The Mandarin Orange Chicken is one of Trader Joe’s most popular items. People rave about this frozen dish that costs around $5. We recently gave it a try. Here is what we think about Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange Chicken.
The package contains 22 oz. of chicken nuggets. There are two of us, and we had enough leftovers for another meal. Two qualities come to mind once you sit down to eat this dish. It’s easy and straightforward to prepare and very tasty. It is perfect when you don’t feel like cooking or need something delicious at the last minute. The package is frozen, and you do not need to take it out of the freezer until it is time to cook. Follow the instructions on the package, and it is hard to mess up.
You can have the Mandarin Orange Chicken as an appetizer or a main course
We like this dish for dinner, but it can easily be an excellent appetizer for entertaining. We cooked some Lundberg California Jasmine rice. We find this rice easy to prepare, and it always has the correct texture and moisture. It is not a sticky rice.
We also collected some fresh arugula leaves from the garden. We cooked the chicken in the oven for 18 minutes at 400 degrees. We then transferred the chicken to a pan and mixed it with the sauce that comes inside the package. On a plate, we put down a bed of rice and topped the rice with arugula. We added the chicken to the rice and arugula, and enjoyed it very much.
Matching wines with the Mandarin Orange Chicken
This dish is not too spicy or sweet, so many wines will match nicely with this dish. In white wines, try a Riesling, Pinot Gris, or Gewurztraminer. Dry whites are perfect with this dish. In reds, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Grenache wines are also perfect. A little sourdough bread and butter always helps us enjoy the wine a little more. Not a Trader Joe’s shopper, try this Salmon dish at Costco.
A few specific wines we like with the Mandarin Orange Chicken
More about TJ Mandarin Orange Chicken
- News from The Kitchn
- Trader Joe’s Video on prepping the chicken
- Delish on the Trader Joe’s Mandarin chicken bowl
If you have a Trader Joe’s meal recommendation, let us know and we’ll be sure to give it a try.