FICKEN (Faux Chicken)

I was a vegetarian for over eight years of my life. During that time I became very fond of tofu and other vegetable and soy based foods. Though I eat meat now, I tend to prefer less meat in my diet, and eat quite a bit of tofu. This week I bought two different types of faux chicken (I like to call it Ficken) made from soy and vegetables to conduct a taste test.

The contestants:

Gardein - Seven Grain Crispy Tenders

 

Morning Star - Chik Patties Original

The challenge is on!

I first tried the Morning Star patty. I cooked it in the oven according to the directions, cut it up, and ate it with some honey and a side of steamed kale.

I thought this was pretty good. Smelled like chicken, tasted (almost) like chicken, and was pretty satisfying.

Two nights later I tried the Gardein tenders. I made three of them in the oven and had them with honey mustard (half and half - dijon mustard mixed with honey) and a cut up apple with peanut butter and cinnamon.

I made this for a quick high protein snack when I got home from an especially hard gym session, and this certainly hit the spot. The ficken strips were really good (I cooked them a couple extra minutes to make them crispier) and I preferred these over the patties (but I think both were good).

As far as the nutrition stats stacked up, I also think Gardein is the winner.

Gardein Strips (serving size - 2 strips)

Morning Star Patties (serving size - 1 patty)

Gardein has less fat and more protein (even though the serving size is small!) - I think if I were to have the strips as a meal I'd probably have 4 or 5 - which would be 180 calories, 3 grams of fat and 18 grams of protein!

Though I liked both of these and would probably buy both again, I think that the Gardein strips were tastier and healthier than the Morning Star patties. Try them for yourself and see what you prefer!