I Am Slowly Getting Healthier (Marks and Spencer Count on Us Caribbean Style Chicken)

Member Name: ray1952

Product:	Marks and Spencer Count on Us Caribbean Style Chicken
Date:	24/05/05 (749 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very tasty, Healthy option, Plenty of food

Disadvantages: Not microvaveable

As I have recently tried one of the healthy eating options at Marks and Spencer, (the Count on Us Cajun Chicken Fettucine) I decided to try their Count on Us Caribbean Style Chicken. This meal comes with Mango. Coconut Cream, and Mild Chilli.

This meal comes from the chilled section of the food-store and is in a 400 gram serving, and is suitable for home freezing. The cost at the time I bought it was £2.99GBP, (full price), but I bought 4 of this type of meal and paid for only 3 thus saving a quarter of the cost. This I thought at the time was a bargain.

**Packaging**

As with the previous meal I bought and have reviewed, one of the reasons why I bought Marks and Spencer Count on Us Caribbean Style Chicken is that the picture on the front of the outer cardboard package makes the meal looked tasty. Inside this outer sleeve there is a tray covered with a clear plastic film, which enabled me to see the food inside before I bought it. Having seen the food, the picture on the outside did the food justice.

As with the other meal, Marks and Spencer Count on Us Caribbean Style Chicken comes in the healthy eating option range, I checked out the nutritional values that are shown on the reverse of the outer sleeve. As I suffer from slightly high cholesterol (which you all should know by now), I found that the fat content of Marks and Spencer Count on Us Caribbean Style Chicken was fairly low. The total fat content per packet is 8.4 grams, of which 3.6 grams are saturated. There is less than 3% fat in the whole meal.

Other information on the reverse of the outer sleeve includes cooking and storage details, plus all the ingredients. The main ingredients are: marinated chicken breast (49%), mango (18%), and coconut cream (6%). I will not list all other ingredients here, but they are easily read on the packaging, as with all Marks and Spencer food products.

**Cooking Time**

If you have frozen this meal then you have to let it thaw thoroughly before cooking. I find this the only drawback to it. The best way I have found to cook Marks and Spencer Count on Us Caribbean Style Chicken is as follows. Remove the outer sleeve and pierce the clear film and place the tray directly on a middle shelf in a pre-heated oven at 180C, or 160C for a fan-assisted oven. The meal will take about 20 minutes to cook. On the cooking instructions it tells you to remove the film. I did this, and, unfortunately, the sauce dried up a bit in cooking.

**The Meal Itself**

As with other Marks and Spencer meals I have bought, I find the chicken in Marks and Spencer Count on Us Caribbean Style Chicken very tender. The quality control system at Marks and Spencer must be of the highest standard, as I have not yet had a bad meal. All I have to do is slice a piece off the breast and it feels so succulent that it needs no real eating. (Yum, Yum I say).

The sauce that goes with this meal is (in my opinion) not too spicy, which is very good as it does not spoil the taste. If it were too hot I would not enjoy it. The sauce is plentiful to cover the chicken and if you have chips or rice there still is enough. If you like coconut, as I do, then you will like Marks and Spencer Count on Us Caribbean Style Chicken as there is a fairly strong taste of it in the creamy sauce. The hint of mango compliments the meal as well.

I have served this meal with a few healthy, virtually fat-free chips, or a side salad. Both ways I think compliment the meal. My favourite drink to go with this meal is a glass of red wine!!. I think it does make a fine meal with this.

One drawback to the meal is that you cannot cook it in the microwave oven, which I think, would be an advantage if you are short of time and want this meal.

All in all, I can recommend Marks and Spencer Count on Us Caribbean Style Chicken with mango, coconut cream, and mild chilli, especially for people who want to stay healthy or who are thinking of starting a healthy lifestyle.

Summary: