Spicy Thai Basil Chicken - Deal of the Day

This Deal of the Day will leave your taste buds spinning. It's one pungent bowl of noodles, both sweet and spicy and loaded with flavor. Spicy Thai Basil Chicken by Thai Kitchen is a very good 99c only Store find.

A big plus are the large cubes of white meat chicken. I pulled apart the chicken to to make sure it is not a solid processed cube - the meat seemed real enough as I detected strands chicken meat. And you get a lot of chicken meat for a 99.99 cent frozen meal.

If you like the classic Pad Thai entree, then you will like these rice noodles, too. I like the light and airy consistency of rice noodles. And the noodles are not mushy like typical Italian pasta frozen dinners.

But you want to give the noodles and sauce a stir when defrosted enough; this will help steam all the noodles to an even tenderness and cut down on typical microwave cold and hot spots. I don't know why they are still slightly chewy, the way I like them. Maybe it's just that rice noodles hold up better when frozen, than Italian flour noodles?

A couple ingredients make this a pungent meal, first there is chopped garlic on top and visible red Thai chili pieces throughout. At first glance when defrosted, I thought the small sprinkles-looking topping was peanuts. Nope, just garlic pieces that flavor but, fortunately, not overpower.

You will also find pieces of Thai basil, although not much of that herb. This frozen meal is not for the faint of pallet as the red chili flakes are very spicy, and I like it that way.

But one word of warning, to quote my gym-rat workmate when he read the "Nutrition Facts:" Dude, that's a crazy amount of salt in there." Yep, the sodium amount is 710mg, or 30% of the recommended daily total!

I try to keep my sodium intake low, no processed chips or crackers, except on occasion. And if I am cooking with processed foods, then I leave out seasoning with salt. I try to balance it all out - some days are salty and some aren't.

Thai Kitchen has a list of other frozen entrees including: Pad That, Green Curry Chicken and a Veggie Red Curry. All sound good to me, and if they show up cheaply, I would definitely try them all.

At 10 ounces you get a lot for your buck. So, other than too much salt and if you can take the spicy heat, I give Spicy Thai Basil Chicken by Thai Kitchen, on a scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best......I give this delicious Deal of the Day an 8 !