The pros: Â Trader Joe's Chicken Parmigiana looks like chicken parmigiana that you would expect from your local pizzeria.
The cons: Â If you are planning on using the oven, you'll need to use a separate dish. Texture was not very good.
The verdict:  Just to clarify one point before I get started. I've tried a number of refrigerated items from Trader Joe's. In my opinion, Trader Joe's Chicken Piccata was by an Ugly Betty. It wasn't pretty to look at or taste. I did prepare it in the microwave and based on both taste and appearance was unwilling to repurchase to find out if it was decent in the oven. One person did comment and blame the bad results on using the microwave. So I'm trying this in the oven to give this the best shot possible. Chicken and the microwave do not always get alone. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it's a calamity.
So for $6.49, this was yet another waste of money. I made this in the oven. It looks pretty good from the pictures. Biting into it is another story. The mozzarella and marinara weren't the problem. The problem was with the chicken itself. A good chicken parm has chicken that is tender. This wasn't tender. This was chewy. Out of the oven. The texture of almost the whole cutlet tasted like the sinewy parts of meat. It had that terrible chewy mouthfeel. I had the other cutlet, it didn't suffer the same chewiness, but it wasn't great. I wouldn't repurchase this. If you live in an area with good pizzerias, don't bother with this.
Here is the visual rundown of what you can expect if you purchase this item:
The box in the refrigerated aisle:
The nutritional information:
The ingredients:
How to prepare:
Out of the package you get:
After being cooked you get:
Would I buy this again? No. Trader Joe's Chicken Parmigiana with Marinara had the same unappealing texture as Trader Joe's Chicken Piccata. I don't know what pieces of meat they are choosing, but it tastes like the butcher is getting way too close to the bones or it's been heated/reheated too many times before reaching the customer.
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!
mltrautz@yahoo.com says
I am impressed you tried it again. Looks and sounds like something I will avoid.
RossC says
I make a very simple Chicken Parm frequently.. For that reason I've passed this by... Glad I did.. Thanks for the review...
becomebetty says
I'm 100% sure yours was better than Trader Joe's.
momwhatis4dinner says
Thank you for this review! These types of quick cook meals are my go-to meals for busy nights when I don't have time to cook but want my kiddos to eat something semi-food looking that isn't takeout. Seems like takeout would be a better choice against this fiasco. I definitely won't waste the money and stick with my favorites:)
becomebetty says
Glad I could help. 🙂
Eli says
I found this review by searching for "TJ's chicken parm chewy."
I have gotten it 4-5 times, and each time, one piece is very good, and the other is chewy and has the squeaky, rubbery feel. I usually end up throwing the second piece out. Won't be getting it again
becomebetty says
Hey Eli! I'm glad you were able to find my site and I find it even more interesting that is what pops up when you searched for me. I'm sorry you had the same experience I did. I wish a lot of items in their refrigerated section were better. Have a very happy holidays and happy New Year!
Dag says
I truly don't know why I never learn some things. There is definite truth in the definition of stupid is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. This is certainly true about the majority of Trader Joe's refrigerated entrees. I had tried this item 2-3 times before and apparently didn't learn my lesson in hopes that maybe they reformulated the recipe. Guess what?????!!! They didn't, in fact I think they found a way to make it worse. I was careful not to overcook it but it was tough, sinuous and uber chewy to the point of being borderline disgusting. The marinara sauce over the whole shebang was bland. The cheese was a moot point because it was tasteless and scant. I don't mind augmenting some of their entrees with additional flavor enhancers/ingredients but the only flavor enhancer for this one was to toss it out and get a pizza delivered. This is up there with the lemon chicken piccata. They definitely need to get rid of these two items and bring in two new entrees.
becomebetty says
HAHAHA! OMG, I was going to bring that up to you was how bad the chicken piccata was!! I can't understand how they have lasted on store shelves for so long. And it is so hard to ruin chicken parm!! But they did it. Thanks so much for sharing your experience, maybe they will go back to the drawing board on this one.
milda says
I have tried it and hated it! I used the oven.way way too salty
becomebetty says
Hey Milda! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this!