Hungry-Man Hearty Chicken Parmigiana

April 2, 2007 | Reviewer: Guest Reviewers

Today’s Guest Reviewer is Marvo from The Impulsive Buy.

Price: $3.00 on sale
Serving: 1 tray, 16 oz.
Calories: 720
Fat: 46%, 30g
Cholesterol: 20%, 60mg
Sodium: 78%, 1880mg
Protein: 37g
Carbohydrates: 25%, 75g
Fiber: 28%, 7g
Weight Watchers Points: 16 Points

Hungry-Man says: Hearty chicken parmigiana with spaghetti in marinara with a garlic bread stick.

Marvo says: I thought a Hungry-Man dish would be perfect for me to review. After all, I was hungry, I am a man, and they were on sale at the grocery store where I shop. Oh wait a second, let me double check that “man” part…

Yup, I’m an outie not an innie.

My love for mediocre Italian food was the reason why I decided to pick up the Hungry-Man Hearty Chicken Parmigiana out of all the other Hungry-Man choices. Sure, I could get one of those ‘healthy’ microwave Italian meals with vegetables, less fat, and the ability to make me hungry an hour later, but the bold banner on the lower left hand corner of the Hungry-Man box that said “1 LB. OF FOOD” called to me, much like the ghosts did to Carol Anne through the television in the movie Poltergeist.

While I watched my meal rotate in the microwave for five and a half minutes, because the “1 LB. OF FOOD” banner on the box told me to, I wondered if the noodles would be too tender, like a Lifetime Channel movie. The noodles turned out to be just right, but the marinara sauce tasted like a particular bottled pasta sauce. I’m just not sure which one.

As for the two pieces of breaded chicken, the breading didn’t make them crispy and the edges were a little tough, but they were good when combined with the spaghetti and the mozzarella cheese on top of each piece of chicken.

The bread stick included in the meal was in the microwave for only 45 seconds, but those 45 seconds turned a frozen piece of bread into a chewy piece of bread. Also, the bread stick had a lot garlic grease around it, which made it tasty but also made it kind of slippery. So if you’re in prison and in the shower with it, you might want to think about putting a rope around it.

Overall, the Hungry-Man Hearty Chicken Parmigiana was a tasty meal and filling for this formerly hungry man. Although, there proportionally wasn’t enough spaghetti for the two pieces of chicken and I felt there could’ve been more mozzarella cheese on top of the chicken because I like calcium. Despite these minor issues, I would probably eat it again, but only when my blood pressure goes down, since it has enough sodium to possibly turn me into a salt lick.

comments

22 Responses to “Hungry-Man Hearty Chicken Parmigiana”

Ace N. on April 2nd, 2007

Marvo on HeatEatReview? This is like the culmination of all things I love but have learned to long for out of fear of rejection.

Anyways, this meal was my first review and it was a rather scathing one. Indeed, Swanson has singled me out as the sole reason for their company going under. I found the noodles to be overcooked, the bread to be chewy, and the “chicken” to be ridiculously soggy and funny-tasting. But then again, I like a lot of crap food so my opinion wavers dramatically and should never be listened to by a rational human being.

BTW, to all you Hungry men and women, I have been noticing a lot of $1.77-2.00 sales for Hungryman at different supermarkets. Maybe because they use the same meat as the poisoned dog food, I can’t be certain.
Tanya on April 2nd, 2007

78% of the daily requirement for sodium! That’s a bit too much.
Bob on April 2nd, 2007

yee, now thats a review that I can heat and eat!!
Amanda on April 2nd, 2007

Hungry-Man meals just freak me out. It’s the pictures. And the packaging. Something about that bright blue box and the 1 LB OF FOOD! declaration… To me it’s an unsettling combination that just screams: W HOLE WHOLE LOT OF MYSTERY MEAT HERE!!! But after months of HER observations, I could almost ALMOST have brought myself to buy a few of these when they went on sale at Publix last week- but that slimy, slippery breadstick up there? That just sealed the deal for me. No Hungry-Man meals. Ever. I’m shuddering just thinking about it.
Domokun on April 2nd, 2007

Huh. This just isn’t the right place for you. It’s so beige. Fine, show my supports ‘n’ stuff ‘n’ give my Marvo his props. Yo!

How much sodium again? Keerist. No way. My doctor wrote me a note and everything. No go. Thanks for taking one in the arteries for the team, babe.
MaryAnne on April 2nd, 2007

Gross. Seriously seriously gross.
Angie on April 2nd, 2007

Ha. Rope around the breadstick. Thanks for the Monday laugh.
Lynn Place on April 2nd, 2007

Have you tried Michael Angelo’s Chicken Parmesan? I would be interested in how you think they compare.
Webmiztris on April 2nd, 2007

“So if youâ€™re in prison and in the shower with it, you might want to think about putting a rope around it.”

lmao! Marvo, you slay me every time!
Chuck on April 2nd, 2007

I always find that the breadstick tastes kind of funky in the Hungry-Man Italian dishes. Even when I use a toaster oven to heat it up it still doesn’t taste normal. However, I generally like the main course part. My favorite is the lasagna.
Nicole on April 2nd, 2007

All this disgust about a brand that, when reviewed on HER, has only received star ratings of less than three on a single meal? Madness.
Melis on April 2nd, 2007

Marvo, funny review as always. Although I cannot say I will ever be hungry enough to eat one of these meals.

Yikes, and the sodium!

Hee hee, I agree with Domokun, this place is awfully beige for you!
Marvo on April 3rd, 2007

Ace N. - Maybe I’ll end up on Here To Eat…and take it over!

Tanya - Eh, I’ve eaten much worse.

Bob - Just don’t heat and eat at the same time.

Amanda - What if it said, “Hungry-Woman”?

Domokun - It’s a review blog, so I feel very comfortable during my visit. I’m like the drunk uncle at the family reunion.

MaryAnne - I could show you a food item that’s even worse, but Abi would probably ban me if I did.

Lynn Place - Sorry, I haven’t tried it. I don’t think we have those here.

Webmiztris - I wonder if it would be the same in a woman’s prison.

Chuck - Use the bread stick the mop up the sauce and it’s all good.

Nicole - Madness…or genius. Okay, I don’t even know what that means. Nevermind.

Melis - If I came over to your place and stole all of your food, I think you might reach that point.
Amanda on April 3rd, 2007

Marvo: I don’t mean to imply in any way that it’s the “man” part of the Hungry-man brand that eeks me out. Because I am a hungry woman. And lover of meats and cheeses and big juicy burgers. Oh god and bacon?! I love bacon. And garlic bread and macaroni and cheese, and FRIED CHICKEN. Man I am telling you- I get excited about food. And beer. Really cold, delicious beer. Like Spaten’s Optimator “Doppel Bock”. MMmmmmmm. It’s just got to be some latent memory of a Hungry-man trauma that haunts me. Or it’s the terrible nutritional value.
Jessica on April 3rd, 2007

Marvo, you are a damn funny guy! But, what just happened here? Marvo on HER? A little disconcerting….
Crow on April 4th, 2007

Please tell me you washed your hands after checking if you were “an outie not an innie,” and before you touched any food.
Marvo on April 5th, 2007

Amanda - I think what haunts you is either the old style aluminum trays or cherry cobbler.

Jessica - You said, “Marvo on HER” Heh. Heh. Heh…I’m so lame.

Crow - Nah, I didn’t wash my hands. I figured the microwave will kill whatever I have.
Heather on April 5th, 2007

Speaking of mystery meat, one of my friends sent me the following link this morning in attempt to amuse herself…

http://www.conagrafoods.com/promotions/banquet_promo.jsp

Note the free coupons for Banquet at the bottom of the pictures. I just dare one of you to do it and review them. Double dog dare. You too, Marvo.
Marvo on April 6th, 2007

Heather - Eat them all at the same time? That’s worse than when I tried to eat everything on the McDonald’s Dollar Menu in one sitting. …but a double dog dare…
Jake on April 25th, 2007

I just tried to eat one of these and almost puked! Stick with the fried chicken dishes.
Organic Test Kitchen .com » Blog Archive » Home Cooked Vegi’s as a Convenience Food (Real Fast Real Food) on August 12th, 2007

[…] as I was chopping veggies I started thinking that instead of a “Hot Pocket” or a “Hearty Man” type of dinner disaster I’ll be having home cooked veggies with a taste that’s […]
Red Icculus on January 4th, 2008

Hungry Man? More like Dehydrated Man with all that sodium!