Lean Cuisine Chicken Club Panini : Heat Eat Review : We Review TV Dinners, Frozen Meals, and Microwavable Foods
September 25th, 2010 | 
Author: May 27, 2009 | Reviewer: Guest Reviewers
Price: $1.99 (on sale)
Serving: 1 sandwich, 6 oz.
Calories: 350 per serving
Fat: 14%, 9g
Cholesterol: 11%, 35mg
Sodium: 35%, 830 mg
Protein: 24g
Carbohydrates: 14%, 44g
Fiber: 24%, 6g
Sugar: 6g
Weight Watchers Points: 7 POINTS
Lean Cuisine says: Grilled white meat chicken strips with crumbled bacon, tomatoes, cheese and ranch sauce on sourdough bread
Liz says: This frozen meal is not a one-way street. If you think that you can just pop it in the microwave, walk away, eat it and not extend anything on your part, you would be wrong. This Panini Chicken Club requires two things: patience and imagination.
Why patience? First of all, this is not one of those meals that you can’t just rip open carefully. You’ve got to make a little platform for the “revolutionary” grilling disc (patent pending.) If you’re like me, you didn’t read these instructions and then had to stand at the microwave and reconfigure this set-up while a co-worker stares at you and smirks.
You’ll also need patience in the amount of times it takes to chew this item. Since everyone knows that bread was not meant to be microwaved, the bread is less on the toasty side and more on the really, really chewy side. I’m not saying that’s totally bad, it’s just not very bread-like. The chicken is also a bit on the chewy side, so you’re really exercising your jaw quite a bit. Way to make us burn a few extra calories, Lean Cuisine!
Imagination is required to make the meal just a bit better than it is. There are about 3 or 4 bites of this panini that really taste like a yummy sandwich you’d order at your favorite coffee shop. If you hang on that feeling and use your imagination, you can kind of convince yourself that the rest of the sandwich tastes like that too. Bacon bits are good, tomatoes are super flavorful, cheese is always a plus, and the ranch-style sauce is weird but gives it an extra little flavor.
Overall, it’s not as good as the real thing, but it’s okay in the way that a cheapo French bread frozen pizza will fulfill your pizza craving in a pinch.
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8 Responses to “Lean Cuisine Chicken Club Panini”
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This is one of my faves and it’s not that chewy…it’s possible that you overcooked it. I have a microwave that runs hot, so I really watch the cooking times.
I like these!
One way to make this better, is, don’t use that microwave pad, and only microwave it until it is defrosted, and the bread is soft, then put it in a toaster oven. Viola, hot sandwich, toasted bread.
When I was in Italy, someone told me that one sandwich is a “panino” and “panini” is actually plural. I still feel weird callling a sandwich a panino. though. Anyway, I appreciate Lean Cuisine’s effort with their panini sandwiches. It’s difficult to make a good homemade panini with less than 400 calories.
Mine is usually quite crispy as well – to the point where I sometimes cut the roof of my mouth on it! I usually do the lowest cooking time, then do 30 second intervals if everything isn’t melted.
I like the paninis quite a bit, though you’re right that the bread is a bit chewy. It just makes it last longer! I find that I can’t get the center cooked before the bread is overcooked.
Definitely better than the Lean Cuisine Denver Style Breakfast Panini I just ate. It was the most tasteless food I’ve ever had.
oh i just love cooking and eating. i love to cook pasta recipes and the like.,”,