HORMEL COMPLEATS Chicken Alfredo Microwave Tray, 10 Ounces

This was surprisingly tasty for a "microwave meal."The convenience of a shelf-stable, heat-and-eat meal was very appealing to me, but I wasn't expecting much.The container was filled to the top with food.The one minute cook time seemed short, but the food was thoroughly heated, and stayed appropriately warm until it had been completely eaten. It was satisfyingly filling, too.The alfredo sauce was thick, creamy, and smooth. It actually tasted very good, and not terribly salty. The chicken pieces were a tad dry/crumbly, but they were still very good. They tasted like real chicken, not like the gelatinous cubes of goo found in many frozen chicken and pasta dishes. There were also no bites with chicken fat or gristle or veins or whatever that really gross stuff is that's in chicken pieces sometimes. There was a decent amount of chicken in the dish, but about 25% more would have been a better ratio of noodle to chicken. The noodles were a touch too soft/overcooked, but still edible.Overall, I was impressed by this meal. There is no need for refrigeration, a short cook time, and acceptable taste/quality. These factors are enough for me to recommend this as a fast in-a-pinch type of meal. Maybe something to store in a desk drawer at work for a day you forget to bring your regular lunch, get stuck at the office late, or just don't have time for a full meal.

Hungry? Don't want to spend a lot of time fixing a hot meal? These are great. Yes, home-cooked or restaurant food tastes better, but you can only get two out of three of these in anything; good, fast, cheap. These are fast, cheap, and good enough. Better tasting ain't cheap or fast.

I've been eating this and other varieties (and competing similar products) as a part of a dietary meal plan, so I thought I'd share my experience. I'm not going to focus on nutritional details since that's readily available on the package. Instead I'm focusing solely on subjective experience, and since I ordered like 20 different kinds I'm going to use a standard template because I'm lazy that way.PREPARATION: Heating time was accurate; one minute in a 900w microwave oven on a rotating plate completely heated the entree.OBSERVATIONS: The pasta is well cooked but not to the point of mushiness like so many shelf-stable pasta products tend to be. It is difficult to get a taste of just the pasta since there is a quite frankly astonishing amount of alfredo sauce in the bowl. After finishing the entree there was easily about six tablespoons of sauce left over. That's not necessarily a bad thing as the flavor of the sauce isn't overpowering. It definitely lacks that pungent garlic/Parmesan flavor that alfredo sauces are known for. Instead I would describe it as being more of a cream sauce with a mild cheese flavor to it. I'm used to very strong-tasting alfredo sauces; this is not one of those. The chicken is very tender, cut into bite-sized pieces, and reasonable for a portion of this size. The chicken reminds me of the canned chicken breast that you find in the supermarket, rather than a grilled or roasted chicken that you might prepare at home.VERDICT: Add half a cup of steamed broccoli to the bowl and it's just about perfect. I will be reordering this in the future.

Tastes great. One of the better Compleats meals.

Does not require refrigeration. Great to keep on hand. This is a good size serving. Good flavor.That said, this is nothing like the Penne pasta Alfredo that I love which is also by Hormel. This has a runny thin sauce that takes up about 10% of the container. Very disappointed. Yes, it tastes good, but it wasn't what I was expecting based on the excellent quality of the Penne Alfredo.Ordered in Error -- I wanted the Penne Alfredo. This is not very good.

Got these for my roommate; he said, and I quote, “this alfredo sauce has no business going this hard!” He probably doesn’t want me to add that he also licked the dang bowl.Clean. Bruh.I guess it’s a 5/5, would eat again.

Never got it

I never learned to cook and have very little patience in the kitchen. This product is perfect if like me you aren’t interested in cooking and are alone.Upon my first purchase I didn’t expect much and was wrong. It’s a decent portion and I found it delicious and filling. If you need the “real deal” grab take out at your nearest Italian restaurant.Reasonably priced and I excel in salad making, what more does one need?