I'm not vegan nor am I vegetarian. I'm skeptical at best when it comes to those items as far as taste goes. So I picked up Trader Joe's Vegan Chicken-less Mandarin Orange Morsels. I've had Morningstar Farm's "chicken" burgers and they weren't bad. So I gave this a shot. What it is "chicken" thats been battered and fried the way you would get in a Chinese restaurant. It was completely surprising to me that it was very good. You might even be able to sneak it past a regular carnivore without them knowing. It wasn't as thick as a regular nugget, nor was it as moist, but when you cut it open it does look like chicken. So here is what you get for $2.99
In the freezer section this is the bag to look for:
The nutritional information:
How to prepare this:
What comes out of the bag, the "chicken":
After being in the toaster oven for 15 minutes:
After being coated in the sauce:
After plating:
Cutting a piece open:
I ate a whole portion of this. It was excellent The sauce reminded me of my local Chinese restaurant. The "chicken" was perhaps drier than normal chicken, but could have easily have been passed off as meat. Would I buy this again? For $2.99 it is far cheaper than the local Chinese restaurant that you would probably pay double that price for the same sized portion. Good value and good taste.
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.
Ttrockwood says
I love this as a fun dinner once in a while. It’s certainly not health food but it’s tasty and nutritious. I think this would be a preferred option over actual chicken since most chinese takeout spots are using factory farmed birds.
I don’t use all the sauce and like to have it with a side of rice and steamed or roasted broccoli
becomebetty says
I much agree with you, but I've also noticed at my local Trader Joe's this option has been hard to find lately.
Ttrockwood says
Oh no! I just buy this a few times a year, it's so popular i can't imagine they would ever discontinue it but with TJs you never know... i also get the meatless corn dogs at least once a summer to satisfy that "fair food" craving. My 10yr old nephew never noticed they're actually not meat! But it's the same idea, way less sketchy than the real thing.