Lean Cuisine Chicken Tuscan Panini

January 10, 2008 | Reviewer: Jess

Lean Cuisine Chicken Tuscan Panini Price: Provided by PR Company
Serving: 1 panini, 6oz.
Calories: 340
Fat: 12%, 8g
Cholesterol: 12%, 35mg
Sodium: 25%, 590mg
Protein: 21g
Carbs: 15%, 45g
Fiber: 16%, 4g
Sugar: 4g
Weight Watchers Points: 7 points

Lean Cuisine says: Tender white meat chicken, peppers, olives, tomatoes and margherita-style sauce on Italian herb bread

Jess says: During the holiday season, I hear a lot of people talking about losing and/or keeping off weight. They say this a lot, as if the power of the declaration will make all the temptation of green and red sprinkled donuts, ginger bread lattes and holiday food stuffs from business consultants disappear.

It wouldn’t surprise me if this time of year was a boom season for Lean Cuisine and may explain why my Giant is being so grinchy about their sales on my LC favorites. If you are willing to pay full price for a Lean Cuisine, I’d again encourage you to stay away from their Paninis. All of these sandwiches that I’ve tried (this would be the second, the first was the Chicken, Spinach and Mushroom variety) are best called stale-toast-inis and offer very little in either substance or taste. The bread uses the technology of microwave toasting sheets to come out hard, crusty and unappetizing. The fillings, which are entirely average tasting, are meager. The resulting itty-bitty square of food disappears quickly and leads to a cheated, empty, still-hungry feeling after lunch that puts a damper on the rest of the day.

Remember that the key to losing weight is smart eating and sweating in the sauna that is over-crowded malls. Starvation, on the other hand, often leads to binging on the free foodstuffs in the office kitchen at 3:19 pm and a strange sense of shame upon being caught having eaten it all by your repulsed coworker. Mmm, assorted chocolates.

comments

27 Responses to “Lean Cuisine Chicken Tuscan Panini”

meg on January 10th, 2008

i disagree. I love all these paninis!
I get soft bread with crusty edges and moist tasty fillings
(as with most microwave meals, the addition of some hot sauce helps)
and i find them pretty filling when paired with fresh fruit and veggies!
sir jorge on January 10th, 2008

These are bad, I can never get them to taste good.
Christy Cox on January 10th, 2008

I love these panina’s they fill me up for lunch just fine. The warmer toast the bread and the filling is nice and hot. I can’t believe you only gave this one star!!
Steve on January 10th, 2008

I disagree as well. The best one is Chicken Spinach & Mushroom, but I just tried this the other day and liked it well enough I would probably get it again. I prefer to have fresh food, but like to stock the freezer at work with these so that I don’t starve if I run out of real food. The trick to getting these to come out right is to leave them out for several minutes (at least 5) as instructed before heating it, and do not overheat. If it runs too long in the microwave it just turns to rubber. You only want it in there long enough to melt the cheese.
Tracy on January 10th, 2008

I’m also a fan of the LC Panini (the Southwest Chicken and Chicken Club are my faves), but I didn’t like this variety the one time I tried it.

I couldn’t taste the herbs in the bread, which was a bummer because it seemed like a good idea. I also wasn’t blown away by the sauce or the filling. It was suprsingly bland.

Any LC is only going to be filling if you have something with it–I usually have yogurt or applesauce.
Jessica on January 10th, 2008

I can’t believe the one star rating. These sandwiches are pretty darn good. Except the Steak & Mushroom. The “cheddar cheese” is very odd in that variety. Maybe you should try again.
rob on January 10th, 2008

Here in Florida, Publix supermarket currently has them at half-price (which is $1.59 per sandwich) so needless to say I am stocked up on them.

They seem quite tasty to me given they are frozen, but on the other hand imo each is one-half of a rather small sandwich, so I only buy them when they are at half price. Given I can get a nice full-size freshly-made sandwich for under four bucks at the same market, I can’t see paying more than that for them.
Molly on January 10th, 2008

I not crazy about these either, but when you’re on a strict diet that limits you to mostly tasteless food and very little variety (always in small servings) these sandwiches can taste like an oasis from diet food that tastes very diet-y. You didn’t talk about this sandwich at all. I’m sure there are people who use this site as a reference and trust your opinion (myself included.) When you don’t say anything about the meal you are reviewing it leaves your audience (the people who read your website daily) disappointed. I guess for someone who is very thin, and possibly not on any kind of diet, this sandwich could easily be tossed; but for all the people who read this site hoping to find their frozen go-tos reviewed by someone who understands their daily struggle, you are doing a disservice. This review is disgraceful.
Jess on January 10th, 2008

Molly, I do understand the need and desire for good tasting dieting food and Lean Cuisine does have many options that I feel meet this need quite nicely. IMO though, these sandwiches do not. I didn’t find them at all as filling or as quality as I’ve found other lower calorie meals. But if you like them, and I can see others agree with you, that’s great. And maybe I am just not cooking them properly as others have suggested. But I’m not willing to try it again. These paninis make me sad.

But this is why it’s important to leave comments so others know the full range of opinions. For my money, I think a homemade hummus, cheese and tomato sandwich would do the job better, but that’s just me. Happy heating
Rocketgirl on January 10th, 2008

“The fillings, which are entirely average tasting, are meager.” Is the only thing you really said about this product. Not much of a descriptive review.

Plus, I wouldn’t give 1 star to something that was “average” . . just sayin’.

Love the site, tho.
Abi Jones on January 10th, 2008

@Meg - Hot sauce, plus a side of fruit and vegetables makes just about any item acceptable.

@Sir Jorge - I sort of liked the steak and cheese one. I have yet to review it, but it was surprisingly good.

@Christy - You are welcome to have all of the panini

@Steve - That sounds as though it requires thinking ahead. I can see how the thawing process would help ensure a better-cooked sandwich.

@Tracy - The only filling Lean Cuisine’s I’ve encountered are the dinner ones.
Abi Jones on January 10th, 2008

@Jessica - I’m not sure I can get Jess to eat this again. She does yoga and is very strong.

@Rob - That’s my exact quandary! Why get these when a sandwich is just as good, bigger and cheaper?

@Molly - Wow, that’s harsh. I think that if someone loves this meal, then they should completely disregard what Jess says. She’s not dictating what everyone else should eat, she’s reporting on her own disappointing experience. Reviews are labeled with reviewer names because they are personal, not universal.

@Jess - Hey, let’s go out for real paninis when I’m in town.

@Rocketgirl - I’m glad that you like the site. I’ll be posting a ratings explanation next week after I speak with some reviewers.
Rich on January 10th, 2008

“she’s reporting on her own disappointing experience.”

No, she’s not. There was nothing mentioned in the review about this meal. The category as a whole was talked about, but I had to read all of the comments to get an idea of what the sandwich was like.

“For my money, I think a homemade hummus, cheese and tomato sandwich would do the job better, but that’s just me.”

To hold a frozen sandwich to the same standard that you would hold a homemade sandwich is ridiculous. Furthermore, if you think that the sandwich deserves one star, that’s your opinion, but you should explain why it earns the rating. Personally, I’ve never tried this (I had the Southwest-style Chicken Panini) but I can sympathize with other dieters that need a change from the standard pasta / protein dish.

You could have said “This meal isn’t worth the money” and gotten the same message across. I check this site for descriptive reviews and this one left me disappointed.
MaryAnne on January 11th, 2008

Wow, I didn’t realize one review on a frozen sandwich could garner so much attention. However, I think the problem is that Lean Cuisine is calling this a panini. It’s not- it’s a frozen sandwich that you heat up. It doesn’t even look like a panini. Maybe they should call it a melt.

Also, if you look at the nutrition facts, this isn’t a “diet” food nor is it very healthy. The cals are ok, but the fat is high for something that doesn’t wow your taste buds. If you’re looking for a “diet” sandwich, you’d be better off hitting up Subway.
Janette on January 11th, 2008

I think that sometimes forget this is the INTERNET. This is one person’s opinion of one product. Personally, I take whatever I read here with a grain of salt. If I want to try something, I will try it.This is not a subscription site; none of us are paying to read the reviews. It’s for entertainment value, don’t take it so seriously! If you like the product, eat it!
Colleen on January 16th, 2008

I love the Panini’s. The Tuscan happens to be my favorite one too. I also recommend the chicken club. They’re a little expensive at the grocery store but I stock up when they are on sale @ safeway where you have a better choice of flavors. If not I just buy the 4pack at Smart & Final. Which is normally 4 for $10
katie on January 22nd, 2008

this was the worst thing ive ever put in my mouth it tasted like vomit it mde me sick!
i hop that the other ones dont taste this bad!!!
Andrew on January 22nd, 2008

Maybe I’m not as sophisticated or my pallet is too undeveloped but I love this sandwich. I’ve lost weight eating them for lunch as well. I’m a fan of all of them.
Anna on January 29th, 2008

I never liked this particular flavor LC panini, but I loved the Club and the Southwest. Something’s different about them now, though. They changed the chicken and it’s kind of greasy and weird textured.
Patrick on February 1st, 2008

I buy them quite a bit but they never come out right in the microwave at my job. At home I have a 1100 watt microwave and they come out fantastic. The tuscan is my least favorite. The LC ones are also much better than Healthy Choice paninis HC has barely any toppings and tastes dreadful.
Talia on February 2nd, 2008

I disagree with this revew entirely. The entire line of LC paninis offer a super fast & convenient way to watch your weight, while still having the pleasure of great taste in a diet sandwhich. The fat content is not bad at all, considering this product was meant to be a full meal. I frequently eat these paninis, and i must say out of all of them, the steak & mushroom one is the most satisfying. Although because they’re frozen it’s probably not a wise decesion to consume them ALL the time, i must say, these delicious sandwhiches make it VERY easy to stay on track dieting.
Becky on February 18th, 2008

I actually like all of the paninis, with the exception of the Chicken Club…but that’s another story. The trick, as others have mentioned, is to not overcook it - because it turns from ‘fairly tasty’ to ‘inedible brick ‘o gross’ in a matter of seconds. And yes, we all must keep in mind that they are FROZEN SANDWICHES - they’re not going to be nearly as good as something you can make or purchase fresh.
Christi on March 7th, 2008

I completely disagree with this review. I eat these at least once a week for lunch at work. I am not the only one at work who does. There are 5 other girls that just love them. Apparently you did not read that microwave ovens vary so cooking times may have to be adjusted. My bread never turns out hard or stale tasting. I think the fillings are just perfect. Plus if you pair it with something else low in calories such as a salad or some fresh fruit you have a healthy meal.
sherrie on March 9th, 2008

i would have to disagree as well!! this happens to be one of my favorite lean cuisines. they are good as long as you dont overcook them, because then they get chewy.

ive had great success with lean cuisine, and have dropped 8 lbs eating them for lunch and dinner.
Christine on March 12th, 2008

The tuscan panini is my least favorite panini. Overall, I find they are really good and quite satisfying for a cheese-starved dieter! The chicken, spinach and mushroom panini is my favorite-it’s of course, a little small, but aren’t all low-cal meals? If you are forced to eat frozen meals for lunch for time constraints or to watch your weight, I feel the paninis are the best way to go. You can actually distinguish each vegetable and peice of chicken and tastes recognizeable too! We’re all entitled to our opinions…
Jill on March 31st, 2008

Worst. Frozen meal. Ever. And it was even on sale. Frozen meals better not require me to get scissors to open. And I don’t love pouring water out of a bag. Nor do I like being unable to distinguish bread, cheese, veggie, and chicken. They only thing that was near standable was the sauce, and it was given in minuscule quantities.
Anastasia on August 21st, 2008

The Chicken Tuscan is gross. The chicken has a weird texture and the herbs in the bread make it taste sweet.

There are ither LC sanwiches that are waaaaaay better and worth the price.