The Frozen Burrito Brand We're Never Buying Again
The frozen section: Home to some of the highest highs and lowest lows in the food world. You can either find the perfect heat-and-eat dish, or a meal you wish never entered your mouth. A classic frozen aisle staple is the frozen burrito, and we took the liberty of tasting and ranking 10 store-bought burritos so you don't have to. Unfortunately this included the Feel Good Foods Chicken Chile Verde Burrito, which we will never be buying again.
Ranked based on texture, flavor, ease of cooking, and overall satisfaction, some frozen burritos really stood out while others did not. Feel Good Foods took last place in the ranking due to serious disappointment in the texture category, where its gluten free ingredients did not work in its favor. Thankfully, some other burritos brought the wow factor we were looking for, so you can be sure to buy the right ones during your next grocery store run.
Why Feel Good Foods did not feel so good
The Feel Good Foods Chicken Chile Verde Burrito seemed to be a bit of a catfish, with a great on-paper description that just didn't measure up in reality. The ingredients in this gluten free option included rice, both black and pinto beans, chicken raised without antibiotics, and tomatillo poblano sauce all wrapped in a gluten free tortilla. It seemed the gluten free tortilla ruined all the attempted goodness inside with its overly rubbery texture which was thick in some parts and mushy in others – not the nicely toasted tortilla we all hope for.
On the other end of the spectrum and winning our vote was the El Monterey Loaded Nacho Chimi, which had a great balance of traditional Mexican flavors. The beans didn't overwhelm the other ingredients, the cheese was nicely blended with the meat, and most importantly, no rubbery tortilla!
It's worth noting that the Feel Good Foods Chicken Chile Verde Burrito was the only gluten free option of the bunch, which was a factor that weighed heavily in its downfall. This is not to say that gluten free choices taste unanimously the worst, but may be a wake up call for gluten free brands to work towards a tortilla that isn't just a circle of thick sludge.
How to make Feel Good Foods frozen burritos really feel good
When it comes to frozen foods, cooking with ease is a main feature — but sometimes, taking those few extra minutes in the oven is worth it for a better texture. It's entirely possible that microwaving the Feel Good Foods burrito is partially responsible for the gumminess of the tortilla, and thankfully, there are oven cooking instructions on the back of each Feel Good Foods burrito. In fact, our number one expert tip for making frozen dinners taste better is to opt for an oven whenever possible. This gives food access to dry heat which helps them crisp up more, which in this case could save the Chicken Chile Verde burrito.
Another easy way to try and rescue this not-so-tasty frozen burrito is to drench it in delicious sauces and sour cream. Adding your own favorite flavors is an easy way to spice up a bland meal, and you can even play on the ingredients already in the burrito — like in this case making a custom salsa verde. Finally, since the tortilla seems to be Feel Good Foods' main issue, you could scoop the ingredients out of the tortilla and create a burrito bowl. Add some instant rice or spoon the mixture over a bed of lettuce and you still get the tasty innards without wasting money or dealing with a chewy tortilla.