Smart Ones Chicken Enchiladas Monterey

January 22, 2007 | Reviewer: Abi

Price: $2.00 (on sale)
Serving: 1 package, 9.5 oz.
Calories: 310
Fat: 15%, 10g
Sodium: 31%, 730mg
Protein: 12g
Carbs: 14%, 41g
Fiber: 21%, 5g
WW Points: 6 Points

Smart Ones says: Two flour tortillas filled with tender chicken, smothered in a spicy tomato and pepper sauce paired with a side of southwest style rice and corn.

Abi says: I am disappointed with Smart Ones for three reasons. The first reason is that they used flour tortillas in the enchiladas. That is just dumb. Who uses flour tortillas for an obviously corn-tortilla-based item? Smart Ones, I guess.

I was going to go on to the next reason for not liking these enchiladas, but I’m not done with the first one. Did you know that Jessica Alba has an enchilada recipe? Really, it is on Epicurious.com under the title Jessica Alba’s Chicken Enchiladas. Even Jessica Alba knows to use corn tortillas.

Smart Ones’ egregious tortilla choice made me wonder just how many other chefs/cook-like folks make the mistake in using flour tortillas for enchiladas. It turns out that only 10% of enchilada recipes use flour tortillas. Bravo to you, recipe creators.

Ok, on to reason number two: chicken mush. According to the photo on the package, these tubes of tortilla contain loads of saucy shredded chicken. Yum. Too bad that’s a complete falsehood: the “chicken” in these “enchiladas” is unrecognizable as a form of meat. As I’ve said before, I like to know when my meat comes from an animal. In the case of these enchiladas, the animal could be described as a salmon-colored sea slug rather than tender poultry. I’d like some fealty when it comes to photos that appear on frozen meal boxes.

Topping off the gruesomeness of the chicken was the meager side dish. Nothing says ‘unbalanced’ like and rice alone. I’ve made it clear in past reviews that a portion of rice and beans would make for a significantly better dish that’s more filling and offers better nutritional value.

Until that meal is invented, you’ll need to avoid Smart Ones’ Chicken Enchiladas Monterey and head on over to Lean Cuisine Fiesta Grilled Chicken (5 Points) or Smart Ones Southwest Style Adobo Chicken (5 Points). Yeah, those are both rice-heavy choices, but they are only 5 points and this meal is 6 points.

Is there anything good about this meal? Yes, the sauce is piquant and plentiful. There’s enough in this dish to cover up the pink chicken mush and make a nice rice-mix.

Wondering why we’re still featuring a bunch of Lean Cuisine, Smart Ones, and Healthy Choice frozen meals? This is diet-food month on HeatEatReview.com, so we’re only giving you reviews of nutritionally-skewed items that offer the barest hope of losing weight before the chocolate onslaught of Valentine’s Day sets in. Don’t worry, according to Cybele’s CandyBlog Countdown (halfway down the page on the right sidebar), the season of candies will be over in 76 days (today is Monday, January 22nd), then you can spend the summer shopping in farmer’s markets and really doing something good for yourself.

comments

4 Responses to “Smart Ones Chicken Enchiladas Monterey”

Molly on January 22nd, 2007

I’ve put off sharing my own reviews with you, but when it comes to this meal I feel compelled to share my review. I feel your pain sister.

http://community.livejournal.com/micro_eats/5104.html
Jorge on January 23rd, 2007

This brand never really lived up to my expectations, but it could be worse I figure.

At least it’s not shoe leather steak.
Sheri on April 5th, 2007

Your description fit the chicken enchilada meal just right! Nasty and mushy.
Maddie on November 7th, 2007

Ok, this was completely revolting. Being on a diet of course I’m really really hungry. This was so awful I couldn’t finish it. A first. I thought the smart ones pizzas were bad…