Frozathon 3 Spring Picnic: Banquet Original Crispy Fried Chicken (Ep 67)

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Three episodes. Three courses. One picnic blanket. The main course has arrived.

This week: Banquet Original Crispy Fried Chicken—eaten on the same imaginary Frozathon picnic blanket as last week. Darren also breaks out the sides: Pillsbury Grands biscuits and corn on the cob, both from the freezer. And Noble Mick's Meyer Lemon Fizz makes its debut—a bubbly citrus frozen cocktail that Max mixed with vodka and Darren shook up with prosecco.

Before the chicken: did you know there are apps that will tell you if something in your freezer has been recalled? There are. Download one. Use it. Especially if you shop at a certain store that shall remain nameless.

Then: Banquet has been around since 1953, it's a Conagra company, and there's not really any cute family story. What there is: bone-in fried chicken, assorted pieces, straight from the air fryer. We have taste buds and opinions. Strong ones.

In the closing segment: the snow is still coming down at Swanson's estate. The guests are still stranded. Murder on the Mountain continues — and this time, Harvest Lowe has questions. A lot of them. Really. A lot. Who do you believe? Who are you watching? And who do you think did it? 

WATCH THIS EPISODE

FROST BITES

No Bones About It. Banquet appears to be the only brand offering bone-in frozen fried chicken at retail, which is surprising given how much Americans love fried chicken. The likely reason: boneless products are simply easier to market as quick, convenient meals. Strips, nuggets, and tenders cook fast, heat evenly, and require no navigation around a bone. Bone-in pieces take longer and demand a little more attention from the consumer. Like most Americans, it looks like other frozen food brands are chasing convenience above all else.

A Lemon by Any Other Name. A USDA agricultural explorer named Frank Meyer was traveling in China in 1908 when he came across a small potted tree producing an unusual amount of fruit. He originally called it the "dwarf lemon." The Meyer lemon is now believed to be a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange—sweeter and less acidic than a standard lemon, with an almost floral flavor that makes it especially good in cocktails and desserts.

The Grapes of Math. In 2009, Boston-based Kevin Mehra noticed that even the world's best wineries were sitting on excess inventory. His solution: buy it, rebottle it, and sell it for a fraction of the price. His only rule was that every wine needed a ranking of 90 points or higher from a major publication like Wine Spectator. That's where the name comes from. Wineries were happy because their brand was protected. Consumers were happy because they were getting cheap deals. 90+ grew 580% in five years and became the fastest-growing wine brand in the U.S.

Clued In. Tabletop role-playing games trace back to 1974, when Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson published Dungeons & Dragons. Murder mystery games have their own parallel history, with roots in Victorian parlor games and a modern resurgence in the 1980s. What Max built for Murder on the Mountain combines both traditions. So one of us has created a fiendishly frozen world of mystery and murder. The other one is taking notes.

YOUR COLD CUTS

Have you tried Banquet fried chicken? Would you? Is it worth your extra time to make bone-in fried chicken at home?

And this is the first time we’ve paired up a frozen main course with frozen sides. What other full frozen meals do you think we should try?

Let us know who you think killed Carl Swanson. Is there literally a mountain of evidence building up against one of the house guests? Or is Darren missing something right under his nose?

Hit us up on the Let's Chill page and let us know!

ENJOYING THE POD?

BUY US A COLD ONE

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Fro yo' later!

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