen meal I’ve tasted in years. Tastes fresh and home made. The
texture and flavors melt in you mouth. I want to try the others now that I’ve
tasted this one. I was really suprised and whished for a second one after
I finished the first. Although it was sufficent by nutritional sandards.
Kudos again
Martha Olvera on November 9th, 2006

I just tried your product and it was excellent. I’m diabetic and my sugar was low as I have not had a morning snack. I made it my noon meal and it is enough to carry me to supper time. The carbs will be digested slowly so I won’t get a high sugar level right away.

I’ll definitely continue to buy your products!
barbara arcidiacono on November 13th, 2006

I tried the sweet &sour chicken taste great. I also have the southwest that was also good. Kashi will be my entrees from now on. I had the dollar coupon to try the entrees. That is the way to introduce people to try them.

Barbara
Dale on November 18th, 2006

The Sweet and Sour Chicken is one of the best frozen meals I have tried! It is excellent.
nancy joseph on November 18th, 2006

I loved the Rosemary chicken, it was a nice change from the other frozen entrees. I had a coupon for buy one get one free and that was a great way to try them. It also helps me at work to stick to WW.
Edith Harman on December 4th, 2006

Wonderful flavor and lively crunchy grains. A delicious filling dinner and easy to prepair on the run.
Jay on December 27th, 2006

we have had more than one of your products keep up the good work. it’s nice to finaly have some good food that is quick to fix.
Mo on December 30th, 2006

I bought two Kashi frozen dinners, but after purchase realized they offer no non-microwave cooking instructions. Lots of us who like to eat natural foods, eschew microwave ovens. So what gives? Why can’t we get an oven temp and time to cook Kashi the natural way?

While the box says ‘heat to 160 degrees, cook thoroughly’, not everyone keeps a thermometer on hand just to check a frozen dinner. I tried to log onto Kashi.com and found that you have to give all your personal info. including birthdate, address, etc., etc., just to ask this question, which apparently is not even covered under FAQs. Too much hassle! Too bad, because the dinners look very good.

Mo
Syrra on January 2nd, 2007

This was indeed, tasty foods. Thank you HeatEatReview.
Rachel Cook on January 9th, 2007

I’ve tried and enjoyed some of your breakfast cereals and enjoyed them
very much. I recently bought the Southwest Style Chicken and the Lime
Cilantro Shrimp. Today I had the S. Style Chicken and lunch and have to say
I really did not like it. It has an odd undertaste. I hope the Shrimp meal
will be much better. I won’t be buying the Southwest Style Chicken again.

Rachel
Juli on January 19th, 2007

I really enjoyed the Kashi frozen meals. I tried one for the first time on Tuesday and it was wonderful! Filling, without being heavy.
Rachel on January 19th, 2007

Today I tried the Cilantro Lime Shrimp and was disappointed.
I expected a savory flavor, but it was sweet and I couldn’t taste
the cilantro. I even added some shrimp to the food (there were
only 5 tiny shrimp in the frozen meal). I won’t be buying any
more of these.
Mary on January 21st, 2007

I tried the Sweet and Sour Chicken and thought it was very good. I also tried the
Lemon Rosemary Chicken but didn’t like it as much, thought the chicken was too
soft and it didn’t have much flavor. I will try some of the other dinners as I think
your product is better than other frozen meals I have tried.
Lois Wright on March 12th, 2007

I love it!!!!!!!
Happy Birthday HeatEatReview! | HeatEatReview.com on April 3rd, 2007

[…] 58 Number of comments on Jess’s review of Kashi’s Sweet and Sour Chicken […]
MaryAnne on April 3rd, 2007

This is unbelievably hilarious. Thanks for the laugh. I feel almost sad for the sheer fact that there are this many unintelligent people not realizing this is NOT the Kashi website. LOL.
Heather on April 5th, 2007

Awesome. This cracks me up almost as much as my favorite knish comment section.
Ashley on April 9th, 2007

I have had several of the Kashi frozen entrees, and as much as I buy Kashi foods, you would think I work there (I don’t). This was actually the first of their entrees that I’ve tried and really didn’t like and likely won’t buy again. There seemed to be less chicken than others (Southwest Chicken for example), and the sauce was sticky syrupy sweet. I’m guessing that due to the high calorie content of the sugar/carbs, they had to skimp on the healthier ingredients like veggies and chicken. I like the other Kashi entrees that have a lighter sauce with more complex flavors. The onions were mushy, as were the peppers, the mushrooms were practically microscopic (I think I was able to find 2.5 fingernail-sized mushrooms), and the sauce….well… You may as well have coated my chicken in molasses. I’m surprised so many people liked it.

I loved the Southwest Chicken and Chicken Pasta Pomodoro, as well as many of the Kashi bars and cereals, but this dish really needs some improvement.
Alison Schoen on April 9th, 2007

I didn’t know how to identify the sweet & sour sauce taste, but another post did it for me - syrupy, sugary, ketchup. I stumbled onto this website looking for the box contents label to check out what ingredient could have possible caused this ridiculous headache I got within 30 minutes of eating. The sodium content isn’t as high as most soups, but my mouth has been watering for 90 minutes straight since eating. Overall the whole meal was just “wrong”, I won’t even eat the other 2 still in my freezer. Will never buy another Kashi frozen meal again.
Hibachi House Mandarin Orange Chicken | HeatEatReview.com on July 2nd, 2007

[…] reformed chicken surplus parts here, just lots of real meat. And the sauce makes this thing great. I have used this term before but the sauce was highly mesquitey in a down South barbecue molasses sort of way. I liked it a lot. […]
Freda on September 24th, 2007

I tried your Black Bean Mango Dinner and I love it. It has the right crunchy good tast I love.
Natasha on March 3rd, 2008

Kimbee said her kids are 3&5 and she has them on strict diets. COME ON NOW! 3 and 5 year olds on diets? thats utterly ridiculous. if you want to be a health nut then by all means do, but dont force that type of lifestyle and complex on your children. putting them on strict diets, and monitoring the foods they eat are two TOTALLY DIFFERENT THINGS! you dont have to let your kids gorge on twinkies and ho hos but its also wrong to put them on strict diets that the average adult cant live up to. theyre going to grow up with all these food hang ups. some poeple are just … well crazy.
Willow on March 27th, 2008

Very disappointed with Kashi Sweet & Sour Chicken. The chicken porttion was pathetically small, and I found more than one piece unchewable due to gristle. I guess I misunsderstood this review forum. I assumed the 5-star rating was an average of many reviewers. I tried to download the template to leave a review that was more representative of my experience, but was unable to do so. Reader beware.
Happy Birthday, Heat Eat Review! : Heat Eat Review : We Review TV Dinners, Frozen Meals, and Microwavable Foods on April 18th, 2008

[…] 67 Number of comments on Jess’s review of Kashi’s Sweet and Sour Chicken […]