Buy the best: we put supermarkets' chicken espetadas to the taste test

HOW WE CONDUCTED OUR TASTE TEST

It's free and fair!

We eat with our eyes, we all know that, but add branding and packaging and one's opinion of a product is often swayed before they've even tasted it. So to ensure our tastings are free and fair, all packaging is removed before products are presented to our panel of judges.

The products are also numbered and, if required, prepared exactly to package instructions. Food expert Jenny Kay is on hand in the kitchen to ensure fairness while this all happens.

Our judges are then asked to rate each product on a score-sheet according to appearance, aroma, taste — and whether they would buy it or not.

Auditor Jade Craig oversees the whole process, collates all the scores and draws up a report. 

THE RESULTS

FIRST PLACE: WOOLWORTHS

Free Range Sweet Chilli Espetadas

Price: R168.99 per kg

What the judges said:

• Marina: Good spicing, juicy meat.
• Hofney: Very nice and the marinade completed it. Tasted very good and well cooked.
• Candice: Lovely appearance, good colour and texture. Good flavour and well seasoned.
• Lynda: Nice flavour but a bit spicy. Generous portion.

SECOND PLACE: PICK N PAY

Chicken Espetada with Moroccan Marinade & Apricots

Price: R98.99 per kg

What the judges said:

• Ewan: Lovely appearance, great aroma but bland in flavour. Soft and succulent chicken.
• Siyabulela: A bit bland but very tender.
• Anna: An espatada with apricot. Isn't this by definition a sosatie? Very tasteless but tender.
• Caroline: This is more of a sosatie for me. Glad that it's thigh meat and not chicken fillet.

THIRD PLACE: SPAR

BBQ Chicken thigh kebabs

Price: R79.99 per kg

What the judges said:

• Brandon: Nice and tender but lacks flavour.
• Marina: Good price, tastes good but doesn't look that good. Chicken is on the bone.
• Sergio: Tastes better than it looks.
• Candice: Not visually neat-looking. Good crisp skin. Appeared dry, flavour OK, meat moist.