Trader Joe's BBQ Seasoned Spatchcocked Chicken

The pros:  Trader Joe's BBQ Seasoned Spatchcocked Chicken is an easy and delicious pre-seasoned item that comes out very moist.

The cons: This item is likely seasonal. But the package also mentions that it can be frozen. Keep in mind this is BBQ seasoned, but not BBQ flavored.

The verdict:  I work with middle school kids, so there are certain things you just can't say in class without the class laughing uncontrollably. My favorite example of this is when I have to go through US foreign policy and discuss Teddy Roosevelt and the "Big Stick Policy." Yup, they lose it. There is no stopping it. There is no controlling it. I've had more than a decade of trying to figure out a way to make them not LOL or ROFL. Nope, I've conceded defeat on this one.

If I were a cooking instructor with middle school kids, I'm 100% positive the reaction would be about the same on this product. This product makes my inner 8th grader humor laugh out loud. Seriously. The term spatchcocked means that the spine has been removed allowing this to lay flat. The end result is a bird that cooks far more evenly. Best of all, it even cooks quicker.

Now, you'll find the Lemon Rosemary version of this product on shelves everyday. Last year, they even offered a seasonal coffee variety of spatchcocked chicken. In all of the spatchcocked birds, the end result was a tender bird that was idea for a smaller group. When I say smaller group, I mean probably 3-4 people max. Just 2 if they are really hungry.

I only had minor problems with the directions. It says to baste this after 30 minutes, but at 30 minutes there wasn't much juice to speak of. So, I skipped it to figure out if there was any impact. For me there wasn't. I like chicken with crispy skin. That's exactly what I got here.

The brine did a really good job of flavoring the meat. Naturally, the skin was the most flavorful, but the meat was moist and had the bbq seasoning throughout.

The seasoning blend is harmonious where there are lots of flavors, but none that are too distinguishable. There is a subtle heat, but nothing that rises above a mild heat.

There is a very mild smokey flavor here, but nothing that will ever come close to throwing this on the grill. While I did not try this on the BBQ (It's been raining and sub 60 degrees here in NY lately), I absolutely think this would add the full BBQ flavor that this bird deserves. This is only BBQ Seasoned and not flavored. If you want full BBQ flavor, you'll have to stick this on the grill.

For $3.99 a pound or $12.21 for my package, this was a pleasant and affordable find. It's not quite as cheap as my usual $5 Costco rotisserie chicken, but made for a nice dinner. If it's not BBQ flavored enough for you, then don't be shy about adding some sauce. Just realize you'll want to bring your own sauce to the party on this one.

Here is the visual run down of what you get if you buy this product:

The package of Trader Joe's BBQ Seasoned Spatchcocked Chicken:

The nutritional information:

The ingredients:

How to prepare:

After being cooked you get:

Would I buy this again? Yes, I would buy Trader Joe's BBQ Seasoned Spatchcocked Chicken again. It was a nice and welcome flavor break from the Lemon Rosemary variety.

Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.

Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!