Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange Chicken Hack

Trader Joe's Mandarin orange chicken hack

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange Chicken Hack

Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange Chicken is the best selling frozen entree from the popular supermarket chain. I pick up a pack or three whenever I stop by Trader Joe’s which isn’t often because it’s just not conveniently located. I stock up on our favorites when I go there, I get at least 4 bags of TJ’s Roasted Plantain Chips and quite a few packages of frozen pork buns.

It’s a great recipe shortcut

By the way, this is not a sponsored post. I really use and love this product, my family can’t get enough of it. The chicken is battered and bakes up crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

If you like this recipe then you’ll LOVE my recipe for Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken Tacos!

Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange orange hack chicken tacos sweetsavant.com America's best food blog

Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange Chicken comes with two packets of sweet, slightly vinegary sauce to pour over the chicken after cooking. Follow the directions on the bag for making the chicken in the oven. To make this a complete meal I put a batch of rice in the rice cooker and roast a tray of chopped, mixed fresh vegetables in the oven while the chicken is heating. Broccoli is a must, I love roasted broccoli (here’s my basic Roasted Broccoli recipe) and doused with the sweet sauce from the Mandarin Chicken its a real winner. I use whatever vegetables I have in the crisper to add more healthy flavors to the dish. I always have carrots in the fridge, I buy them 5 pounds at a time. Carrots are cheap and delicious so I use them frequently. There are usually a few peppers in there as well and they are perfect to add to this dish. I had a couple of zucchini so those got chopped up and roasted as well.

Trader Joe's Mandarin orange chicken hack

 

 

Warm the sauce packets following the directions on the package. It comes with a lot of sauce, you may not need it all. I combine the chicken and vegetables with the sauce and serve it over the rice. In about 30  minutes its all done.

 

28 Comments

28 Comments on Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange Chicken Hack

  1. Suzanne
    May 13, 2016 at 11:31 pm (8 years ago)

    I just made this, what a great dish! Easy, tasty, and colorful on the platter. Thank you for coming up with it and sharing it.

    Reply
    • Demetra Overton
      May 14, 2016 at 8:58 pm (8 years ago)

      Thanks so much Suzanne, I’m so glad you liked it. Need to pick up a couple more bags for my family, we haven’t had it in a while.

      Reply
  2. elle
    August 26, 2015 at 9:02 pm (9 years ago)

    Yum, such a great idea to add veggies and things to it.

    Reply
  3. Candy o
    March 28, 2015 at 2:50 am (10 years ago)

    I’ve never been to a Trader Joe’s before. I’ll the in the area of one in the summer. Can’t wait to try this hack.

    Reply
  4. valerie g
    March 27, 2015 at 4:07 pm (10 years ago)

    I love trader Joe’s. I will have to grab this the next time i’m there.

    Reply
  5. Tonia @TheChattyMomma
    March 27, 2015 at 11:45 am (10 years ago)

    Wow…yummy. I’m tempted to pick up some Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange Chicken now.

    Reply
  6. Camesha
    March 25, 2015 at 8:30 pm (10 years ago)

    This make an appearance at our house from time to time. So yummy! I love how you jazzed it up!

    Reply
  7. Chrystal @ YUM eating
    March 25, 2015 at 7:10 pm (10 years ago)

    I always see these great recipe posts from items purchased at Trader Joes. We dont have one around here. Its really sad LOL

    Reply
  8. Ann Bacciaglia
    March 25, 2015 at 6:55 pm (10 years ago)

    Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange Chicken is so delicious. My family loves it. I will have to try this hack the next time i pick some up.

    Reply
  9. Dawn McAlexander
    March 25, 2015 at 5:03 pm (10 years ago)

    This looks delicious! And I have always been curious about Trader Joe’s. Now I have a good reason to go there 🙂

    Reply
  10. Jocelyn McGaffic
    March 25, 2015 at 12:30 pm (10 years ago)

    My husband would love this, and I love that it has so many vegetables! Great recipe!

    Reply
  11. Pauline C.
    March 25, 2015 at 5:50 am (10 years ago)

    That looks so appetizing! I’m so happy to have Trader Joe’s near us! I spend hours there shopping and looking at different dishes and snacks!

    Reply
  12. Marcie W.
    March 25, 2015 at 2:05 am (10 years ago)

    I am a big fan of Asian food and some easy orange chicken sounds great. We roast all of our vegetables and my kids especially love the roasted broccoli I make (which is extremely similar to your recipe)!

    Reply
    • Demetra Overton
      March 25, 2015 at 1:59 pm (10 years ago)

      Isn’t roasted broccoli the BEST?! I’ve been roasting it for a few years now but I wish I had known about it sooner. The slightly bitter, charred taste form the broccoli tastes great with the tangy, sweet sauce.

      Reply
  13. Chrysa
    March 25, 2015 at 1:44 am (10 years ago)

    Oh, wow this looks so delicious. I love orange chicken and now I have to try to make this!

    Reply
  14. Debra
    March 25, 2015 at 1:24 am (10 years ago)

    I’ll be over for dinner later! I love semi-home made meals – it’s so much better than getting fast food or pizza!

    Reply
    • Demetra Overton
      March 25, 2015 at 2:00 pm (10 years ago)

      Using the Trader Joe’s chicken really helps get dinner on the table fast. If I had to batter and fry the chicken pieces it would NOT get done on a Tuesday night!

      Reply
  15. Pam
    March 25, 2015 at 12:57 am (10 years ago)

    Yum, this looks amazing. I bet it’s even better than takeout.

    Reply
  16. Christe
    March 24, 2015 at 10:51 pm (10 years ago)

    Adding fresh veggies is always a good idea! Orange chicken and broccoli is a fabulous combo

    Reply
  17. Jeanine
    March 24, 2015 at 10:30 pm (10 years ago)

    Yum. This looks amazing. I will have to try this. I love chicken and orange anything so yes please!

    Reply
  18. Debbie Denny
    March 24, 2015 at 9:35 pm (10 years ago)

    That looks so good. Wonderful and easy meal

    Reply
  19. Dawn
    March 24, 2015 at 8:23 pm (10 years ago)

    AWESOME! This looks delicious. I LOVE a good hack, and this is certainly a good one!

    Reply
  20. Liz Mays
    March 24, 2015 at 7:06 pm (10 years ago)

    Wow, that looks like an awesome meal! I love meals with tons of veggies and plenty of room for peppers!

    Reply
    • Demetra Overton
      March 25, 2015 at 2:02 pm (10 years ago)

      The more veggies the better! You could ad a TON more veggies to this and it would be fabulous.

      Reply
  21. Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle
    March 24, 2015 at 1:42 pm (10 years ago)

    This looks delicious. I love how easy it is to make, too. I need easy in my life.

    Reply
    • Demetra Overton
      March 25, 2015 at 2:03 pm (10 years ago)

      Don’t we all need “easy” in our lives? I know I sure do. Getting dinner on the table shouldn’t have to be a huge ordeal all the time.

      Reply
  22. Robin (Masshole Mommy)
    March 24, 2015 at 12:52 pm (10 years ago)

    I love TJ’s orange chicken, so I am definitely going to be trying this. Very clever.

    Reply

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