I Tried 5 Bagged Grilled Chicken Strips & There's Only One I'd Buy Again

Grilled chicken is a go-to meat option for so many reasons. Chicken breast is one of the healthiest lean proteins you can eat, and when it's done right, it comes off the grill both juicy and lightly charred in flavor. It's also incredibly versatile, making it a popular add-on for any number of dishes.

For me, grilled chicken is an absolute staple. I'll add it to salads and pasta dishes, pair it with vegetables and rice, or make it the star of a sandwich. Special shoutout to my George Foreman grill that got me through the early stages of my cooking journey in college.

While grilling chicken is relatively quick and easy, sometimes you just want something that requires little to no effort. Enter bagged grilled chicken. Found in your grocer's freezer or refrigerator section, these convenient products come pre-sliced and ready to heat. In mere minutes, you can have hot, juicy chicken in less time than it would normally take to just heat up the grill.

Curious to see how the different options stack up against each other, I decided to put several popular chicken brands to the test. Since the strips come in various flavors, I decided to stick with the plain variety for consistency's sake (though I'd typically go for something more flavorful). Additionally, because convenience is the intention behind this kind of product, I chose to heat the chicken using the quickest method: the microwave.

Here's how five different bagged grilled chicken options fared, listed in descending order, starting with my least favorite and ending with the most delicious option.

Tyson Grilled & Ready Fully Cooked Chicken Breast Strips

Tyson's grilled chicken strips are boneless, skinless, seasoned chicken breasts with "smoke flavor added," according to the packaging. I picked up a 22-ounce bag for $8.99 and microwaved about a cup of chicken strips on a covered plate for a minute-and-a-half, as per the directions.

The look: Despite the picture on the bag, not all of the chicken strips were, well, strip-like. They were a bit wider in shape, offering more surface area than the other options included in this taste test. The sides were a slightly darker light brown color with black speckles from the seasoning

The taste: The packaging certainly didn't lie. This grilled chicken gave off a strong smoky aroma that matched its flavor. However, I wasn't a big fan. While the chicken was moist, I didn't detect any sort of charred flavor that you typically get from grilled chicken. Instead, this chicken tasted like it could have been smoked, but the flavor was a bit too strong. It was also saltier than I would have liked.

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Bell & Evans Fully Cooked Grilled Diced Chicken Breast

I know, I know. These aren't technically strips. But they're a close alternative for those looking to get their grilled chicken fix fast. Out of all the products I tried, this one had the fewest ingredients, consisting of boneless, skinless chicken breast meat, water, rice starch, and sea salt. I picked up a bag of this air-chilled chicken for $14.99 at Whole Foods—the most expensive of the five options. The instructions say you can thaw the chicken in the fridge overnight or thaw it in the microwave, according to your microwave's instructions. So, I decided to microwave these in a covered bowl for a minute-and-a-half and hoped that did the trick.

The look: Although the bag advertises the chicken as "diced," I expected the pieces to be a bit longer and more strip-like, similar to what's depicted on the package. Instead, the actual product varied in size and shape, with the dark brown grill marks apparent on the sides of the chicken.

The taste: Unlike the Tyson grilled chicken strips, which had an overpowering flavor, this one tasted significantly more plain. In fact, it was the blandest of every option I tried. The texture was notably soft and moist, but I found myself yearning for flavor. I suppose this shouldn't be a shock given that the only flavoring on the ingredient list is salt. However, dipped in sauce or drizzled with salad dressing, this chicken has the potential to be a winner.

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Foster Farms Classic Grilled Strips

Foster Farms' grilled chicken also has a shorter list of ingredients, which includes chicken breast with rib meat, water, 2% or less of food starch, salt, and natural flavors. To heat, I followed the instructions and placed one cup of frozen strips in a circle, leaving a space in the center of the plate. I loosely covered the chicken with a paper towel and heated the strips for a minute-and-a-half. A 20-ounce bag cost me $9.99.

The look: This chicken was the most appealing in appearance out of all five options and looked exactly like what you'd imagine upon hearing the phrase "grilled chicken strips." The pieces were relatively uniform in size and shape and all featured prominent dark brown grill marks along the sides.

The taste: The chicken smelled rather bland—as if it had been boiled instead of grilled. The flavor proceeded to match the aroma, presenting a slightly savory taste that wasn't particularly notable. Meanwhile, after trying a piece, my roommate said it "tastes like the chicken in chicken soup." Overall, this option was quite plain and begging to be covered in some sort of marinade or seasoning. Despite the lackluster taste, the texture was still moist and juicy.

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Perdue Short Cuts Grilled Chicken Strips

Perdue's grilled chicken strips were the only refrigerated product included in this taste test. Everything else came frozen. I picked up this eight-ounce bag for $5.99, the cheapest of the bunch. I then microwaved the strips for 40 seconds, as per the instructions.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

The look: Not the most enticing in appearance. The chicken was a pale tannish white color, with darker brown grill marks stamped across the sides, though these weren't quite as prominent as some of the other options.

The taste: This was the first product I tried and I was pleasantly surprised (probably because I went into this taste test expecting the microwave to yield rubbery results). The chicken was decently seasoned, showcasing the garlic and onion powder, though it was a bit salty. However, the texture was what stood out to me the most. It wasn't dry and was instead quite tender. Still, I wasn't overly blown away by this. There was just one option that I'd add to my grocery list going forward.

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Trader Joe's Grilled Chicken Strips

Trader Joe's offers a few different packaged grilled chicken options in multiple flavors like Balsamic Vinegar & Rosemary, Lemon Pepper, and Chili Lime. There's also a plain variety. I opted for the 16-ounce bag of frozen grilled chicken strips, which cost me $8.99. The directions instructed me to microwave the strips on high for six to seven minutes or until the internal temperature reached 165 degrees. Since six to seven minutes seemed like a very long time to me—and I don't even own a meat thermometer!—I decided to microwave the strips in a covered bowl for two minutes and keep my fingers crossed.

The look: This chicken looked a little more fibrous and less smooth than some of the other options, leading me to believe it might be a little dry. If two minutes was too long of a cook time, I could only image what six to seven would do to the texture. The strips varied in size and shape, and like most of the others, they featured blackish brown grill marks.

The taste: Despite this chicken being grilled, it reminded me of the flavor of rotisserie chicken: savory and comforting. My roommate noted that it tasted almost like turkey, which I oddly understood. Perhaps this was because the chicken was slightly dry, which signaled to me that I could cook it for an even shorter amount of time. However, this didn't take away from the overall flavor, which tasted the most high-quality out of the five options. "That would be perfect with some gravy and mashed potatoes," my roommate concluded.

Curious to see how a shorter cook time would fare, I popped these into the microwave for a minute-and-a-half the following day. To my delight, the texture was even juicier than the previous iteration. I also preferred these to the plain grilled chicken found in TJ's refrigerated section. If you're on the hunt for a convenient and overall solid grilled chicken option, Trader Joe's is the way to go.