The LC-Homestyles Chili Bowl Head to Head

Just a few, short, sweet weeks ago, you might remember I taste tested two of LC-Homestyles Chili in Chicken and Beef.

Beef is the fan favorite with the experienced chili veteran, but can the rookie underdog, chicken, come in and surprise the crowd of hundreds of thousands here in Your Lighter Side Stadium? Now, from your kitchen table, your lunchbox or your office lunchroom, your taste buds will decide the final score!

Thanks to the folks at LC-Homestyles and 11 Your Lighter Side readers, we can settle the dispute once and for all…. Or can we? The crowd is cheering, the weather is beautiful at headquarters, and the teams are fired up. Team Beef is wearing the throwback uniforms in red and yellow. Team Chicken takes the field wearing their green and yellow colors.

Up first, head to head, we have Cyndee! She grabs a spoon, takes the field and says:

“The texture and pop of the black soybeans was amazing. After trying the first batch of chili I recall thinking, what kind of beans are these, and why do my beans never have this wonderful poppy feeling in my mouth. The added texture of the perfectly cubed chicken in the chicken chili and its flavor made the chicken chili my favorite of the two. I said to several people that I thought it might be the best chili I had ever tasted. I particularly liked this chicken because it was tender, there was no gristle to be found, and I didn’t find myself spitting out any yucky parts. I am picky about my chicken. Love the simplicity of popping it in the microwave and heating it up in less than 2 minutes. Perfect for a busy mom of 3, about to be 4 kids. Perfect for someone on lunch break too. I generally avoid eating beans when not pregnant because of the carb content, but with this lower carb option with the black soybeans, I can continue to eat chili once I deliver this fourth child of mine and still stay on my eating plan.

“After trying both types of chili, I can say I enjoyed them both, but I LOVED the chicken.”

“The beef just did not have the amazing flavor of the chicken chili.”

Ohh! And chicken takes the First Down! The fans go crazy. *cheering and somewhere someone drops chili in their laps trying to do the wave*

Up comes Austin, 15 year old rookie. He’s new to the game but he brings a lot of promise.

“I’ve never had chicken chili before, so I was alittle uncertain about what to expect… BUT being a huge chili lover, thought I’d give it a try… I really liked the fact that it was low carb, and able to fit into a healthy lifestyle. The package was easy to open, but it took me a minute to locate the directions, lol.. [Announcer off screen: Isn’t that just like a rookie!] It was really fast and easy to heat up, and I like the fact that I can take it to school for lunch and dont need a can opener.

 “Chicken is what made me want MORE!”

“Flavor wise, I think that it had a little bit of kick to it, which is what I like in a chili, smelled good, but in my opinion could definitely use MORE chicken…  The chicken was my favorite part of it.. It was cooked perfect with great flavor… In my opinion, it could of used more chicken and a little more spiciness, but was overall impressed!”

Ohhhh! And beef goes down as Team Chicken makes a run past the defense and heads for the end zone! TOUCHDOWN! Touchdown for Team Chicken!

The ball is on the line, and marvellous Michelle calls a Time Out. The clock stops.  She tells the officials she “loves the great texture and ratio of meat to beans, excellent rich flavor! Tastes as good as/better than normal chili, so there’s no way to tell it’s low carb! DIDN’T LOVE: Trifling details, really…a little too “juicy”, with a little of the greasy splotches floating on top….but hey, as a low carber, how often do you get to eat greasy food?”

Now, back to the game, we have Chris starting in the second quarter. Chris makes the play: “I like the portability and shelf stability. I also appreciate the low carbs even with beans! I haven’t had chili with beans since starting my LC Lifestyle 12 years ago! I really enjoyed the beans! It was super easy to heat up in the microwave which would be a great hot lunch out somewhere. I liked the texture it seemed very hearty!

“In fact, I didn’t get much of it after that as my teenage son grabbed it and finished all.”

“I enjoyed the flavors in the beef one. I really enjoyed the beef once we added some shredded cheddar.” So was it beef or chicken? But wait– A flag is thrown on chicken!

UNNECESSARY SPICINESS! I repeat: The chicken is too salty for Chris! Beef keeps the ball… and an automatic first down.

Nancy rolls up her sleeves and calls the play. The ball is hiked. “Chicken Chili, The chicken and beans were great. Meat was very tender and the beans were perfect. Love the idea of the low carb and the high protein. Very easy to carry to work and heat up. Makes life easier.

“Beef Chili, great eye appeal, looks like chili, smell is good too, love that it’s low carb and high protein and it’s so easy to take to work and heat up. Consistency is that of good Texas chili.

“The more I eat the more I like.”

Which way will the ball go? But wait! She runs it straight up the middle with a classic straight arm gets past Team Chicken’s lineman, Cluck McBuster, and scores a touchdown for Team Beef!

At Half Time the teams are tied, 7-7-.

And now, we have Susan with our LC- Homestyles Half-Time Entertainment Show:

Bethany takes the stage:

And with Half Time over (boy, they seem to get shorter these days, don’t they?) Krista takes the field. “I liked the chili very much.  It reminds me of the chili my dad used to make for my lunches in grade school. It’s got nice, big chunks of meat and good overall flavor. The carbs count is perfect for a quick at-work lunch.

“I LOVE that it’s shelf-stable, so I don’t have to volley for fridge space at work!” 

And Team Beef continues to grind out the yards.

Wendy’s called from the bench! Looking great after a rest, she grabs a spoon and takes her position. “I really liked the convenience of it…perfect to take to work and just pop in the microwave.  I was thrilled that the carb count was so low and even more excited when I tasted it.  I’m a Texas girl and it was just as good as some chili that I’ve tasted that people have spent hours making.”

Wait… What’s happening? A flag is thrown! Too many beans on the field!

“Beans.  There were TONS of them and I’m not crazy about beans.  I tried to eat around them because the chili itself was just so darn good, but in the end, there were just too many for my taste.”

Bethany jogs up to the line of scrimmage and digs in, adding sour cream and cheese to her LC Homestyles. “Despite it having such a good smell and looking so appetizing, I was wondering how this chili would taste, since it is so low carb and is a shelf stable product.  I was also kind of worried that it might have some kind of “off” taste, due to the soy in it.”

The crowd sits on edge… Bethany makes the play!

“However, I was very pleasantly surprised when I took my first bite and it was absolutely delicious.  It was one of the better chili’s I have eaten before, for sure.  The blend of spices was perfect.   The beef inside had a great texture and taste.  Having never eaten soy beans before, I was happy to find that I loved their flavor!  It didn’t taste weird at all…just like regular, really good chili.”

Beef keeps it on the ground and runs around the flank… it dives for the pylon… and….it…. is….a… TOUCHDOWN! Ain’t it so prittay! And Beef ups the lead, 14 to 7 over underdog Team Chicken.

OK, sportsfans. With only one quarter left, we’re running out of chili and chances for Team Chicken to make a comeback.

Susan hikes the bowl. “I loved the low carbs and the fact that it seemed to be made with mostly whole foods and not chemical ingredients. I did like the serving size and I thought the taste and texture was good. I’d like some bigger/thicker chunks of veggies. I liked the big chunks of chicken. I liked the low carbs and again, the fact that the ingredient list seemed pretty natural and not chemically.  I’d also like larger chunks of veggies.

“I thought the chicken was less flavorful than the beef.”

Oh! Team Chicken lays the ball on the turf and Team Beef recovers the pigskin at their own 40 yard line.

With only one play left in the game, Misty throws the flag: “Honestly, neither chili was very appetizing to me. I really wanted to like it, but just didn’t.”

Penalty on both teams!

It is now up to Jamie to run out the clock. If it’s one thing about that blogger, she’s always talking.

“I am a skeptic of poultry in chili, because, (to me, anyway) the product is going to be lower fat, and an obviously different texture than beef delivers (and to which I’m accustomed).  As such, I wasn’t as thrilled with chicken in my chili. Is this a downfall of the product? No. I just don’t like chicken, and especially not in my chili. To me, beef is what belongs with the cumin cacophany of delectable beans and fabulousness.

“I enjoyed this chili, but my heart was still thinking about their Beef Chili with Beans I’d formed a love affair with earlier.”

Ohhh! Time has expired on Team Chicken as Team Beef wins the title!

And now for the locker room interview.

[Announcer] Team Chicken, you showed a lot of pluck out there, but it looked like team Beef’s D was able to keep you couped up most of the game.

[Quarterback] Uh. Yeah. We played with a lot of heart, but we just couldn’t quite get things going through the air. Team beef was able to win it in the trenches but I look forward to locking horns with them again in the future.

[Announcer] What matters is you guys gave it your all. You really did ruffle some feathers.

Thanks, viewers, for watching! I hope you’ve enjoyed our presentation for your viewing pleasure. Remember: LC-Homestyles Chili: Whether you go for beef or chicken, you’ll go whole hog.