Shelly-Ann Thompson, Freelance Writer
An assortment of Best Dressed chicken Salad wraps and sandwiches on hamburger buns
CONVENIENCE, ELIMINATION of a lengthy preparation process plus a healthy, quick alternative, were uppermost in the minds of the Jamaica Broilers Group's Best Dressed Foods, when they conceptualised their first ready-to-eat product,
the Best Dressed Chicken Salad.
Last week Tuesday, Best Dressed consulting chef, Jacqui Tyson and her assistants set up a temporary 'roost' in The Gleaner's editorial department, and invited our staff to sample the new chicken salad.
Made at the company's Spring Village processing plant in St. Catherine, the salad is available in two flavours: barbecue and original. The Best Dressed Chicken Salad requires no preparation and can be served from its resealable container. Ingredients include: mayonnaise, onion, scallion, garlic, milk solids, pepper, thyme, salt, white pepper, and spices made from a traditional recipe.
The original flavour was introduced to the Jamaican market on June 15, and the barbecue flavour appeared on shelves on September 9, this year. Nutritionally, Ms. Tyson said the salads are all chicken that can be had straight out of the packet.
She also noted that the salad could be had at breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner, and is also a great idea for children's lunch boxes. "It's an option for those on the go," says Ms. Tyson.
The Best Dressed Chicken Salad is available in 100g and 260g packages, and sells for an average of $145 and $170 respectively, and is sold at more than 100 stores islandwide. When used to make sandwiches, it's best to be had within three hours, she said. When shopping for the salads, check in the butter section.
"It tasted great with the biscuits but was blah with the salad - the mixture was too thick in this container. I had to eat chunks of it at one time not being able to spread it over the salad and enjoy it."
"Quite liked the salad, but it tasted a bit too 'oniony'. Cut down on this and yes, give us chicken chunks."
"I found the chicken salad absolutely delightful and very useful especially since these days I have very little time to cook."
"I found the chicken a bit stringy but the flavour is delightful."
"I found the chicken salad tasty and with lots of possibilities for those who cannot cook or are too busy to cook. But, I would not buy a product that has been prepared with mayonnaise no matter how tasty or how safe; I don't trust it. I prefer chunks of chicken not shreds."
"I found it to be pretty good."
"The salad was O.K. Fresh. Nice. Overall, the wrap was O.K. but it had a bit of a sour taste. I don?t know if that was the intention but something - probably the mayo or some cheese or sauce - gave it too much of a tangy taste that was not to my liking."
"The wrap bad, trust me!"
"The salad is just good. But I would buy it depending on the fat content. If it had any trace of either saturated or trans fat I wouldn’t buy. But heck, the things that taste really good are usually loaded with those little 'demons'."
- ‘It’s nice, I really like it. From the look I thought it was tuna though.’
- I think the chicken was prepared well and will be welcomed by people who are on a diet or are just tired of the everyday rice and peas and fried chicken. I did not taste much mayonnaise that was good, as I do not like too much dressing. I would have preferred chunks of chicken in the salad rather than shreds but I do not think it would have turned off many people especially the adventurous.
- ‘It has a chicken burger taste.’
- ‘The one with the wrap tastes very good but the salad needs more raw onion. ‘It taste like tuna sandwich but it can pass!’
- ‘It’s really lovely, delicious, tangy. A wonderful shock to the taste buds.’
- ‘The chicken salad is quite tasty. The idea of chicken mixed with vegetables is quite a good one. The chicken mixed with the vegetables should help to induce children to eat their vegetables. The salad also goes well with bread. When it is sampled with bread one does not miss hamburgers.’
- It tastes good, and it’s easily prepared.
- ‘The chicken salad is drier than you would expect but how it is packaged is good.’
- ‘It was tasty. I am not a fan of processed food. However I did enjoy the succulence of the chicken salad. I would use it for travelling lunch, and/or picnic purposes as I am always on the go. I would buy it - it appeals to my ‘health conscious side’. I do not usually eat tortilla, but this salad seems to be made for tortilla. The tortilla and the chicken salad were certainly a good combination.’
- Chicken salad was tasty but I found I could only take a few bites as it was a bit cloying; too much mayonnaise/sauce. Tasted good with crackers.
- ‘I love it. It reminds me of tuna but it tastes much better.’
- Very nutritious and healthy.
- An excellent whole meal.
- Slight taste to tuna.
- ‘There was no chicken juice. But it tastes nice.’
- I suppose it was for dieters didn’t get any flavours in that one. The filling and the sauce is my favourite.
- It’s nutritious.
- Could do without the mayonnaise.
- Very yummy.
