The Chicken Test: Kenny Vs. Harry
Whatever you might think of its collective taste, The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel has never been known to shy away from controversy.
So one recent evening, panelists plunged headlong into the Great Takeout Wood-Roasted Rotisserie Chicken Debate: Kenny Rogers vs. Harry O’s.
The result was … pretty much a draw. (Shy, no; inconclusive, well, perhaps.)
Not that the two tasted the same. The spicier bird from Harry O’s was more of a love-it-or-hate-it proposition, with most of its scores split between twos and fives on our five-point scale, while Kenny Rogers’ ratings were all threes and fours.
Just for fun, we tossed a humbler hen into the mix: the regular roasted chicken from an Albertson’s supermarket deli.
While it paled a bit by comparison to its more seasoned competition, it was perfectly edible. And the price tag - less than half the Harry O’s or Kenny Rogers cost - scored big points with the panel.
(Largely irrelevant but fascinating footnote: Panel member Mike Lax once managed a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet, and actually got to meet Col. Sanders.)
Any chicken worthy of the name, of course, demands biscuits by its side, which is precisely what we gave panel members.
Again, we included a ringer - refrigerated bake-and-serve biscuits from Western Family - along with a couple of boxed dry mixes.
The yellow-flecked, artificially butter-flavored Western Family biscuits were a big hit, although their 9 grams of fat gave a few panelists pause.
Among the mixes, the cheaper Jiffy was plainer but flakier, while the more upper-crust Snoqualmie Falls turned out denser and sweeter, almost like a scone.
At 160 to 180 calories per biscuit, observed panel
member Jan Robison: “You could be eating a cookie.”
Maybe their taste isn’t so bad after all.
Harry O’s Wood Roasted Chicken
Price: $8.52 for a whole chicken.
Nutrition: No label available.
Taste: ****
Value: ***
Comments:”Juicy, tender, slight citrus flavor, good spices on skin.” - Jim Eggers.
“Very good. Very spicy. Juicy and not too greasy.” - Jarretta Manning.
“Too greasy, not crazy about the spices either.” - Paul Norris.
Kenny Rogers Roasters
Price: $8.63 for a whole chicken.
Nutrition: No label available.
Taste: ****
Value: ***
Comments: “Very moist, kinda greasy, kinda bland.” - Jan Robison.
“Good combination of spices, however chicken was a little dry.” - Mike Lax.
“Very moist, baked-spicy skin … Where can I buy some? I ate the whole thing.” - Kathy Kelly.
Roasted Chicken, Albertson’s Food & Drug Store
Price: $3.99 for a whole chicken.
Nutrition: No label available.
Taste: ***
Value: *****
Comments: “Very dry and tough.” - Jarretta Manning.
“Could have used some seasoning. Meat was moist but a little greasy.” - Mike Lax.
“Skin crisper, drier texture than the other two. Looks like homemade - nice presentation.” - Kathy Kelly.
Western Family Jumbos, Butter Flavored Biscuits
Price: $1.36 for 1 pound (eight biscuits).
Nutrition: 180 calories (45 percent fat calories); 360 milligrams sodium per biscuit.
Taste: ****
Value: ****
Comments: “This tastes very good, but I have a feeling that it is very fattening. You can see the butter floating.” - Jarretta Manning.
“Doughy tasting - I found the yellow color very unappealing. Good value, due to ease of preparation.” - Mike Lax.
“Nice texture, except for crust. Certainly the best two-color biscuit I’ve ever had.” - Mary Aegerter.
“Jiffy” Buttermilk Biscuit Mix
Price: 37 cents for 8 ounces (makes five large or eight small biscuits).
Nutrition: 170 calories (21 percent fat calories); 380 milligrams sodium per biscuit.
Taste: ***
Value: *****
Comments:”Crispy crust and decent center, but just a tad dry. Good value for the price.” - Paul Norris.
“More traditional biscuit appearance, but lacks a little in taste; airy?” - Jim Eggers.
“Looks like a real biscuit made from scratch, however, the flavor … maybe some real butter and marmalade would help. Would be great on a stew, though, definitely would sop up the other flavors to the stew’s advantage.” - Kathy Kelly.
Snoqualmie Falls Lodge Baking Powder Biscuit Mix
Price: $2.55 for 24 ounces (makes 15 biscuits).
Nutrition: 160 calories (28 percent fat calories); 520 milligrams sodium per biscuit.
Taste: ***
Value: **
Comments: “Has a bit of a sweet flavor, almost a cotton candy flavor left in my mouth.” - Jan Robison.
“Has a different taste at first, but it kind of grows on you. A little bit of a sweet taste, overall not bad. A little pricey, however.” - Paul Norris.
“Tastes bad - and has a very bad aftertaste. Doesn’t smell right either. Not a biscuit.” - Mary Aegerter.
, DataTimes MEMO: Products sampled by The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel are bought at a retail store and prepared in a test kitchen according to package directions. Panelists are not aware of a product’s brand name or price until after they have tasted it. Products are rated for taste and for value, based on quality compared to price.