Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants)

“Seasoned, fully cooked, gluten free. “

Trader Joe’s “Pineapple and Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs”

I previously tried, and gave a good review, to the regular Trader Joe’s “Chicken Meatballs”. Those original chicken meatballs seem to me to be quite a popular Trader Joe’s item. So popular that often I even find these were sold out.

Both the original version and this new Pineapple Teriyaki version of the meatballs, come already cooked and are sold in the refrigerated case. I have bought the regular chicken meatballs pretty often as I find they are a really handy item to have in the fridge. You can use these meatballs to come up with a meal, fast and easy, so are very handy. Plus as they are vacuum sealed, these can last quite some time in the fridge unopened, easily a week or more.

I am guessing the original flavor meatballs were so popular item that Trader Joe’s decided to come out with another flavor. Which are these new ones, the Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs.

If you are a fan of the original ones, you will probably like this new version as much as those. Maybe even more. Both are made from “all natural, minimally processed chicken with no artificial ingredients“. The Ingredients include: chicken, dried pineapple, tamari, mirin, sea salt, sugar, vinegar, pineapple juice, pepper, ginger, garlic, rosemary….

“… Now available in our refrigerated cases on an everyday basis, Trader Joe’s Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs are made with all-natural ground chicken, are certified gluten free, and arrive fully cooked, so that all you have to do is heat them up in the oven, microwave, or air fryer, then serve. On their own, they make a great savory snack or appetizer (especially when paired with something tangy to dip them in). They’re also awesome when tossed with your favorite noodles (we’re particularly partial to our Squiggly Noodles), and make a mean meatball sub with our Sandwich Rolls, too.”

So how do the new meatballs compare to the original version? Well, here’s my honest review.

I liked the original ones and I like these too. I find the new Teriyaki version quite good. Possibly even a little better than the original meatballs? These have little more flavor, just a touch (not much) of sweetness and are softer. I did not find the added flavors too strong, these are the subtle side. The pineapple and teriyaki flavors don’t overpower things. They taste just slightly sweet. Texture wise I think these are a bit softer than the original meatballs, due to the added ingredients, dried pineapple and pineapple juice. I found the original meatballs could get a little rubbery as they have just meat with nothing else. Also there seems to be a few grill marks on these as if they were perhaps grilled?

Like the original meatballs, I think the best methods to cook these would be either stove top, baked in the oven, or in an air fryer. All which will give them a little browning which helps these. I don’t think these meatballs will be as good simply heated in the microwave as they won’t get browned.

In my original review, I mentioned these meatballs benefit in flavor with a bit of browning (aka the Maillard reaction)

To try these new meatballs, I thought I would use them first in an Asian style STIR FRY with vegetables (see above).

For my stir fry, I sliced the meatballs into about thirds. I got them browned up by stir frying them in a wok with a tablespoon of oil. After about two minutes like that, I tossed in my cut up veggies, red peppers and broccoli then continued to stir fry everything. When it all looked just done in maybe 4 minutes, I added in a basic Asian sauce*.

The dish turned out quite good. We served it with rice.

Another time, I grilled these sliced in half, up in a pan in olive oil along with yellow peppers and a lot of fresh garlic. Very yummy.

You can try pairing the grilled meatballs with a variety of sauces. For example Trader Joe’s new Korean Yangnyeom sauce would match well as its savory, a little sweet and slightly spicy. So many other choices to consider for sauces. SWEET CHILI sauce for one?

If you want to go “full Hawaiian” I could see using these to come up with some kind of dish in that vein, grilling these with some pineapple cubes (fresh or frozen) and for a sauce additional Teriyaki (soy sauce, sugar and a pinch of vinegar.) Add a little cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce.

Too complicated? OK, a even easier, simple Terikayi sauce recipe: soy sauce, brown/dark sugar, a splash of lemon (or vinegar) for tartness, a pinch of cornstarch (or even flour if you stir it in smoothly) Simmer for 3-4 minutes.

If that’s still too complicated, use TJ’s SOYAKI! I saw someone on TikTok just dump a package of the meatballs plus a jar of that in a pot. Not what I would do but they said, “good”

I think these meatballs would be a great addition as TJ’s suggest for a dish made with their SQUIGGLY NOODLES.

I didnt try the combo yet but think these might match well with Trader Joe’s new Japanese item, OKONOMIYAKI. Slice them and get them nice and grilled to serve with them.

A package of Pineapple Teriyaki chicken meatballs is $4.29 (12 oz). That’s 30 cents more than the regular chicken meatballs which are $3.99.

Six meatballs are stated to have 160 calories, and 13g of protein

Sauce recipes for ideas below…

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/259887/simple-teriyaki-sauce/

Homemade Asian Stir Fry Sauce

@soochefco

Day 59 is for this EASY 3 ingredient teriyaki pineapple chicken meatball skewer dinner! Ingredients: ✨Costco teriyaki pineapple chicken meatballs ✨Costco Mini bell peppers ✨Trader Joe’s frozen fried rice Directions: ✨Heat your skillet to medium heat. ✨Add in peppers – cook a few minutes. ✨Add in meat balls – cook for 6 minutes or until til brown. ✨Microwave one cup of rice for 2 minutes. That’s it! Serve and enjoy! #foodtiktok #3ingredientsrecipes #easyrecipe

♬ Calm background music with acoustic guitar and saxophone(1288148) – ame

@sarahaldridgeinthehouse

10 minute Trader Joe’s meal: • TJ’s Pineapple Teriyaki Meatballs seared • 1 can pineapple chunks drained and seared (save the juice) •1 green pepper diced •1 handful TJ’s sweet jalapeño’s diced • 1 Tsp minced garlic • 1/3 cup pineapple juice • 1/3 cup soy sauce • 1 Tsp corn starch • 1 cup cooked Jasmine Rice Combine and top with sesame seeds #weeknightdinner #mealprep #traderjoeshaul #dinnerideas #cookwithme

♬ Luxury and fun big band jazz(1324443) – Ponetto