It seems the foods I like best are the ones that are too high in fat, calories, and sodium.  Maruchan's Yakisoba Noodles Chicken Flavor is no exception.  I enjoy this product for lunch in the office, especially on those cold days when a plain sandwich just won't do. But, it's definitely not the healthiest choice out there.

This is a line of ramen-style noodles + veggies that comes in a black, rectangular bowl.  Once you discard the outside wrapper, and fold back the bowl's paper cover, you'll discover a brick of ramen noodles and two envelopes inside the bowl.  One envelope contains the veggies.  You add these prior to cooking.  The other envelope contains the seasoning; this gets added after.

As for cooking - simply add water to the fill-line and microwave for four minutes.  No alternative instructions are given.  I have to modify the instructions a little bit - instead of four minutes on high, I cook it for three minutes on high, then I lower the power to 80% for the last minute.  If I don't do so, I have a problem with the liquid boiling over and making a mess in the microwave.  After cooking, add the seasoning packet, stir, and enjoy.

I like this product's taste better than the other ramen-noodle products out there.  This one is designed to be more of a noodle-based meal than a soup.  There's less liquid than you would expect in a soup.  And the liquid that does remain after cooking is very thick, and flavorful, not watery like a broth.  The noodles are long strands, and thicker than the noodles in similar products. 

Best of all, I really enjoy the veggies that come with this product.  In this case, the veggies are cabbage, onions, corn and green peas.  I'm a huge fan of cooked cabbage, so I really enjoy this assortment.

The flavor is mildly similar to chicken, a little sweet, and very salty (in a good way, if you're a salt-lover like me).  I'm sure it would be considered too salty for some (in which case they can experiment with using less than the entire seasoning packet).  There are no visible chicken pieces in the product, but the ingredients include ‘powdered cooked chicken' so this is not a vegetarian dish.

This product is considered two servings, but for me, it's a single lunch.  Other than little kids, I can't imagine anyone not eating this entire package, if it's their whole meal.  Sadly, this means I have to double the calories, fat, and sodium content that's listed on the package. 

Each serving contains 260 calories, 11g of fat, and 660mg of sodium.  And now you see my dilemma.  While I find this product to be absolutely delicious, consuming twice those values in a single lunch doesn't fit into my diet, except as a rare treat.  It's delicious, but I won't be making a habit of it.



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