When I was a normal human being, not one where my brain dictated where I stayed because it was perceiving threats as being there, when in reality, they were not, one of my favorite things in the world to do was to pack up my Magic cards, drive to Hard Knox Games in Radcliff (it has since expanded and moved) and stop by Hardees for a spicy chicken sandwich. It was, as fast food typically is, of varying quality, but something about getting a freshly deep fried chicken patty on a sesame seed bun with lettuce and mayo was a pleasure of mine.
Of course, now that gluten makes my gastric system incredibly sad, the spicy chicken experience was something I was sure I wouldn’t get to take part in anymore.
That is until today, when was browsing Walmart’s grocery delivery section and saw that Caulipower, a company that I only knew of for making an outstanding cauliflower dough pizza had brought out a new chicken product, the Spicy(ish) Chicken Tender.
They made their way into my digital basket, I finished shopping and scheduled a delivery, going to bed shortly thereafter.
As soon as the delivery person left, I started to put away the food I ordered, mainly to eat, and secondarily to review, and made sure that the first thing I located was the bag of chicken tenders. After going years without stuff that I found comforting, I was truly excited to try these out. While I was excited, I also knew from experience that other Gluten Free Breaded Chicken products had disappointed me in the past, be it low quality chicken, or just unappetizing breading.
Out of the bag, I noticed a nice spicy smell to them, very similar to what I used to smell from other spicy chicken products. It didn’t smell to overpowering, but just enough to let you know it was there. The coating seemed to be uniform over the chicken, not spread to thin or thick in places. They are not lightly breaded, but they are also aren’t so breaded that you’re eating more of that then the actual chicken. The tenders seemed to be evenly sized, none to big, none small enough to wonder why they made it off the line.
I read the directions for cooking them, opened up my toaster oven, threw them in, hit start and waited 15 minutes.
Pulling them out of the oven, I noticed quickly that the spicy smell had intensified, and I started to dread my decision to make 4 of the tenders. The serving size on the bag listed 2 tenders as the serving, and that seems fair, as they are decently sized. Pouring some ranch, as one is wont to do, on my Incredible Hulk plate I went to my room ready to eat.
The first thing I noticed about the tenders was of course, the spicy breading. As they were baked, the flour had a cornmeal like texture, which as a Kentuckian is not a deal breaker to me. Raised on fish frys in the South, you get used to that kind of breading. I stripped one of the tenders off, just to get a taste of the chicken, and was happy to taste a juicy, lightly spiced tender. The breading itself was where the true spice was, and it was a heat the sneaked up on me. It wasn’t overwhelming, like a hot chicken, but it was enough to let you know that you were eating a spicy food. Eating the full tender, breading and all was a satisfying experience, and very reminiscent of the Hardee’s comfort spicy chicken that I had long craved.
Overall, Caulipower made a great product, one that filled a hole that I personally had, and while it was a bit to spicy for me, I can easily imagine deep frying a couple of these, getting some mayo, some shredded lettuce, and a gluten free bun and making a sandwich out of these. I would buy them again.
4 of 5 stars.
Pros:
Easy to make, very clear instructions, reasonable cooking time.
Chicken was tender and of good size. It was good quality, not stringy, and mildly seasoned.
Breading coverage was good. It was even, you got a nice amount of both chicken and breading.
Multiple meals can be made out of this frozen bag of chicken.
Cons:
14 oz bag was 7.98 from Walmart. A little more expensive then other gluten free chicken products available from the store.
No instructions on how to deep fry.
Might be a little to spicy if you can’t handle spicy foods.
Mouthfeel may be a little much if you’re not used to a cornmeal type of texture.
Nutrition Facts.
The Gluten Free Mage 