Ah, a new freezer item. I don't know why I get more excited over these than other items. But anything to make a quick and easy lunch that I don't need to think about.
Taste
Trader Joe's is mildly double-dipping here. On shelves is two popular items: Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken and the meatless mandarin orange variety.
Now the regular variety has been more or less repackaged and placed into a microwavable bowl.
Now, the Mandarin Orange chicken is a consumer favorite year after year. I used to be a bigger favorite of the meatless variety until it disappeared off shelves and was reformulated.
But nonetheless, this is a bit pricey for what you get at $3.99. Yes, it is still cheaper than takeout. But with a bit of planning, I think you could make a week's worth of Mandarin Orange lunches better.
First off, don't expect the crispy texture that you would get from the orange bag. Because you are making this in the microwave the crispy exterior is long gone. However, if you make it at home and portion it out, you'll likely get the same result.
The other part of this bowl is quite a healthy portion of rice with a few scatterings of veggies.
And some of you will look at the nutritional facts and say "Holy Carbs Batman!" And this is one of those items they could have used it as an opportunity to make this just a smidge healthier.
They sell and excellent stir fry mix in the vegetable section. I just can't imagine why they would put so little veggies and so much rice. Yes, rice is a cheap filler, but a lot of consumers are more health-conscious.
Fortunately, there is a small bag of sauce on the side. You can portion that out as you like because that is where most of the hidden sugars are.
Overall
Did it make for a bad lunch? Not at all. It basically tasted like a Trader Joe's leftover mix that you can easily replicate at home.
However, because this is nearly $4, I think with a few containers and a few minutes of prep you can make something equally good, using all Trader Joe's ingredients, which is both less expensive and healthier.
Would I buy this again? While I didn't really hate anything about this other than the fact it is so rice heavy, I'd rather make my own Trader Joe's Mandarin Style Orange Chicken Bowl at home.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
Visual rundown
The box of Trader Joe's Mandarin Style Orange Chicken Bowl:
Calories and ingredients
Instructions
Out of the package you get:
After being cooked you get:
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The Bottom Line
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Trader Joe's Mandarin Style Orange Chicken Bowl
Product Name: Trader Joe's Mandarin Style Orange Chicken Bowl
Product Description: Trader Joe's Mandarin Style Orange Chicken Bowl is a new frozen quick meal option.
Price: $3.99
Summary
Trader Joe's Mandarin Style Orange Chicken Bowl is a new bowl but with familiar ingredients.
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Taste
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Value
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Worthy of Repurchasing
Pros
- A quick and easy grab and go lunch
- Microwave only directions
Cons
- Too easy to make at home
- A lot of carbs if you are watching what you eat
- Bowl is mostly rice, a smidge of veggies, and a handful of chicken pieces
Alek says
I'll pass. Agreed with you about the concept of doing it yourself. Cauliflower would be a good alternative. Just do your own bowl and pile more chicken. Although I think they can just bottle the sauce into a bigger bottle so you can spoon much you want.
Tracy says
I do not have a microwave. Does anyone know how long in oven and what temp?
becomebetty says
Hey Tracy! I can't tell you exactly, but based on the original Mandarin Orange Chicken directions try 400F for 15 minutes. That would be my best guess. Let me know how it turns out.
Tracy says
Thank you so much! It needed about 20 minutes in oven. Delish!
Julie says
I thought this was just horrible. The chicken pieces were soggy with soft breading that came off and the rice was gummy and stuck like a clump. The veggies were tasteless. I was very disappointed because I love most Trader Joe's products.