Frozen Friday: Foster Farms - Kettlecorn Chicken

Foster Farms' Kettlecorn Chicken feature small cuts of chicken breast coated in breading and seasoned for a combination of sweet and salty. Basically, it's popcorn chicken with a bit of sweetness.

I bought a 1.5-lb. bag for $6.99.

For the most part, the Kettlecorn Chicken pieces were surprisingly bigger than the average chicken nugget. There was a nice breading-to-chicken ratio to each piece.

I tried making them in the oven as well as the microwave (the baked ones are on the left; the microwaved ones are on the right). They don't actually turn out that much better in the oven than in the microwave. Sure, the breading turned out slightly crispier but not by much and the underside comes out pretty soggy either way from contact with the plate or tray, unless you cook them on a rack I suppose. Neither delivered much of a crunch.

Beyond the breading, there was a thin, soggy layer of batter between the crumbs and the chicken.

In taste, there was an additional honeyed sweetness to the savory flavor of the chicken and breading. Neither the sweet nor the salty notes were excessive. It makes for a pretty enjoyable flavor.

The biggest difference between cooking the Kettlecorn Chicken in the oven or microwave was actually the texture of the chicken. The baked chicken retained the fibrous texture, while the microwave chicken was mushy. Both were juicy.

Overall, Foster Farms' Kettlecorn Chicken was a mixed bag for me. I liked the light sweet and savory combo but that weird, soggy layer was not so great.

Nutritional Info - Foster Farms Kettlecorn Chicken (175g)
Serving Size - 3 oz (84g)
Calories - 220 (from Fat - 80)
Fat - 9g (Saturated Fat - 2g)
Sodium - 540mg
Carbs - 21g (Sugars - 7g)
Protein - 14g