The Asian-Inspired Frozen Meal That Trader Joe's Shoppers Are Taking A Hard Pass On

Trader Joe's is a chain known for dropping bangers, with many of its items going viral and hitting a level of popularity that can make it kinda hard for you to get your hands on them. Its international options also receive well-earned accolades, with items like the orange chicken being universally accepted as a damn tasty frozen meal. But tragically, we can't all be winners all the time, and even Trader Joe's has some swings and misses now and then. So, let's talk about Trader Joe's chicken karaage, which has been a big letdown for people who were hoping for another home run.

When we ranked 17 Asian-inspired Trader Joe's frozen meals, the chicken karaage was almost last place, narrowly beaten to the bottom rung by the Steamed Chicken Soup Dumplings. Trader Joe's makes a few big mistakes with this frozen meal, and the first one is in the flavor. Chicken karaage, when done right, should have a mild but delectable taste. The batter is usually made with garlic, ginger, mirin, sesame oil, and black pepper, but these bland nuggets don't taste like much at all. Even the dipping sauce that comes with it is flat, only offering the tiniest hint of a kick. You could replace it with normal mayo, and you probably wouldn't notice much of a difference. Texture is the other big miss. The chicken itself is pretty dry, which is tragic since proper chicken karaage is usually made with dark meat that gets a brine bath before being fried, resulting in a succulent and moist chicken chunk. The pieces are also unevenly cut, so you'll get some smaller pieces that are just dry breading. The only saving grace is how nicely it crisps up in the air fryer, but plenty of chicken products do that.

Several netizens agree with our assessment of Trader Joe's chicken karaage. There's an entire Reddit thread where people bring up their beef (pardon the pun) with this chicken, discussing everything from its flavorless breading to the bland taste of the chicken itself. Debates raged on about the potential quality of the chicken, with some Redditors claiming it's a flop compared to Trader Joe's other chicken products, like its beloved orange chicken, which ranked highly on our tier list. What's Good at Trader Joe's also gave its chicken karaage a pretty middling rating, citing oiliness, blandness, and a few gristly pieces as the main reason for docking points.

It's not that these little fried nuggets are the worst — merely that there are plenty of better options if you're looking to satisfy a chicken karaage craving. On a list full of some real heavy hitters with intense, delicious flavor, these little nuggets just don't spark joy. You're better off giving a hard pass and picking up normal chicken nuggets or buying some karaage at your favorite Japanese restaurant instead.