I needed a quick, no-fuss dinner right before Thanksgiving, and used my free coupon to obtain the Oven Ready Cornish Game hens at Jack's Foodtown in Caldwell. Big shout-out to Jack's - they are a great store, their employees are friendly, and they were a huge help during the hurricane.
I wanted something I wouldn't have to prep or watch, so that I could concentrate on helping my daughter with her homework. I also wanted something healthy and full of protein, and chicken is one of my go-to items for a protein-filled dinner. When you've had any sort of weight-loss surgery, you know it's protein first.
The Oven Ready system is really quite simple. Everything is pre-seasoned and in a roasting bag. All I had to do was turn on the oven, place them in a baking dish, and I was good to go. I'm always busy, I commute close to an hour each way, and I need all the time-savers I can get. I will admit that I am often skeptical of pre-seasoned products because I'm not sure if they'll live up to what I know that I and my family like, but this did. I followed the directions on the bag and was rewarded with two very moist, tender and delicious cornish game hens. My daughter had never had cornish game hens before, and was curious. She's 9 and she thought they were terrific. I included a side of mashed potatoes and a quick salad, and we were good to go. The seasoning was delicate and didn't overpower the birds. The meat was very tender, and I really appreciated the fact that clean up was quick and easy. I was so impressed that I decided to pick up an Oven Ready roaster, and I will be trying that in the next couple of days. My husband and daughter were both very happy with dinner that night, and I liked the quality and the convenience. Hey, cornish game hens are good to serve for company, too!
The only deterrent would be price. It's about $10.00 retail for the Oven-ready products, so it's worth it if you have a coupon. Someone brought up the point that for less you can get a chicken already cooked, but most days I don't want to stop at the market on my way home. This is something I can keep in the fridge and just throw in.
I did buy a second product, an actual roaster, and put that in the fridge for another occasion. BzzAgent had given me some $2.00 and $3.00 off coupons, so I used one of the coupons to put towards this roaster.
Night before last I knew I would be running late getting home from work, so I called home and asked my husband to make dinner. I told him I had the Perdue Oven Ready Roaster in the fridge, and that we could have that. He said he'd give it a try, and I told him it was easy - all he had to do was follow the directions. He's not always big on following directions, so I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.
He said it really was easy, he preheated the oven, put in the bird in the bag and followed the directions to a t. We (my husband, my daughter and I) all agreed that the chicken was moist, flavorful and a great dinner. We had some leftover mashed potatoes and vegetables that we were able to reheat and have with this, so it was definitely quick and easy. Summary: Positives: Easy! Open it up, put the bag in the oven and you're good! Seasoning is just right, and quite delicious. Clean-up is incredibly easy. Just remove and throw away the bag. The pan stays clean. The entire family loved it. Negatives: Nothing major. I was a little swollen from the seasoning the next day, but I'm very sensitive and react to a lot of things. All in all I'm very glad I had the opportunity to try this line of products from Perdue and I appreciate the time-saving qualities as well as the taste. I'll pick up some more.
