Nigel Ramsay

Wellington, New Zealand

Satay Stirfry Chicken (chicken-free)

06 August 2017

Tonight I tried cooking Satay Chicken, but with “chicken-like” product called Chicken Free Chicken from Sunfed Foods.

Here’s what it looks like:

And inside the box:

It’s quite an interesting texture. I started slicing it up with a sharp knife, but soon realised it was probably better to pull it apart. It’s fairly dense.

Into the frying pan it went. Instructions said to cook it in oil until golden brown — around 4 mins.

I think I over cooked it a little. This is about when I should have taken it off the stove:

But I kept on going, and it ended up a little too crispy. Perhaps a little oily too.

Due to the short cooking time, you’re expected to pre-cook it separately and then combine with whatever you’re making. Here’s my combined meal:

And finally served:

The Verdict

It was okay. Not great, not bad — just okay. The texture was the best part — they’ve done well with that. Chewy enough to feel like you’re eating something substantial. And rather filling too. We all felt quite full at the end.

The taste was alright, but not amazing. As you see in the picture above, the satay sauce is not well mixed in, and this left us eating some of the “chicken” in its plain state. I suspect (like chicken), it would have absorbed flavour well given the chance.

So, would I eat it again. Definitely yes, but with more flavor next time.

Oh, and the price has to drop substantially to be viable. I know they’re just starting out with this food, but $12.99 for 300g is too much. $43 per kilo for prepared chickpeas. Surely they can do this for $10 a kilo.