Campbell’s Supper Bakes: Garlic Chicken

June 2, 2008 | Reviewer: Abi

Photo of Campbell’s Supper Bakes: Garlic Chicken
Price: $4.19
Serving: 1/6 package, 9oz.
Servings per box: 6
Calories: 360
Fat: 11%, 7g
Cholesterol: 22%, 65mg
Sodium: 34%, 820mg
Protein: 31g
Carbohydrates: 14%, 42g
Fiber: 8%, 2g
Sugar: 2g
Weight Watchers Points: 7 Points

Campbell’s says: Campbell’s perfectly blended baking sauce seasons your chicken for a moist savory meal in no time. A taste so homemade, it could only come from Campbell’s.

Abi says:Just like the dad in From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, I take the train to work every day. I even have a 10-ride ticket, though I don’t think it is redeemable for 2 child fares. Unlike the dad in From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, I make dinner. The San Francisco train station is across the street from a very nice Safeway, so if I miss my train I have time to browse the aisles for new and interesting things to review.

Too bad this chicken bake is amongst the worst things I’ve ever consumed in my life. I’ve had a lot of bad frozen meals, so I’m used to disappointment. But I also wasted $6.00 worth of fresh chicken, which sucks. I cook meat so rarely that when I do have to handle bloody animal muscles I want some delicious results.

The cooking process for this meal was something of a pain. I put some hot water in a Pyrex baking dish, added the pasta, seasoning, and Campbell’s baking sauce (which was Cream of Nothing in disguise) and stirred. I then placed raw chicken on top of the pasta and watery cream from a can (shudder), then covered the whole thing with foiled and baked it for twenty minutes at 400 degrees. After the initial baking time I uncovered the whole thing, sprinkled breadcrumbs atop it and popped it back in the oven for another 10 minutes.

Instructions for Campbell’s Supper Bakes: Garlic Chicken

Those of you who know anything about chicken know that this is the stupidest way to cook chicken, ever. I basically steamed the chicken, which is a fine idea when working with broccoli or green beans, but completely idiotic when dealing with chicken. I went against my instincts, instincts that were screaming ‘You baked chicken last week and it was marinated and it only took 12 minutes!’ and ended up serving a meal that featured horrible steamed chicken covered in pointless breadcrumbs (they’re pre-browned, which is sick). And that awful chicken rested atop a pile of flavorless pasta. GARLIC chicken? Who do they think they’re kidding? Ugh.

After a few bites of the meal, George and I determined that it was completely inedible. The chicken was tough and bland and basically everything that is possible to hate about chicken. And the pasta? No flavor what so ever. I posited that perhaps it was developed for midwestern supertasters, but really nobody should be eating this.

Thank God I have the most ridiculously packed freezer at Stanford. I went to the kitchen, pulled out a box of Tandoor Chef Chicken Tikka Masala, mentally took back anything bad I ever said about the lack of rice in the dish, and tossed a couple of Trader Joe’s Naan under the broiler (which was still toasty from the worst chicken ever). The chicken tikka masala and naan were so good that my mouth waters as I write this review.

If you want to know how to make good chicken, check out these tips and recipes from Chris Kimball, the editor of Cooks Illustrated (one of my favorite magazines). And if you’re not a fan of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, you’ll find a friend in Deb at Smitten Kitchen. Though, I provide the link with a warning that after reading about S’more Pie you’ll feel the need to purchase a kitchen torch.

comments

6 Responses to “Campbell’s Supper Bakes: Garlic Chicken”

Maria on June 2nd, 2008

I’m super sad that you didn’t enjoy this meal! When I was younger, we had certain GO TO items in the grocery, one of them being this meal. Strangely, it did not look like this iconic image, instead it was yellow and green and looked very savory… and indeed it was!
Perhaps garlic was just not meant to be infused into it…? Perhaps.
But they have wonderful delicious other options there, don’t completely rule this thing out!
MaryAnne on June 3rd, 2008

My boyfriend and I tried this a couple of months ago. We thought we were getting it a steal- it was on sale for $2.50 and the chicken was on sale for $1.99 a pound. We didn’t think we could go wrong with garlic chicken with pasta. But like you say Abi, it’s bland, bland, bland. We added garlic, parmesan cheese, and some pepper but it really didn’t help out that much. I would never buy it again. We also tried the southwestern chicken with rice and that was worse than this one!

However, I must say, in an attempt at torturing our taste beds and trying a third version- the savory pork chops with herb stuffing- we were pleasantly surprised and fought over the leftovers.
christine on June 3rd, 2008

I tried this one and didn’t like that the pasta was so mushy. I have made the lemon chicken with herb rice one and while it isn’t magnificant, it is pretty decent and the rice is really good. But, I only buy these when they are on sale.
Charlotte on June 4th, 2008

I’ve tried these before and hated them, bleah! If I remember right though, the equivalent Betty Crocker dinner is pretty good.
Rose on June 6th, 2008

This looks like something my sister would bake, she has no cooking skill. she also has three children under the age of thirteen. I doubt they cook for themselves, so they have to endure her cooking.
it also reminds me of those..hm, I can’t remember what brand it is. it’s pretty much a can of chicken soup stuff in a box with a biscuit mix? yeah, I’ve eaten it several times. it wasnt’ terrible.
Debbie on June 9th, 2008

I too was disappointed in the garlic chicken, not much real flavor, and too salty for my husband and I. I will try the pork with the herb stuffing now that someone has said it was so good!
Thanks for the info!

Debbie