Cooking Trader Joe’s mandarin orange chicken is simple and can be done incredibly fast – in just under 15 minutes. The dish allows the cook who’s preparing it to ditch the directions and choose one of several smart upgrades to the recipe.
Trader Joe’s Flexible Mandarin Orange Chicken
Trader Joe’s mandarin orange chicken is often voted by customers as the best product from the grocery store. Its fans are rather outspoken when praising this budget-friendly freezer meal and the freedom it gives them in the kitchen. The breaded, fried chicken pieces that come in a bag are tender, frozen, and ready to reheat and be served. The package also includes two packets of signature orange sauce.
The directions for roasting the mandarin orange chicken say to use the oven for the meat and heat the sauce via microwave before combining the two. While most people follow this recipe, devotees know that the real joy of Trader Joe’s most popular item is all in upgrading this beloved dish. One way to do that is to play with the time and temperature when using the oven. One can also cook vegetables on the side and add them when the chicken is ready. Some people prefer to get a less crispy version of the mandarin orange chicken. There are two ways to achieve that. The first is to use a higher oven temperature, and the other is to bake the chicken for longer.
Trader Joe’s Chicken in the Air Fryer
Using an air fryer to make Trader Joe’s mandarin orange chicken is a very popular tip. The air fryer should be heated up to 400°F, and the chicken should be cooked directly in the basket for about 10 minutes until it gets ultra crispy. The only downside to this method is that the chicken has to be cooked in batches depending on the size of the air fryer. This is so because the pieces should be placed in a single layer with some space between them, so the airflow can make this upgrade work.
Simmering the sauce without using the microwave can make a big difference when making Trader Joe’s mandarin orange chicken. Some people even like to add water to it and make the sauce more fluid. The idea is to heat a skillet on the stove and bring the sauce to a simmer. After that, it should be cooked until reduced to boil off the extra moisture and keep the chicken from getting soggy when combined in the end.
It Can Be a Solid Meal
A great way to upgrade Trader Joe’s mandarin orange chicken is to boost the flavor of the already hot sauce. This can be done easily with garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes, but there are also other additions people are experimenting with to make the sauce taste like Chinese takeout. Those include chopped green onions and sesame seeds.
Trader Joe’s mandarin orange chicken is so versatile it can even be turned into a solid meal. While it’s super tasty and easy to cook, it isn’t a complete meal on its own. So, people often pair it with Trader Joe’s fried rice, but there are also other options out there. Some include adding broccoli, turning the chicken into sandwiches, and adding the chicken into pasta with snap peas.