9/18/06 | Marie Callendar’s Country Fried Chicken
[ Currently Eating: Coconut Trail Mix ]
I know we’re only supposed to talk about frozen dinners on the “low” end of the food chain on Cheap Eats. What can I say, once in awhile we like to splurge. Rule number 1 of the upcoming Cheap Eats Manifesto (which has been on the back burner for 6 months now) is to Break All The Rules. Buying Marie Callender’s Frozen Dinners probably falls into that category since they’re not known for being that cheap.
Or are they? A few times, I’ve seen the full dinners on sale for $2 or less. That’s as cheap as the Healthy Choice meals when they’re on sale. I actually quite enjoy Marie Callender’s frozen meals quite a bit, and have even been known to frequent their restaurant. In the dot-com days, many a frozen Marie Callender’s Pot Pie found its way into the microwave where I worked.
Quick side note: I have been trying to teach my fingers to type “Marie Callendar” instead of “Marie Calendar”. Tough sleddin’ there … [edit: it seems I doubly cannot type/spell: Marie CallendEr's]
Back to the merits of her frozen dinners. So far, the quality of most of the meals has been pretty top notch. I don’t believe it’ll win any healthy choice awards, but for me I’m not so concerned with that. In fact, I’m concerned with Price, Quantity and then Quality, in that order. And if you can get it cheap enough, the quality is definitely there and surprisingly the quantity as well.
One thing I notice about Marie Callender dinners is that they’re actually heavy. They’ve got some heft to them. The actual meal trays have compartments that are rather deep. This particular meal is their Country Fried Chicken (not Country Fried STEAK, mind you) and consists of a good piece of battered chicken breast, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob. That’s right corn on the COB.
One of the more impressive things about the meal is that the country gravy is actually packed in a separate pouch. This solves the mushy issues with some of the other Banquet meals that have the gravy already on top of the chicken. I decided to try the microwave with this meal. Interestingly, the directions call for the gravy package to be submerged separately in boiling water for 3-4 minutes to heat it. This dunking might be an unwanted extra step for some, but I didn’t mind.
The country fried chicken was fairly decent and not mealy like some other products. It did have a sort of “preserved meat” feel and taste but it wasn’t too bad. The “breading” was a little bit thin for my tastes, and it didn’t really great crunchy at all. I also think it’s because of the type of breading which is more like the batter on fishsticks than fried chicken.
At least the gravy was separate, which was quite nice. A bit gloopy, as would be expected. I also got to put some on the mashed potatoes. The potatoes were standard (I don’t know if they are instant but I would assume so) and there was a lot of it. As I mentioned, the tray compartments are pretty deep, so it might not look like a lot from the top but it’s actually a good amount.
The corn on the cob was the low point of the frozen dinner. It turned out rather strange in texture, a bit dry and had an off taste to the kernels. It looks pretty nice in the picture, though. I would have much rather them used normal corn niblets and then divert the savings to beefing up the chicken. Sorry I mean, chickening up the chicken.
Overall, it was pretty impressive for a 2 dollar meal. Now, IF you can get it for $2, then the million dollar question is if it’s worth 2 Banquet Fried Chicken meals which can be had for a dollar each. That’s a tough call, because I feel that’s one of Banquet’s better deals. I might call it a draw. However, going up against a double shot of Banquet’s other meals, one Marie Callender’s meal definitely wins out. I’ve also had the Marie Callender’s Frozen Lasagna dinner for $2, and although you only get the lasagna that’s a really filling meal that kicks the ass of most any other frozen lasagna dinner.
Price: $2.00 on sale
Found At: Albertson’s
Cheap Eats Score: 7/10 if on sale, 5/10 if not
September 18th, 2006 at 8:16 pm
I absolutly hate marie callendar’s restaurants and frozen meals. However, you certainly make them look pretty on a photo!
September 18th, 2006 at 9:21 pm
cas – would you mind telling us why? =)
September 18th, 2006 at 10:01 pm
I’ve never had a Marie Callendar’s frozen dinner. I read the nutritional values and then put them back into the freezer when I’m in the store.
September 19th, 2006 at 7:58 am
Geez, it’s been a long time since I commented here (don’t worry – I’ve still been reading). I don’t even live near you in So. Cal like I used to (we moved to Utah a couple of months ago). But, I had to chime in. I hate frozen meals. There, I said it. I’ve never had a good one in my entire life. Breaded meats will always be soggy, vegetables will always taste “off,” and sauces will always be unnecessarily sweet and sticky.
But for 2 bucks…
Have a good one.
September 19th, 2006 at 9:22 am
marvo – really? i didn’t know they were THAT bad for you. i figured Banquet must be 10 times worse
bf – hey, utah? that’s cool… near Salt Lake? I must admit i’m stymied – never had such a negative initial reaction to a frozen meal, and we’ve reviewed a lot of them! Is it something about Marie Callender’s? Everyone note: i don’t eat these every day. I much prefer to cook my own stuff. But if I had to choose a frozen dinner without thinking about cost, Marie Callender’s would be up there.
September 19th, 2006 at 11:54 am
Maybe now you should try teaching your fingers to type C-A-L-L-E-N-D-E-R instead of C-A-L-L-E-N-D-A-R because that’s how it’s spelled–with an ER on the end, not an AR. See, on the box… in the pic you included? lol
I’ve never been to a Marie Callender’s restaurant. I’ve heard they have yummy food. But I have had the frozen meals. Not too bad. But gotta watch the calorie content.
September 19th, 2006 at 12:47 pm
I don’t know why I hate Marie’s food so much, maybe it’s because she tends to put either corn or carrots in everything. It’s not that I don’t like those two vegetables, but I’m not a huge fan of carrots in my meatloaf.
I lived in Utah for 20 years (just moved from there about a month ago) Utah people represent!
September 19th, 2006 at 1:28 pm
I’ve been buying these lately because they’re on sale (I’ve purchased this variety as well as others). They’re not awful, but they’ve been on sale for SOoooo long, I can’t bear to eat another one. I’m waiting for Lean Cuisine and Stouffers to go back on sale.
September 19th, 2006 at 3:21 pm
kim – oh dang. now i have to go back and change all those… sorry, this post was a bit sloppy b/c i just came back from a trip. also, my shoulder is not up to snuff yet.
cas – i haven’t had the meatloaf.. it has carrots in it? OK, I could see why you maybe wouldn’t like that!
sylko – for some reason the Healthy Choice ones seem to go on sale more frequently than Marie CallendErs. don’t know why…
September 19th, 2006 at 7:19 pm
I gotta give props to the microwave dinners. I grew up eating them and I still have fond memories of the chicken. Im going to try out the Marie Callendar as per the recomendation. Keep up the good work.
September 20th, 2006 at 5:02 am
I was going shopping for my sick aunt, and looked at one of those meals–it was something like 700 plus calories for a tiny dinner! I think those pot pies are major calorie (and sodium) damage too! I know it’s Cheap, not Healthy Eatin’ but Marie’s meals make eating from the McDonal’s dollar menu seem dietic! I think the reason the box is heavy is so you can burn some calories lugging the thing to the microwave.
September 22nd, 2006 at 7:23 pm
I hope I didn’t come across as too snotty in my spelling correction post. I’m a former editor, so I am constantly correcting people. BAAAAAD habit. I apologize. I just meant to point it out because it was funny. I really do LOVE your site. Thanks for all the cool stuff you do on here.
September 25th, 2006 at 12:00 am
jedx – I actually never ate microwave dinners growing up, so i guess I’m sort of discovering them just now.
notricecakes – yeah, this is actually pretty interesting – I never thought there would be such a reaction to the nutritional issues for Marie’s stuff, but you aren’t alone. I actually got several emails in addition to the comments about it. Totally took me by surprise. But as for calories – I actually need more of that.
kim – oh, no prob… that was pretty funny because I was trying to make the joke about having to spell it, and it turned out I was spelling it wrong doubly! I think I’ll just call them M.C. Dinners from now on…
September 25th, 2006 at 6:17 pm
i love marie callender’s frozen dinners. all of them are great. Also she is one hot milf, look at the picture on front of the box. im gonna cut it out, put it in my wallet and tell people we are doing it. viva marie!!!!!!
October 1st, 2006 at 4:06 am
I don’t buy them much anymore because I never see them on sale, but back in the day I LOVED the herb chicken Marie Callenders. It tasted like my gandfather used to make (German style, fried in a pan without batter).. just cheaper.
For the meal you have there, what I do with the potatoes is put them on top of the cut-up chicken, then the gravy. I’m weird.
October 9th, 2006 at 6:02 pm
I’ve tried most all of the some 10 or 15 of the available Marie Callender dinners and can say they’re head and shoulders above the competition. Of course the Banquets are cheaper and the Hungrey Man’s offer more but imho they just taste like cardboard with too much sodium chloride.
In passing the Beef Tips w/ Mushrooms is my favorite.., the beef tastes good and the chunks of potatoes are good too. Real bacon bits are a treat on the green beans. I’d hate to guage the price and time involved if I cooked the entire meal from scratch.
October 13th, 2006 at 8:40 am
I love most all of Marie Callender’s meals. I look at the sodium content on the package and bear that in mind when I’m eating other meals during the day.
I take them to work everyday – live alone so often eat them at home rather then cooking. I’ve not gained weight from them – have a complete physical every 6 months and cholestrol has gone down due to taking omega 3 fish oil I take I guess. I like having the variety of her meals and all the vegetables.
Over 50% of the people that bring their lunch where I work – bring Marie Callender dinners. We love them.
mmmmmmmmm good
Barbara
December 7th, 2006 at 6:57 pm
Helpful hit with gravy.
If you have gas oven, position pouch under oven exhaust vent at top of stovetop. ( I place it on top of cardboard mc box) It will be perfe ct when you finish cooking in oven via baking method.
June 6th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
i’m glad i took wait training at school:
i got tired of waiting. waiting in line at the bank, waiting in line at the theater, waiting at the sandwich shop at lunch. it takes so long to get somewhere at lunch, i always eat in, at work. what can i say – no waiting! M.C. has some of the best frozen stuff out there. i excercise regularly, but still, 1 pot pie has 1100 callories (oops…just getting used to 2 l’s, like in callendar, er, sorry). actually, the beef tips, the chicken, and 1 other weigh in at less than 500 calories. and it tastes pretty decent, too! better than fast food, i think. actually, the beef tips and chicken are under 400 calories, so i can actually eat a few of these a day…but i don’t. i use ‘em mostly for convenience at work…rarely, however, at home.
i like easy, and clean, not messy stuff at work. i took leftover ribs one day – mistake! marie is ready in 10 minutes, unless it’s not a pot pie, then it’s ready in, 6 or 7 minutes. otherwise, it’s a salami sandwich from home. i hope to be able to try the other M.C. products out there, and maybe, even one day to the restaurant (it’s nearby).
thanks for the cool site, too…
November 10th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
This one is not one of the best Marie Calendar’s. It used to be quite better but now it seems the mashed potatoes are too runny and not very good. The chicken I have never ate so that is that…
January 24th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
I had no idea Marie Callendar’s had resturants. now I do.
but, this used to be my favorite frozen meal. since I love “country gravy” and mashed potatos..and especially..corn on the cob, delicious.
but when it’s not on sale it is a bit expensive. close to four dollars, I believe.
March 6th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
I write this just having finished an MC dinner. Herb Roasted Chicken – 460 calories – delicious. As long as you stick to the non-pot pie/non-alfredo dinners, you’re okay calorie wise. Sodium-wise, still not the best… maybe 50% of your daily value. However, that’s the price you pay with almost all frozen meals.
Marie Callender’s is far and away the better of the frozen food dinners. I also stock up on these when they are on sale, and if I know I’ll be pulling some late-nighters (I’m currently in graduate school). Obviously, home-cooked meals are better for you nutritionally and taste-wise, but when you’re in a bind, and these puppies are on sale, you can’t go wrong. Thanks, Marie. You’re the best.
May 5th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
I recently ordered a samplers platter consisting of chicken tenders stuffed potatoe skins and a delicious deep fried long green bean. I would like to know what the coating on it was?
February 11th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
I love this TV dinner. Well, love(d) I guess? Since they’ve slightly changed it now…
It’s one of the FEW frozen meals without onions. I deplore onions! As well as mushroom and garlic! And this dinner is free of it! Woohoo!