Shang Tsung<\/a> from Mortal Kombat, I guess. Other than that, my knowledge of the region is limited to popular culture. It would be far too irresponsible to fill this review with southern stereotypes. I could talk about how Michael Vick and Miss South Carolina have set any progress back about 150 years, but all of that would be too easy, ignorant, and fun.<\/p>\nIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a lot better to focus on the positive, like this tasty meal from our friends from Banquet, which I have a sordid and confusing past with. It’s filled with twists and turns and maybe even a few liaisons with other brands. Banquet started selling their fried chicken meals with one big thigh instead of a drumstick and a wing. That crushed my saturated fat and cholesterol-filled soul. For the past several years, I have felt betrayed. Even though I received fewer grease burns from eagerly picking up chicken pieces, eating was never quite as fun or interesting.<\/p>\n
However, Banquet has now unveiled two new chicken meals that have found a way into my heart. They have this southern fried chicken meal, which is something I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been waiting for my whole life, and one featuring two drumsticks. I can only imagine that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been keeping all of the spare drumsticks in some warehouse for the past 5 years. Since I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel like eating chicken that has been around since I was in high school, I opted for the southern variety.<\/p>\n
If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve ever looked at a supermarket ad, you will notice that Banquet is perpetually on sale at 10 for $10. While this is awesome for the person on a budget, it also causes a great deal of shame at the checkout line when your cart is a sea of red boxes and everyone else has real groceries. I usually throw in a bell pepper so I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel as bad, but the cashier sees right through me. <\/p>\n
I will never understand why the company calls itself Banquet. Obviously, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not meant to serve it at an actual banquet. Are you supposed to sit on your beanbag chair and pretend to be at a fancy affair as you shovel corn into your mouth? I have come to the conclusion that Banquet exists to humiliate me. <\/p>\n
After a few hours of stewing and self-loathing, I get over my paranoia and start to enjoy the meal. The chicken actually tastes pretty good out of the microwave. Obviously, it isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t crispy, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also nice and peppery. This is a welcome change of pace from the ultra-salty fried chicken in the regular meals. Instead of corn, you get a decent amount of green beans. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not sure if green beans are more southern than corn, but at least it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s edible, which is far more than I can say about the corn in these meals. A cup of fake mashed potatoes rounds out the meal quite nicely.<\/p>\n
If there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s anything bad I can say about the meal, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that it costs 25 cents more than a regular Banquet meal. However, not even my cheap ass can reasonably complain about the price hike. In fact, even the biggest college lowlife can afford the extra quarter for a frozen dinner.<\/p>\n
Unless you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re from the South.<\/p>\n
Just kidding.<\/p>\n
Item:<\/b> Banquet Southern Fried Fried Chicken Classics
\nPrice:<\/b> $1.25
\nPurchased at:<\/b> Stater Bros.
\nRating:<\/b> 8 out of 10
\nPros:<\/b> Tasty, flavorful chicken that will actually remind you of good fried chicken. Side dishes that are actually edible. Great value for the price.
\nCons:<\/b> Not even close to banquet-quality food. Southern stereotypes. The humiliation of a diet consisting of 95% frozen dinners. An extra 25 cents per meal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I don’t know a lot about the South, but if the Food Network has taught me anything it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that the food is good because it has a lot of soul in it. Sort of like Shang Tsung from Mortal Kombat, I guess. Other than that, my knowledge of the region is limited to popular culture. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"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":[2302,1571],"class_list":["post-527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-banquet","tag-frozen-food"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":24251,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2017\/08\/28\/spotted-on-shelves-frozen-food-edition-8282017\/","url_meta":{"origin":527,"position":0},"title":"SPOTTED ON SHELVES (FROZEN FOOD EDITION) – 8\/28\/2017","author":"Marvo","date":"August 28, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Here are some interesting new or limited edition frozen foods found by your fellow readers. If you've tried any of the products, share your thoughts about them in the comments. Cole's Plain Bread Middles with Mac & Cheese Filling Cole's Salty Pretzel with Beer Cheese Filling Middles Cole's French Toast\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Spotted on Shelves"","block_context":{"text":"Spotted on Shelves","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/spotted-on-shelves\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cole s Plain Bread Middles with Mac Cheese Filling","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Coles-Plain-Bread-Middles-with-Mac-Cheese-Filling.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Coles-Plain-Bread-Middles-with-Mac-Cheese-Filling.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Coles-Plain-Bread-Middles-with-Mac-Cheese-Filling.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":65247,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2024\/10\/16\/spotted-banquet-crispy-chicken-mega-filets\/","url_meta":{"origin":527,"position":1},"title":"SPOTTED: Banquet Crispy Chicken Mega Filets","author":"Marvo","date":"October 16, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Ever since these Banquet Mega products started coming out, I've wondered why they weren't under the Hungry-Man banner. Seems like a better fit. (Spotted by Grant at Price Cutter.) If you\u2019re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com)\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Spotted on Shelves"","block_context":{"text":"Spotted on Shelves","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/spotted-on-shelves\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/baqspicpchimegafilets.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/baqspicpchimegafilets.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/baqspicpchimegafilets.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/baqspicpchimegafilets.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/baqspicpchimegafilets.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17641,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2014\/09\/22\/spotted-on-shelves-roscoes-frozen-original-waffles-and-roscoes-frozen-sweet-potato-waffles\/","url_meta":{"origin":527,"position":2},"title":"SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Roscoe’s Frozen Original Waffles and Roscoe’s Frozen Sweet Potato Waffles","author":"Marvo","date":"September 22, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"There's Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles frozen waffles, but no Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles frozen fried chicken. Sigh. I wonder how well these waffles will go with Banquet frozen fried chicken. Oh, there's also Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles Mac 'n Cheese, Chili Mac, and Roscoe's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Spotted on Shelves"","block_context":{"text":"Spotted on Shelves","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/spotted-on-shelves\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Roscoe's Original Waffles and Roscoe's Sweet Potato Waffles","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3851\/15130456468_644534b306_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3851\/15130456468_644534b306_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3851\/15130456468_644534b306_z.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":626,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2008\/06\/10\/banquet-select-recipe-chicken-parmesan\/","url_meta":{"origin":527,"position":3},"title":"REVIEW: Banquet Select Recipe Chicken Parmesan","author":"Ace","date":"June 10, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Banquet holds a special place in my heart, and not just in the cholesterol-filled regions either. For as long as I can remember, Banquet has been cranking out meals that rarely go above the rate of one dollar. Even as gas prices have risen to the point where I regularly\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61858,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2024\/04\/30\/spotted-hungry-man-combos\/","url_meta":{"origin":527,"position":4},"title":"SPOTTED: Hungry-Man Combos","author":"Marvo","date":"April 30, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Conagra seems to like pairing entrees into one. First, it was Marie Callender's Duos, and now it's these Hungry-Man Combos. What's next? Banquet Mashups? (Spotted by Robbie and Amanda Y at H-E-B.) If you\u2019re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Spotted on Shelves"","block_context":{"text":"Spotted on Shelves","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/spotted-on-shelves\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/hmcombofriedchisali.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/hmcombofriedchisali.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/hmcombofriedchisali.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/hmcombofriedchisali.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/hmcombofriedchisali.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":30796,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2018\/08\/16\/spotted-on-shelves-banquet-mega-deep-dish-and-pies\/","url_meta":{"origin":527,"position":5},"title":"SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Banquet Mega Deep Dish and Pies","author":"Marvo","date":"August 16, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Banquet Mega Deep Dish Meat Lovers Banquet Mega Deep Dish Meat Lovers Banquet Mega Pies XL Chicken Pot Pie (Spotted by Amanda Y at Kroger.) 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