Gardein Mandarin Orange Crispy Chik'n

Wednesday, April 02, 2014 , , , , , 6 Comments

Vegetarian Vegan Gardein Mandarin Orange Crispy Chicken
Gardein Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick'n with Red Pepper and Broccoli over Brown Rice

If you miss ordering chicken dishes at Chinese restaurants, then Gardein Mandarin Orange Crispy Chik'n might be just the thing for you. It really resembles the meat you get in Chinese restaurants - you know the meat that people sometimes complain 'isn't real?' Actually the first time I had Gardein Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick'n, it kind of creeped me out because it reminded me of the chicken from Chinese restaurants. Not to worry though, this Vegan Chicken is certified vegan so you know that there aren't any pesky hidden non-vegan ingredients in there!

Vegetarian Vegan Gardein Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick'n
One serving (1/3 bag) of crispy chick'n & sauce has 17 g protein, 20 % RDA iron, 4 % calcium, 0 g saturated fat and 165 calories.

The package says that you can add in your favorite vegetables and I think that the vegetables add a lot of great flavor (and nutrition) to this dish. However, there is not enough sauce for added vegetables. The veggies took some of the sauce from the chick'n and made the sauce harder to detect. My solution to this is to take the sauce from two packets. Then use your favorite sauce (homemade or store-bought Chinese sauce would be amazing) on the packet that you stole the second sauce packet from. Now you have two different Chinese dishes with the taste and health enhancing properties of vegetables.

Vegetarian Vegan Gardein Mandarin Orange Crispy Chiken
Look at that steam! Mmm mmm!

This really is easy to make. First you have to put the sauce packet in a small bowl or cup of warm water to let it thaw while you are cooking the chik'n and veggies. Then just saute the frozen chik'n for a few minutes until golden and crispy. Remove the chik'n from the pan and saute the veggies for a few minutes. Then add back in the chik'n and the sauce. Voila!

This would be a great quick weeknight dinner if you put rice in your rice cooker and set it ahead of time to be done when you get home from work. Of course, you could always pick up some rice from your local Chinese restaurant. It's usually pretty cheap to just buy rice.

Vegetarian Vegan Gardein Mandarin Orange Crispy Chicken
Tasty, Fast & Easy Dinner, Much Healthier & Cheaper than Take-out

One of the great things about this product is that it is readily available. There is not a local grocery store I haven't found this in yet. Look in the frozen section at Target, Meijer, Kroger, Plum Market, Whole Foods, Ralph's, Safeway, Publix, Albertson's, Winn Dixie, A & P, etc. You might never have noticed at your local grocery store, but it's probably there if you live in the United States or Canada.

6 comments:

  1. Yum! I should try it sometime...

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  2. These Mandarin Orange crispy Chik'n are the best, so tasty and delicious, and easy to cook! Gardein products are easy to find compared to other vegan meat alternatives!

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  3. I just recently transitioned to a "Vegan" diet no meat or dairy and I must say I was shocked at how tasty these were! It's amazing I can't believe it's not chicken lol. taste great and quick to prepare for a weeknight dinner.

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