PC General Tao Chicken Chips (NWR)

Remember this guy?

Well he's General Tao and he's back, in potato chip form.

"Wait" you ask, "Who is this guy? Why is he important to me?"

Well the man is a bit of a mystery, but the dish that is named in his honour is a wonderful thing. If you click HERE, you can go to a Non Wing Review (NWR) of this dish I did and find out about this de-lish fellow.

Well as I said, his dish is back and its in a ruffled chip form. President's Choice, or PC is all about the 'Insiders Report' and making some interesting dishes, memories and sauces. This time out, they are attempting to recreate the awesomeness that is one of my personal favourite dishes.

First, the bag is a pain in the but to take a photo, because it is made of a shiny reflective coating. There's a picture of the Great Wall and some chop sticks, so you know its supposed to be Chinese. On the front, it says "Crunchy rippled potato chips made with an exotic blend of savoury, sweet and spicy seasonings." Well that sounds like General Tao chicken to me, but the most boring description of it ever.

"No Chopsticks required for this snack
version of a classic Chinese food favourite!
Just like General Tao Chicken, these crunchy
rippled chips are sweet and medium-spiced,
thanks to our own seasoning mix that includes
soy, chili, garlic and ginger."

2008 CHIP SCORE 1.0: PC General Tao Chicken Chips

STYLE:	Ruffled chip
PRICE:	Currently retailing for $1.49
HEAT:	They list as 2 chili medium heat, I say mild mild mild!
SIZE:	235g bag - chips are all different sizes, mostly small to medium
CRISPINESS:	Classic crunch
FLAVOUR:	General Tao Chicken flavour – while the concepts of savoury, sweet and spicy are there, I would have no idea this was supposed to be GTC in a blind taste test
VERDICT:	-Not bad -Pretty mild flavours -Wouldn’t get it again, but wouldn’t refuse them if offered

Up close you can see the spices and flavouring - but there isn't a big impact in taste. There's lots going on in your mouth when you taste it, but its not overpowering at all. It tastes like a variation on a simple BBQ, but you get the subtle hint that there's more to it.


The ripple is a nice touch to these chips. I always feel like you get more flavour when they are rippled, due to more surface area, but who knows for sure. The crunch is pretty good, but the overall structural integrity of the chip is pretty thin. I want a little more substance to my crisps.


FINAL VERDICT: These are an ok chip. They have a decent flavour, decent crunch and aren't overly expensive. They are rippled, so that's a plus, but there is nothing really great about them other than the concept. There's no heat, but they would be well accessorized with a dill or ranch chip dip.