If you’re at all familiar with the “Fast Bites” sandwich line, available at Dollar Tree for the titular amount of currency, then you know they consist of a variety of frozen sandwiches, mainly purchased by single, lonely people who have no one to cook for them. If you haven’t heard of them, then good for you…you were better off for it. But sometimes we all get in a little pinch, so I picked up a couple of these just to see if they were worth a buck.
The breaded chicken sandwich is just that…a piece of breaded chicken, topped off with a sesame seed bun, and bottomed off with a much more bland bottom half. I actually ate this entire thing the way it’s presented right out of the box, without any additional condiments or toppings, though I think that’s more a sign of my laziness than any kind of endorsement as to the tastiness of this sandwich. Honestly, it’s almost exactly as you’re probably picturing it in your head…a non-crunchy piece of chicken sandwiched between two semi-soggy pieces of bread. That about sums it up. The flavor of the chicken is decent, though you can tell there’s no shortage of sodium, which is par for the course in the world of frozen foods. You’ll also be questioning the quality of the chicken, but then again, that’s also par.
Really, I’d compare it to something you would get at McDonald’s, at least in terms of quality, and the price tag is also similar. It is a little smaller than the box would suggest, so if you’re really hungry, you’re going to need at least two, or maybe a side dish, to fill you up. You’ll probably also want at least some mayonnaise, if not lettuce and/or tomato, as the chicken is fairly dry by itself. You should also probably prepare yourself for a case of eater’s regret, which you will get immediately upon finishing the last bite. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Overall: 4/10. While there’s technically nothing wrong with the taste, this is a perfect example of what’s wrong with America in general: A case of food being way cheaper than this kind of food has any right to be. There are barely any nutrients to be had, aside from a heavy dose of protein and some dietary fiber, but it’s mainly a heavy dose of fat and cholesterol, and a load of empty calories. The bun, while not as soggy as you may expect, still doesn’t taste very fresh, and the chicken is of questionable quality, like most of the frozen foods that we eat. If you’re in a pinch, either one that’s budgetary, or timed, I guess it doesn’t get much easier than tossing this in the microwave and having a quick dinner, but I wouldn’t recommend living off these for any prolonged amount of time.
UPDATE (June, 2019): A re-review is in order and will be coming soon.
As a single guy (although not lonely), I got a chuckle out of this line:
"…mainly purchased by single, lonely people who have no one to cook for them."
That frozen chicken sandwich looks exactly like the McChicken you can get at McDonald's for a buck(well it was a buck the last time I was at a McDonalds). From your review, you get the same bland "rubbery" taste from the chicken in between the same soggy buns. Coincidence? I don't think so. That said, it makes me wonder if someone was truly too lazy to fry up a chicken breast for a sandwich, why they'd want to go through the "hassle" of popping a frozen sandwich in the microwave when they could just go through the drive-thru at McDonalds. And to think at McDonald's you can get lettuce and mayo for no extra cost, not that it's an improvement. 🙂
As for the frozen breakfast sandwiches, I'm up at 3am every morning to get ready for work, I usually have a thousand things to do in the morning so every second counts. I used to rely on these microwaveable sandwiches quite a bit, easy enough to pop it in the microwave for a couple minutes before I leave and eat while driving. Then I realized just how small they were, and that I could take a few minutes on Sunday to make my own sandwiches the way I want and freeze them for the week, for a fraction of the cost.
Exactly. I used to live on this kind of stuff in my younger days, then realized what a waste of money it was turning out to be eating it all the time. Well, marrying someone who loves cooking also helped change that a little bit, lol.
But yeah, if these things were the size of the actual packaging, they might be a little more worth it (though at the expense of being twice as unhealthy), but they really are small. I think a lot of people see stuff at the dollar store and think, "Wow, this is only a dollar?!" I tend to think, like you: "If it's a dollar here, then I can make something similar for way less than that." 10 times out of 10, I'm right.
Still, I can see having these on hand solely for convenience…and there is at least some protein to help offset the rest of the unhealthiness. I guess when all is said and done, you could probably do worse with a dollar.
These chicken sandwiches are good as shit, far from lonely, but as a stoner , this is what I look for, easy and quick
It definitely fits the bill on that front.
Being a College student Fast Bites are the way to go! IDK what people think other wise its not that bad if you have nothing, my theory is its cheap an alright, best one is the spicy chicken, don"t care much about the cheeseburger. Great just to go and get a chicken sandwich while your broke other than that damn Ramen noodles.
It packs more flavor than the ramen noodles, but at least you know ramen noodles are noodles. I kind of shudder to think what a dollar piece of chicken looks like (and that sentiment applies anywhere, including fast food).
Like I said, there's nothing wrong with the taste, so if it's your thing, go for it. And I get that these are good to grab on the go once in a while, but there are many better ways to stretch a couple bucks than by loading your freezer up with these.
Hey I'm not lonely or broke but still love these and buy them a lot enjoyable quick and easy throw on some lettuce tomato yum
Yeah, I think I was in a particularly sour mood that day, and so these are on the docket for a re-review at some point in the near future (along with a couple other posts).
Thanks for stopping by!