Marie Callender's Fettuccini Chicken Balsamico Review

Last night I went grocery shopping on an empty stomach, and after browsing around for a few minutes I headed to the frozen food aisle to find a quick and easy frozen dinner that would taste good while also filling me up.

After looking at all the options I had no idea what to buy so I just went to the Marie Callender's section where I usually find tasty meals. There I saw the new Pasta Al Dente Collection of meals and all of the pictures looked delicious, so I randomly grabbed up the Fettucini Chicken Balsamico and bought it for $4.29.

The Fettucini Chicken Balsamico contains broad egg noodles, white meat chicken, spinach, and mushrooms in a balsamic reduction sauce. One bowl contains 420 calories, 160 of which are from fat. There are 17g of total fat, and 4g of saturated fat, 85mg of cholesterol, and 1270mg of sodium. There are also 44g of carbohydrates, 6g of fiber, and 23g of protein.

Marie Callender's claims that the Pasta Al Dente selection is "unbelievably fresh tasting," and "features only the finest ingredients inspired by Modeno, Italy, the home of balsamic vinegar," and "now these authentic Italian flavors can be steamed fresh. Your pasta arrives at the table prepared to perfection, or Al Dente as they say in Italy."

Marie Callender's provided all the materials I needed to prepare the Fettucini Chicken al dente style. The balsamic vinegar reduction sauce and mushrooms are contained at the bottom of a plastic bowl and a steamer basket rests on top of it housing the noodles, chicken, and spinach.

You leave the plastic film on and just pop it into a microwave straight out of the box for three or four minutes. Once the Fettucini Chicken Balsamico has been steamed you mix the food with the balsamic sauce and enjoy.

When I tasted my first bite of this Marie Callender's meal the first thing that stood out was the taste of the balsamic sauce, it was full of flavor. It was sweet, sour, hearty, and tangy all at once.

The Balsamico contains olive oil, and I could tell, it gave the sauce a sweet fruity flavor, and it also gave the meal itself an oily taste which I think a lot of frozen dinners lack, which is why they taste so bland.

The Fettucini noodles did taste al dente to me. They were really large and filling and soft enough to chew but they weren't soggy and limp like noodles in frozen dinners usually are. The spinach was steamed so it still looked fresh, and the mushroom and chicken strips were large and tasty.

When all of the ingredients of Marie Callender's Fettucini Chicken Balsamico were mixed together it really did look and taste like a freshly prepared meal. The flavors of the olive oil and balsamic vinegar were awesome, and the portions of noodles, chicken, and spinach were exactly what I would've prepared for myself had I made this meal.

In the End...

I was pleasantly surprised by this Marie Callender's frozen dinner. I wanted a quick meal that would taste great while satisfying my hunger, and I got this with the Fettucini Chicken Balsamico. It tasted freshly made and the Italian flavors were delicious. I would definitely buy it again. 4.5 out of 5 stars.