Deal of the Day - Banquet's Chicken Parmesan

Banquet, I'm impressed! I never thought I would write that, but Banquet's "Select Recipes" frozen entree of Chicken Parmesan & Pasta with Broccoli is satisfying and tasty.

I've come to expect artery-clogging frozen fare from Banquet, and have had my fair share. My Banquet guilty pleasure is a micowaved-to-mush Mexican Enchilada entree with watery beans and soggy rice.

Their Chicken Parmesan meal is not perfect, but the combination of penne pasta in a tasty marinara, whole tender broccoli florets, and a breaded chicken fillet with mozzarella cheese, provides appetizing value for 99 cents. Microwaving the chicken patty steams the bread crumbs, so it loses it's crunchy texture (next time I'll bake it).
Microwaving works better on the broccoli and pasta. The marinara sauce is studded with chopped onion and herbs and has real flavor (nice it is not pureed to death), and the penne is tender, not soggy. Broccoli is fresh tasting and the pieces are large with some crunch, I liked it.

The weak link is the chicken parmesan patty. It is so thin the bread coating overpowers. There is white meat in there somewhere, I know it. Actually what is there is not bad, over-processed perhaps (hard to tell, it being just a sliver). A smaller and thicker patty would have been better.

For a cheap and light meal (for Banquet, at least) I would give their "Select Recipes" other entrees a go (including pot roast and hand-rolled enchiladas). I bought mine at this 99 cent Only Store. On a scale of 1-9, I give Banquet's Chicken Parmesan a 5.