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Are Gardein Meatless Chick'n Strips any good?
These are a solid meat free option if your recipe calls for emulating strips of chicken. These gardein strips are really quite flexible, working well under heat in many stir fry dishes. That said, they do have a prominent flavor of their own, larger from the wheat gluten. My advice would be to use in a bold flavor dish to temper their natural flavor.
Over the past twelve months I’ve found myself relying more and more on Gardein products. As MorningStar Farms continue to tweak their product range (for the worse I think), Gardein stand out in terms of product range, general availability, price – and more often than not – flavor.
I hadn’t yet tested these Chick’n strips, so recently decided to get to grips with them. Thankfully, I’m happy to report another solid product in Gardein’s increasingly deep selection of vegan meat substitutes.
If you’ve had Gardein’s other faux-chicken products you’ll know the taste and texture of these immediately. The composition of these vegan strips is a mix of pea protein and wheat gluten. The wheat gluten completely dominates the flavor. That’s not a necessarily bad thing, but wheat gluten is a pretty assertive flavor, and you’ll want to cook with that in mind (see some ideas below).
These strips are effortlessly flexible and cook admirably under high heat. The texture is a standout feature, lots of meaty chew – one of the big benefits of wheat gluten to be sure.
So far, I’ve mainly used these strips in quick stir fry dishes as you can see below. If you’re looking for a healthier stand in for chicken, definitely give this product a look.
Gardein Meatless Chick’n Strips – what’s in the bag?
Inside the resealable plastic packaging you’ll find a jumble of Chick’n strips as show below. I found there were enough to make a couple of hearty dinners for two people.
Gardein Meatless Chick’n Strips
Here’s a brace of meals I’ve recently made with the Chick’n strips. As I mentioned, I like to go with big and bold flavors to subdue the strips own flavor.
In the pictures below you’ll find a vegan chicken fajita plate with pico and tomatillo ranch sauce. Below that you’ll see my Thai basil sauce, plated with a side of Green Giant cauliflower rice. I’ll be honest, both were pretty fabulous!
Gardein Meatless Chick’n Strips cooking instructions, nutrition, ingredients
These are a cinch to cook, just 5-7 minutes of pan frying over medium high heat. I’d advise not cooking too much more than that, the wheat gluten component of the strips would probably start to tighten up and become tough.
If you’re cooking a dish that’s more complex than a quick stir fry, my advice would be to cook these separate and incorporate with the main dish at the last minute. E.g. for a Thai green curry I wouldn’t simmer them for 30 mins in the sauce, I’d just season and cook to one side, then add to the curry 2mins before plating.
How much are Gardein Meatless Chick’n Strips?
In April 2019 I paid $3.97 for this bag of chick’n strips at Walmart. That comes to about $1 per meal of thereabouts which is a mighty good deal in my book.
I find Gardein can fluctuate quite a bit between different retailers. $4 per bag/box is usually a pretty good deal, below that it’s a steal.
More Gardein products and dishes
- Gardein Plant-Based Chili review
- Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Jerky
- Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Chick’N Filet reviewed
- Thai yellow curry with veggie chicken
- Gardein Ultimate Chick’N Tenders – the best yet?
- Gardein Crispy Golden Chick’N Nuggets – average at best
- Marie Callender’s Meatless Gardein Be’f Pot Pie review
- Gardein expand out of the freezer aisle with new soup
- Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Burger review
- Asian salad with soy sauce fried Gardein tenders
- Asian salad with Gardein seven grain tenders
- Gardein Sweet And Tangy Barbecue Wings review
- Fajitas with Gardein chicken strips
- Asian salad with Gardein chicken strips
- Caesar salad with Gardein Seven Grain Tenders
- Gardein Breakfast Saus’age Patties review
- Gardein Savory Stuffed Turk’y
- Gardein Seven Grain Crispy Tenders review
- Review: Gardein Meatless Chick’n Strips
- Review: Gardein The Ultimate Beefless Ground
- Review: Gardein Home Style Meatless Meatloaf
- Review: Gardein Skillet Meals Asian Style Chick’n Fried Rice
- Review: Gardein The Ultimate Beefless Burger
- Review: Gardein The Ultimate Beefless Sliders
- Review: Gardein Lightly Breaded Turk’y Cutlets
Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you! I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC – Utah’s biggest and oldest online food magazine; I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune. I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV shows.
I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have covered the Utah dining scene for the better part of fifteen years. I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand. I started Shop Smart to catalogue my adventures in the grocery store and kitchen. Follow along on Instagram too!