Review of P.F. Chang's General Chang's Chicken

Well it looks pretty good on the cover.

Crispy pieces of deep fried chicken, a nice sampling of broccoli and peppers all in a rich delicious sauce.

How good is it though? Is it easy to prepare? How about cleanup?

Well, let's have a look.

I am not sure how chicken got put into the namesake of this product. There wasn't much there. When I opened up the package, I saw mostly large green pieces and small chunks of frozen gravy.

There were very few peppers as well which was a disappointment since I was looking forward to them.

Of course, for something you prepare at home, you have to understand that the company needs to make sure you are willing to buy their product and they market it as appealingly as possible.

Well, there is a lot of potassium in this product and the veggies do add a nice touch.

However if you look at the sugars, the carbs and the sodium content, it is enough to give you a heart attack right there.

You don't eat this meal though because you want to be healthy. You hope it tastes good and it is definitely a convenience. It will add variety to your meat and potatoes regiment as well.

Looking at the label now, I am ready to throw away the rest that I tucked away in the freezer. I made one serving - half a bag and froze the rest.

Wow. This is shocking!

Well here is the most important part. I understand it doesn't look as appetizing on the plate as it does on the cover of the wrapper. I also have to work on getting a better camera.

The taste wasn't so bad. Sweet and spicy. The chicken was flavorful and so were the veggies. The only problem I had is that I like my veggies kind of crisp and if I consume battered chicken, I expect it to be warm and crunchy.

The sauce started to boil well below the required 165 degree temperature the chicken should have been cooked to. I don't think I made it to that reading, but I did simmer it quite a bit.

Tasty and filling. But not restaurant quality. Perhaps I need a wok or some other device to properly cook the food in. Or I could just cook everything seperately.

Or another idea - I just buy the same ingredients and do it myself at home. That sounds like too much work though.

Yeah. I have to give this a thumbs up. If you are a couple or have a small family, it will work nicely too.