{"id":10689,"date":"2011-11-25T00:00:39","date_gmt":"2011-11-25T10:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/?p=10689"},"modified":"2023-09-05T16:20:51","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T02:20:51","slug":"review-hot-pockets-pretzel-bread-sandwiches-queso-chicken-and-cheddar-bacon-melt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2011\/11\/25\/review-hot-pockets-pretzel-bread-sandwiches-queso-chicken-and-cheddar-bacon-melt\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: Hot Pockets Pretzel Bread Sandwiches (Queso Chicken and Cheddar Bacon Melt)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Hot<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n

I haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t had much luck with giant soft pretzels lately. The most recent incident involved a soft pretzel at a baseball game which had most likely been fashioned out of brine-cured leather and sawdust then stamped with a $5.95 price tag. Another episode involved the greasiest, most stale-tasting mall pretzel ever created, which tasted like its main ingredients were leaden biscuit dough and the leftover grease scooped from the bottom of a fast food fry vat. <\/p>\n

There are clearly some pretzel standards that were not being followed here. Sure, they were hot. Sure, they were twisted. But they weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t pretzels. They made me wish there was some sort of graduate school for pretzel-making. Most of these pretzel vendors understood the basics, but they really needed a more intensive education in order to perfect their soft-pretzel-making skills. Crust brown and crackly? Check. Innards hot, light and fluffy? Check. Salt applicator well-calibrated? Check. Bam, Masters degree!<\/p>\n

I know some people really only use giant soft pretzels as a delivery mechanism for nacho cheese, ranch dressing, melted butter, or icing, and they couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care less about how it tastes by itself\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6but I really like soft pretzels as an actual snack food, so it disappoints me when they turn out horribly. Little did I know that Hot Pockets would revive my love of hot, salty soft pretzel goodness. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve made a new line of stuffed sandwiches called Pretzel Bread Sandwiches. So far, there are two varieties: Queso Chicken and Cheddar Bacon Melt. The results were top-notch. Looks like someone matriculated at the National Conservatory of Soft Pretzels.<\/p>\n

\"Hot<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n

The Cheddar Bacon Melt is just as face-meltingly delish as it sounds. The melted cheddar cheese blends well with the generous chunks of bacon and tomatoes. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know if the bacon is nitrate-free, but this is a Hot Pocket, guys. The bacon itself is slathered with creamy sauce, so it clearly doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter. The Queso Chicken is also a seriously tasty sandwich. The grilled white meat chicken breast is tender, and the cheddar cheese mixed with fire-roasted poblano peppers is a savory combination. And they are not<\/u> kidding about the jalape\u00c3\u00b1os \u00e2\u20ac\u201c each stuffed sandwich contains large, chopped pieces that really turn up the heat. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what I was expecting, but I certainly wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t expecting the mega-spiciness these guys turned out. They would get an A+ in Jalape\u00c3\u00b1o School.<\/p>\n

But I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m burying the lead here. What you really want to hear about is the pretzel bread crust. Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just say that the creators of this pretzel crust must have built their graduate thesis around this recipe. It is exactly right for this sandwich. Meaning, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s soft and crusty and salty, and once cooked, emits the distinctive aroma of freshly baked pretzel dough. The pretzel bread perfectly complements the creamy cheese in both sandwiches as well. <\/p>\n

\"Hot<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n

The only area where the pretzel bread crust gets a big fat F is ingredient seepage. The extremely hot insides can sometimes still ooze out during microwaving, so the somewhat firmer and sturdier pretzel bread crust doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t offer a solution to that little problem. But a little<\/u> problem it is, especially when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re chowing down on cheesy\/bacon-y or cheesy\/spicy deliciousness. So what if your fingers get a little burned? Try pursuing a Masters degree in Grubbin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, not Whining.<\/p>\n

(Nutrition Facts \u00e2\u20ac\u201c 1 sandwich \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Queso Chicken<\/b> – 280 calories, 10 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 790 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, 13 grams of protein, 6% vitamin A, 20% calcium, and 15% iron. Cheddar Bacon Melt<\/b> – 320 calories, 14 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 55 milligrams of cholesterol, 810 milligrams of sodium, 55 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, 13 grams of protein, 6% vitamin A, 25% calcium, and 25% iron.)<\/small><\/p>\n

Item:<\/b> Hot Pockets Pretzel Bread Sandwiches (Queso Chicken and Cheddar Bacon Melt)
\nPrice:<\/b> $2.28
\nSize:<\/b> 2 sandwiches
\nPurchased at:<\/b> HyVee
\nRating:<\/b> 7 out of 10 (Queso Chicken)
\nRating:<\/b> 8 out of 10 (Cheddar Bacon Melt)
\nPros:<\/b> Enjoying pretzels as more than a delivery mechanism for gooey dips. Generous chunks of bacon. Getting an A+ in Jalape\u00c3\u00b1o School. Earning a Masters degree in Pretzel dynamics.
\nCons:<\/b> Ingredient seepage. Overpriced pretzel creations from vendors who believe pretzel = twisted anything. Whining. Grad school loans that cannot be paid off with hot, delicious soft pretzels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t had much luck with giant soft pretzels lately. The most recent incident involved a soft pretzel at a baseball game which had most likely been fashioned out of brine-cured leather and sawdust then stamped with a $5.95 price tag. Another episode involved the greasiest, most stale-tasting mall pretzel ever created, which tasted like […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1440],"tags":[1571,1689],"class_list":["post-10689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-frozen-food","tag-hot-pockets"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":27004,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2018\/02\/07\/spotted-on-shelves-hot-pockets-stuffed-pretzels-cheesy-jalapeno-pretzel-stick\/","url_meta":{"origin":10689,"position":0},"title":"SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Hot Pockets Stuffed Pretzels Cheesy Jalapeno Pretzel Stick","author":"Marvo","date":"February 7, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Hot Pretzels! 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