Lean Cuisine Sesame Stir Fry with Chicken

March 28, 2007 | Reviewer: Nicole

SRP: $3.19
Serving: 1 meal, 9 7/8 oz.
Calories: 300
Fat: 9%, 6g
Cholesterol: 13%, 40mg
Sodium: 28%, 680mg
Protein: 17g
Carbohydrates: 14%, 41g
Fiber: 20%, 5g
WW Points: 6 Points

Lean Cuisine says: Edamame and broccoli with white meat chicken and whole wheat vermicellli in a sesame sauce

Nicole says: Upon removal from the microwave, this meal looks pretty depressing. I stirred a bit before it was ready for it’s close-up. The small sauce portion is all at the bottom, so the chicken, noodles, and veggies look naked. Luckily, if you stir up from the bottom you’ll coat the meal in a subtle, yet sumptuously scented, sesame sauce.

This meal is part of the new “Twice the Veggies” promotion from Lean Cuisine and it is no joke. There is a ton of broccoli in here, and a good bit of edamame, too. The edamame is out of the shell, which i suppose makes this daintier to eat, but it’s weird at first when you’re used to in-shell edamame. Both the broccoli and the edamame maintain firmness and a bit of crunch. I didn’t have as many yellow carrots (the new frozen meal fave - what’s wrong with orange?) or red peppers as the cover picture shows, but there were a few in there, serving a color rather than flavor purpose.

The chicken portion consisted of very small cubes, with a appropriately chickeny texture. There were maybe eight pieces, which is pretty accurate w/r/t the LC box photo. The chicken wasn’t particularly flavorful and the sauce didn’t play a strong supporting role.

The noodles are the loss incurred for “twice the veggies” - this is just about the skimpiest noodle portion I’ve seen in a frozen entree. I know a lot of people consider the noodles or the rice a “filler”, but I’m a fan of carbohydrates. I consider them an important part of texture and a conduit for purer flavor experience - I can taste sesame over “vermicelli” noodles better than over chicken or broccoli. The noodles offered are reasonably tasty, just a tad bit soft, and they are whole wheat, so you can feel crunchy-granola good, if that’s your bag. And it means they are not “empty calories” necessarily.

For a 300 calorie meal with a healthy fat, sodium, and carb content, this was reasonably filling meal. Or I was really busy and stressed out after eating it, because I didn’t eat dinner until 9:00 PM and I was fine. But it’s not “filling” in the sense I generally use, meaning I can feel the load of food in my stomach.

This fresh-tasting and reasonably priced meal will give you the energy you need for a full day of office life without making you feel like you’re walking around with a brick in your stomach.

The folks at Lean Cuisine’s PR company sent this meal to HeatEatReview.com as part of their ‘Twice the Veggies’ promotion. Yes, we got this meal for free. If you’re concerned about that the ‘free’ part affecting this review, please check out all of our Lean Cuisine Spa Cuisine reviews.

comments

10 Responses to “Lean Cuisine Sesame Stir Fry with Chicken”

megan on March 28th, 2007

I found the key to evenly coating the meal with the sauce is to shake it gently after heating it and before removing the plastic top. I really enjoyed this meal!
MaryAnne on March 28th, 2007

This looks delicious to me and it looks very close to the cover of the box. I think I’ll buy this one because I rather enjoy not having very many noodles in there and twice the veggies.
Abi Jones on March 28th, 2007

I’m definitely going to try this one (and even pay for it!). I happen to love sesame-esque sauces.
Amy on April 24th, 2007

I thought the vegetables, noodles and sauce were great. The chicken was gross.
Lean Cuisine Sesame Stir Fry with Chicken « on June 15th, 2007

[…] Heat.Eat.Review. gave the dish 3 1/2 stars out of 5. The reviewer, Nicole, has some interesting things to say about the ‘out of the shell’ edamame, and there are some nice tips from other eaters who have commented on the entry. […]
M on June 20th, 2007

This is good, but I hate how EVERY frozen meal has red peppers. I hate the overcooked texture and so I always try to pull them out. Luckily they were big enough in this meal to do that. I also added a few teaspoons of soy sauce to the dish
Linda McCartney Spicy Peanut Pasta with Vegetarian Chicken | HeatEatReview.com on October 15th, 2007

[…] plus they are mushy from the get-go. I’ve had some pretty darn good Lean Cuisines (see Sesame Stir Fry with Chicken), so I know that noodles can be done relatively well. These were relatively inedible. The […]
Henna on February 8th, 2008

I added a touch of tobasco. I agree the red peppers are always gross froze- I guess they add it in for the color.

It tastes pretty good though- i’d buy it again.
Megan on February 20th, 2008

I loved this meal. I am not a huge fan of veggies either but I ate the whole thing!
Renee on July 22nd, 2008

I love this meal, and that’s mostly due to the edamame - it has a unique texture that holds up well in the microwave. I eat this a couple times a month, at least.