When I first saw Trader Joe’s Organic Chicken Nuggets on Reddit, I thought, hmh, could they beat my favorite Aoplegate? Now I know people swear the Just Bare ones at Costco are the way to go, but I’m the only one who eats them and I don’t need a bag that huge.
First up, let me mention, they’re in the refrigerated section. I kept looking for them in frozen and thought, huh, so weird they haven’t shown up at my store yet. Well, duh.
Anyway, I airfried them and they come out beautifully golden brown, which is great. But I also cooked them for 4 minutes longer than the directions advised. Served with Trader Joe’s tots and the Kansas City-style BBQ sauce as a dipper.
But, I gotta say, they don’t beat Applegate for me. The Trader Joe’s Organic Chicken Nuggets are salitier, and the meat is more that flaked-and-formed style, liike a Mickey D’s nugget. And if I’d been paying attention, I would have noticed the front of the package describes them as “Organic Breaded Nugget Shaped Chicken Breast Patties with rib meat.” They’re also a flatter nugget, so you don’t get that satisfying bite when you eat them. Kids might not notice or care, but I did.
Trader Joe’s nuggets run $4.99 for a 12 oz. package. The Applegate are usually about $10 for a 16 oz. bag at my local market, so price-wise the advantage goes to TJ’s. And I think unless you consider yourself a chicken nugget connoisseur, it’s just going to come down to how much cash you want to thrown down for nuggets. To me, the Applegate are worth it.
So, will I buy Trader Joe’s Organic Chicken Nuggets again? Nope. They’re not bad, they’re just not for me.
Check out some other We Tried’s from Trader Joe’s:
Vegan Spinach and Cashew Ravioli