Product Review: Boca Meatless Chik'n Patties

Boca Meatless Chik'n Patties are a very delicious substitute for breaded chicken patties. The patties are made from healthy soy protein concentrate and textured wheat protein. Boca Meatless Chik'n Patties are made from natural ingredients, including soy protein from soybeans which have not been genetically engineered. This completely vegetarian product has only 150 calories and 6 grams of fat per serving. It has no saturated fat or cholesterol. Lately I've had the good fortune to find Boca Meatless Chik'n Patties at Wal-Mart for only $2.18 for a package of four patties. At that ridiculously low price, I can't say no.

I definitely prefer Boca's Meatless Chik'n Patties to the competing product, Morningstar Farms Chik Patties. Boca's Chik'n Patties have no saturated fat, while Morningstar Farms Chik Patties have one gram of saturated fat. Boca's Chik'n Patties are also higher in protein and lower in sodium than Morningstar Farms Chik Patties. Boca's Meatless Chik'n Patties also are high in iron and potassium, and have two grams of dietary fiber. Also, the Morningstar Farms Chik Patties cost $2.98 for a package of four and were not individually wrapped as the Boca Meatless Chik'n Patties were. So I definitely felt that the Boca product was a better bargain. In most grocery stores, I can find Boca Meatless products easily in the frozen breakfast section.

Overall these patties are much healthier than chicken, yet they taste almost identical. They also come in a spicy variety, Chik'n Nuggets and Hot 'n Spicy Chik'n Wings. All these products are 100% vegetarian. The Boca Chik'n products are microwaveable, but cooking them in a skillet gets better results.

Also, Boca's Meatless Chik'n products are completely vegan, meaning they're free from all animal products. Morningstar Farms products, on the other hand, contained both milk and egg products. So if you're vegan, Boca's Chik'n product is definitely useful in helping you to stick to your diet.

Boca Meatless Chik'n Patties are good for more than just burgers. You can use them as you would chicken. They make great sandwiches, pot pies, salads, lettuce wraps, tacos, quesadillas and much more. Boca has a long list of excellent recipes on its website. I did, however, find some of the recipes to be very high in fat, calories and sodium. I'm not sure why this is. But you'll probably want to toy with the recipes a little to reduce the fat, carbohydrate and sodium totals.

The only real downside to cooking with Boca's vegan chik'n products is that they can get a little soggy when using them in a recipe. They're far better cooked in a skillet or baked in the oven than microwaved. When using them in a recipe, it's a good idea to cook them so they're a little extra crispy before combining them with other ingredients.

While I found Morningstar Farms Hot 'n Spicy Buffalo wings to be far too hot for my taste, I felt that Boca's Spicy Chik'n variant was spicy enough to be pleasant tasting, but not so spicy as to burn my mouth off. The selection of Boca's Chik'n products is a little bit more limited than Morningstar Farms. For example, Morningstar Farms makes Parmesan Ranch Chik Patties and Chik'n Tenders, which Boca does not make. I don't believe in product loyalty, so when I am in the mood for these specific products, I just get Morningstar Farms.

These Meatless Chik'n Patties make a mean chik'n burger, and they're a major kid pleaser. My sons almost always demand the Boca Meatless Chik'n Patties over the Boca Vegan Burger or the Morningstar Farms Grillers. Since they're a little high in sodium, they're not something we eat every day. But they make a very inexpensive and tasty meal for us once a week.