Kevin’s Cilantro Lime Chicken Review
Author’s Note: Not a paid review. I have no affiliation with Kevin’s Natural Foods or Costco.
A serving is a snack. I said what I said.
I’m not paleo. I just wanted a tasty, convenient meal. And this was on sale at Costco. I hope Kevin will forgive me.
What’s in the box?
Anyway. This is Kevin’s Cilantro Lime Chicken meal, and it comes in a refrigerated tray with two pouches of “sous vide” chicken breast meat, and two pouches of chimichurri sauce.
I’m a noob, so I was surprised to see the chicken separated from the sauce. This is different from similarly packaged meals, such as Sukhi’s. As a single person, I do love having the portions divided, so that I can eat this over a longer period of time. Much appreciation.
The directions said to break apart the chicken in the pouch by massaging it. I thought this meant I was supposed to squeeze the chicken until it flaked into small-ish pieces. But, in hindsight, I think it was supposed to stay in “strips.” Alas.
How did I cook mine?
I opted to cook it in a ceramic skillet on the stove. I double-drained my chicken, just to make sure I got as much liquid out of the pouch as possible. But it wasn’t enough. My chicken didn’t “brown” at first; there was so much liquid, it just boiled. I finally cranked the heat up, and let it boil until all the water evaporated. It took a little longer, but I did get some slight browning.
Since my chicken was no longer in “strips,” I couldn’t flip each strip over with tongs, like the instructions said. So, I just gently stirred.
After the chicken cooks, the sauce goes in the pan for 30 seconds to heat. So that part was fool-proof. Trust me, because I am a fool.
I’ve been craving rice, so I ate this with basmatti rice. I know this is tremendously un-paleo. Sorry-not-sorry.
This is 1/2 a pouch, or 1/4 the entire 32-ounce package:
So, is rice a good pairing with this meal? Meh. It’s not bad. But there isn’t enough of the chimichurri sauce to really coat the rice. There’s plenty for the chicken. Just not for the rice. Selfish chicken!
If you’re “Team Fat” like I am, you will probably want to add more fat to your meal. Maybe more butter or some coconut oil melted into the chicken/sauce. Otherwise, it’s pretty lean. And therefore, not as filling.
Fine, but what does it taste like?
For coming out of a squashy plastic bag, the chicken has a quality, fresh-tasting texture. It’s tender, but not mushy. And, after “browning,” it tastes remarkably like a fresh chicken breast. The meat is trimmed pretty well, although I did encounter two jiggly, conjoined chunks with rubbery stuff between them. If you’ve been reading my reviews, you know how I feel about “jiggly bits.”
The chimichurri sauce isn’t spicy. Not one bit. It does have a pleasant, tangy kick, and a very slight sweetness, from the added monk fruit. It’s not a thick sauce, so it’s a light flavor overall. Gentle garlic aroma. Lots of delicate green herb bits. A few red fragments. I definitely think it needs salt.
Nutrition Facts
The package says you are getting 6.5 servings total. Which is kind of silly. That means there are 3.25 servings per pouch. What kind of monster puts 1/4 a serving in a pouch? Explain yourself, Kevin! But also, I don’t see how you could possibly feed 3.25 people with one pouch. I’m a small woman, and I ate 1/2 a pouch over copious amounts of rice, and it was just enough to keep me from eating my own shoelaces.
I mean. A serving is only 160 calories! Do people really eat like this? Are you guys just hungry all the time, or what? I don’t get it. The Cleveland Clinic says “moderately active” women should get around 2,000 calories per day. So, without rice, this “meal” would be 7.5% of my daily calories. That’s a snack!
Anyway. A 5-ounce serving contains 8 grams of fat and 20 grams of protein. There are only 3 grams of carbohydrates, of which 1 gram are sugars. There’s a minimal 16% of your daily value of sodium. But, I think you’ll want to salt yours, like I did.
Ingredients in Kevin’s Cilantro Lime Chicken
Here are the ingredients, from the label. There isn’t much to complain about here, unless you have an issue with Monk Fruit Extract.
Heating Instructions
You have two options:
- Stove Top
- Microwave
They’re both quick. Stove top takes about 5 minutes, and microwave will be ready in 3.
Price and Servings
The 2-pound package cost $13.49 at my local Costco. If you get the 6.5 servings suggested by the label, each serving would cost $2.07. If, however, you get a much more reasonable 4 servings (like I did), it would cost $3.37 per serving.
Shelf Life
This is a refrigerated meal, so it doesn’t have a long shelf life. Mine expired less than a month after purchase.
Dramatic Conclusion
I liked the quality of the chicken and the sauce flavor. It’s reasonably quick and easy to prepare. But, the serving sizes are woefully unrealistic.
The End.
More Reviews You Might Like (or Hate)
Check out these other reviews I’ve written. Or don’t. That’s fine, too:
