Another product from Kroger’s Simple Truth product line up, one that promises minimal preservatives and the like. These come in a large freezer bag, that thankfully unlike so many others, IS resealable.
Cooking: Bake, microwave, or air fry like me – the latter takes about six minutes at high temp.
Taste and texture: Clean tasting per the Simple Truth branding promise. These tenders were surprising not overtly salty either. The texture is somewhat rubbery and the breading is minimal, quite thin. The flavor is that recognizable chicken tender one – which is to say vaguely onion-garlic, a somewhat neutral palate perfect for your choice of dip or sauce.
Overall: About as middle of the round a chicken tender as you’d hope to find. I did enjoy the cleaner taste, it’s clear there’s less junk here than some competitors. I’d have no problem picking these up again if I wanted to indulge my inner dunker.
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!
This product was clearly composed of mechanically separated chicken bits. It did not feel like solid meat on the tooth and its taste was distinctly not poultry like. I wish there were adequate labeling regulations so that the shopping public could choose whether to eat moderately processed meat (food) vs. completely engineered side products only distantly related to related to the animal on the label. In addition, there is the carbon footprint of the transport of the product from South America. There should also be regulation around informing consumers of 1)the true composition of the product 2)how much carbon was emitted to bring the product to market in the US. Had I known either of those two, I would not have not purchased this product which I will now pitch into the trash—cause it tasted awful, and I don’t want to feed it to my dog.