Onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, parsley or cilantro…
Zhoug Sauce (optional, or your favorite hot sauce)
Now there are a number of ways you can cook the chicken thighs. Seared in a pan, baked in the oven and I’ve even read some people cook these in an Air Fryer. Do not even think about Microwaving the chicken. It needs to brown.
My simple preferred way is grilling in a pan. I do it in a cast iron pan but if you don’t have one of these handy babies, any heavy non stick pan will do just fine. Sure cooking it on an outdoor grill would be great if you have one. If you want to bake them, put them on a sheet pan with foil under for easier cleanup and bake them at 400 for 20-25 minutes.
First of course, remove the thighs from the package. Carefully as this is a bit messy (and stain-y)! You probably want to use a fork or tongs and not your fingers to remove the chicken unless your want to have orange fingers as the marinade contains both turmeric (yellow) and anatto (red) both of which are super natural dyes. Put the thighs on a cutting board. It may stain that but you can clean it up later with diluted bleach.
I like to put a few shallow slashes in the thickest parts of the thighs to open them up a bit and make them cook more evenly. You can pat some of the wet marinade off with a paper towel if you like. What I actually do is sprinkle on more seasonings before I put them in the pan. Ground cumin and Ajika seasoning blend or Smoked Paprika . These spices will help it to brown better but this is optional. If you are cooking the chicken with a few veggies (onions, etc) which I do recommended, prep and slice them. I highly recommend at least adding a few cloves of fresh garlic during cooking. You will add the veggies about 1/2 way during the cooking. Get your pan on medium heat and add your oil/butter mix, say a good tablespoon of oil plus one of butter too. Wait till it’s sizzling and now add the chicken to the pan. Resist any urge to touch or move the chicken for at least 5 minutes. We want to get a good sear on the bottom. Cook until the bottom side is well browned, which might take about 7-8 minutes for the first side.
When the bottoms is browned, flip it over. This is when I add my sliced onions, garlic and maybe some peppers (green, red or yellow peppers) placed around the chicken if you have room. If not you can cook them when you take out the chicken. When the thighs are finished after maybe 6-7 minutes on the second side, you can remove to a cutting board and let the chicken rest a few minutes, then slice them up as you wish. Put the sliced chicken back into the warm pan (off the heat) with any juices from the cutting board and mix it all up with your grilled veggies if you made some.
To assemble, warm up your wrap/bread : Naan, pita or tortillas. For a “Shawarma” sandwich put a little sauce down then add your chicken (and veggies) down the center of the naan (or pita) Top with sauce and a little chopped tomatoes and parsley. Eat them kind of like a taco, folded up.
Other ideas how to serve them? Besides doing some type of wrap, you could just just lay the chicken on top of a salad or eat with hummus, served with side dishes like basmati rice Harvest Grain Blend.
Why, you may wonder as I did when I saw this, is Trader Joe’s selling Diamond Crystal brand Kosher Salt? If you’ve watched any chef cook you probably know they frequently specify using Kosher salt which has a much bigger flake than regular sea salt and is therefore useful for seasoning and is the “go to” salt for most chef’s. What even is Kosher Salt?
I haven’t bought Kosher Salt for some time. When I saw this I got bit of sticker shock seeing how much Kosher Salt seems to be now! $9 for a 3 lb. box (or $3 a pound) Wow. By contrast Trader Joe’s sells their Sea Salt for about $1.70 for over 1 1/2 lbs.
I really liked this blueberry preserve Trader Joe’s has come out with, which uses wild organic blueberries from “the Canadian Boreal Forest“. It has a really delicious, intense flavor of wild blueberries. It’s very tasty though I found it a bit on the sweet side, borderline overly sweet. So what I did was I tamed the sweetness down easily by squeezing in about a 1/4 of a fresh lemon into the jar and mixed it in. The lemon juice did the trick to cut the sweetness and giving it some more acid. It made it even better and really improved the whole thing. So definitely I suggest don’t forget to buy a lemon when you pick this up. TIP: after adding your lemon juice cut a little piece of the lemon rind and throw that it too for extra lemony flavor. The Organic Wild Blueberry Preserve is $4.49 for a 17.5 oz jar. Not cheap but then it is Certified Organic and taste-wise I would say this stuff is certainly a Gourmet Level jam. Probably elsewhere (say Whole Paycheck?) a similar one would probably go for more like six or seven dollars. Try this on just about anything but I really think it would be heavenly on a slice of TJ’s Sliced Brioche bread, toasted with butter, spread with the blueberry preserves. Ditto on an English Muffin, toasted Crumpet or on your pancakes….
Trader Joe’s says: “Our supplier takes wild, organic blueberries, harvested from the Canadian Boreal Forest, and simmers them with organic cane sugar to complement their pleasantly tart and rich blueberry flavor.”
This is a very nice new shape pasta on offer I saw at Trader Joe’s recently. I really like it. Its a ribbon shaped flat wide noodle like a thinner lasagna, cut into short (“corta”) pieces. The pasta has a ruffled edge, which hold sauces well. I made it with a homemade ragu bolognese style sauce and we both really liked it. Its a nice hardy noodle and will be great with almost any sauce you can think of. This is a nice organic bronze die cut semolina pasta, and a good buy for $1.99.TIP: It has a recommended cooking time of 8-9 minutes. I was making my pasta Italian style, meaning under-cooking it a bit then fishing it out of the water and putting it in a pan to cook with some sauce till its done (al dente). So I fished out the pasta before it was al dente, a minute or two under than so maybe at about the 6 minute mark (2 minutes under the recommended 8). The noodles went into a pan with a 1/2 ladle of the pasta cooking water (!) and I then added about 1 ladle of my sauce. I cooked that mixing it all the time for maybe 90 seconds, and adding another ladle of sauce. Turned off, then the pasta got plated. I put some additional sauce on top as well as some fresh grated Parmesan. This “Italian pasta cooking method” imbues the pasta with your sauce so it’s way better than just putting sauce on top of pasta which is how most people cook pasta in this country. I would gladly buy this again. I think the Malfada would be a great match for TJ’s frozen MUSHROOM MEDLEY.
You may have heard of this super popular “recipe” if you can call it that, which is all over the internet. It makes a healthy snack or dessert. Basically there are actually two ingredients: chia seeds and almond milk (or whatever “milk” you want). Here ya go.
RECIPE: CHIA SEED PUDDING
In a glass or small jar, put about 2 tablespoon of TJ’s chia seeds. Next add about 1/2 cup of any kind of milk beverage (like almond milk). Give it a little stir. There are no rules that you must use almond milk, just use whatever you like best. Me, I alternate all the time between OAT, ALMOND or SOY MILK depending on my mood. Option: Add a bit of honey or any of your preferred sweetener (agave, maple syrup) and stir that in. While optional it does add some flavor and if you have kids you must use something like that. All you do now is wait for it to thicken so put it in the fridge and let the mixture sit in the fridge for at least about 30-60 minutes but it sets up best if you let it sit for 8-12 hours or overnight. When ready to serve put some fruit on top, or even something crunchy like Granola.
Chia seed pudding is super easy to make and of course very healthy. Now there is no rule that you can’t have use more ingredients and include a few other things. I usually mix in some yogurt or kefir too with the oat milk and sometimes add a few dried fruits like dried cranberries in. Basically figure about 1/2 cup of liquid to about 2 tablespoon of the chia seeds. If that is too thick (or not thick enough) adjust with more or less chia seeds until you get the consistency you, or your kids, prefer. This is a great snack.
Amazing stuff. I had read somewhere on the ‘Net that this Ugandan coffee was one of the best coffees Trader Joe’s has offered, so I told myself I had to check it out. I had seen it sitting in the NEW ITEMS shelf but I was done shopping so made a mental note to buy a bag the next day. Well when I went back, as luck would have it there were no more bags of it! My bad luck, it was sold out. Of course by their very nature “small lot” means these coffees come in a limited batch from small producers. Think a Limited Editions.
Fortunately it just so happened that my upstairs neighbor, another big TJ’s fan, happened to have gotten some of this coffee. Yeah! She offered me some so I could review it. After grinding it I had high hopes. It smelled fantastic. After brewing it wow was I impressed. I was almost surprised at just how good this coffee tasted. Not to mention this may be the first time I’d even tried a coffee from Uganda.
So I am sold. I definitely agreed with those who gave this high marks. This must be one of the best coffees I’ve tried from Trader Joe’s, period. The Mountains of the Moon UGANDA RWENZORI coffee is just a fantastic tasting coffee, which I found wonderfully balanced. To my taste buds its just perfect, hitting all right notes. Bold and robust but not over powering, it was both a little sweet and a little bitter, both smooth and robust, tasting surely like an “African” coffee a little ascertic and winy and yes even had those “notes of chocolate” describe on the bag. This is just terrific. Also TJ’s got it right that this is actually a “medium roast” as described (sometimes TJ’s roast descriptions are off). I loved this coffee and want more. I’m crossing my fingers we see it again (might be next harvest?) If by any chance you see it, do yourself a favor and grab a bag if you can. I have a feeling anyone who considers themselves a coffee lover is going to love this. If/when I see it again, I will be sure to stock up on a few bags. ($8.99 12 oz bag, whole bean)
Trader Giotto’s (Trader Joe’s) CHICKEN PICCATA – Seasoned, breaded boneless chicken breasts in a lemon and caper sauce
“Our Chicken Picatta is made for us using a special family recipe. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are seasoned and breaded then baked in the oven until crispy. We then add a buttery, lemon and caper sauce to complete the dish. A timeless Italian American classic that tastes like you made it from scratch”
My neighbor wanted to see if this heat and eat Trader Joe’s chicken dish was worth buying for some night when she didn’t feel like cooking. So she got it to try out and invited me along for dinner. In short, we both thought it was good. In fact I was impressed at how good this actually was. It tasted almost “homemade” quality. Now I should note we did fix it up slightly just by adding a bit more lemon and capers, and that helped boost the flavor. To cook it we did Trader Joe’s “recommended method” of baking in the oven. I recommend doing this that way. As compared to just nuking it in the microwave, it will be better baked, as the chicken will crisp up a bit in the oven and when you add the sauce (at the end) it will reduce a bit and get a bit brown and bubbly. Both of these will make it taste better than if you just microwaved it. The chicken was not dry, it was tender and juicy and of course the sauce helps this. The sauce was tasty. It certainly was better with the flavor boost some more lemon juice and more chopped capers. If you add those it will really make this taste even better (maybe even a tablespoon of butter). There were about 2 large pieces and 2 small pieces of chicken breast in the box and it comes with a large package of the sauce. The Nutrition Facts on the box says this contains 3 portions, but in reality you may find it more like 2 portions. You do want to serve this with something on the side to make it into a meal, like some rice, potatoes or pasta. Maybe some crusty bread for mopping up that tasty lemon caper sauce? We ate this with a fast easy pasta with zucchini and garlic which matched perfectly with this dish. Trader Joe’s Chicken Piccata was quite tasty. It’s $8.99 (16 oz). Not frozen, this is in the refrigerated (fresh) section with other prepared dishes. I would buy this again.
If you want to be fancy add slices of lemon on top when you serve it.
Wow, this is terrific. I loved it on first bite. This may be one of Trader Joe’s best New Products, maybe even a Top Ten. You will find this stuff mentioned all over Instagram, TikTok and Reddit. This spread takes TJ’s well loved, super popular Unexpected Cheddar cheese and adds things like butter and whey to make what is a hard cheddar into a spreadable pub cheese. It takes the amazing Unexpected Cheddar and manages to turn it up to 11. Trader Joe’s says: “Our supplier combines our crumbly Unexpected Cheddar with salted butter and whey to create a superbly savory, creamy Cheese Spread that’s ready to enhance sandwiches and glorify grazing boards with the simple flick of a knife. Spread this pub-style cheese on a Raisin Rosemary Crisp, and you’ve got one classy snack on your hands. You might also add it to an appetizer of puff pastry topped with chopped figs to bring out its subtle fruity notes. No matter how you use it, it’s guaranteed to be a real crowd-cheeser.” (ok a groan for the bad pun)
Search around you you’ll find pictures using this spread to make the trendy fancy “cheese boards” which are all the rage on Instagram. Here’s TJ’s idea to make one with this spread, nuts and honey
Remove cheese spread from refrigerator 30 minutes prior to assembly to help soften.
To a medium-sized cutting board, use a butter knife or spoon to spread the unexpected cheddar over the entire board, leaving a small outer rim exposed. Use your utensil to make swooping motions as you spread to help create nooks and crannies.
Top with chopped pecans, thyme leaves, and a drizzle of honey.
This flavor is the one I’m now seeing of TJ’s yummy “bread cheese“. This “pizza seasoned bread cheese” is quite good, even perhaps dangerously so! Just grilling it with some halved cherry tomatoes, basically I came up with kind of a “deconstructed pizza”. Served the cheese and grilled tomatoes with some toasted bread with a little EVOO over everything. A sprig of fresh basil completed the picture. What’s not to like? All the flavor and fun of pizza in five minutes. Eat it while it’s still all gooey and melt-y. I would say a package made roughly two portions. I’d go with “sauté” and not microwave as grilling it will brown it more and so be better that way.
HEIRLOOM GROUND CHICKEN – All Natural, Pasture Raised, Slow Growth, Air Chilled, No Hormones or Antibiotics
So what exactly is HEIRLOOM CHICKEN you ask? Here’s what Trader Joe’s says: “Trader Joe’s All Natural Heirloom Chicken is a very special chicken. First, it comes from a recognized breed with a genetic line that traces back multiple generations. And unlike so many other chickens raised very quickly on processed meal and antibiotics, these Heirloom Chickens are slow-growth, pasture-raised birds. This means they are allowed to mature at a natural rate and forage for food in a natural environment. They also have never been given antibiotics.”
That sounds pretty good right? While they don’t say “free range”, from the description it sounds like it to me. After reading about TJ’s Heirloom Chicken I wanted to try some. I got the ground heirloom chicken, and in short I thought it was quite good. Obviously an “heirloom chicken” costs more than TJ’s regular chicken, as this is a “super premium” chicken, and to me it actually seems like it Whole Foods item! Though if it was at Whole Foods I can only imagine it would cost more (maybe $10-12lb)? Trader Joe’s sells the Heirloom Ground Chicken for $6.99/lb. By comparison TJ’s regular ground chicken, something I have been getting for years and like very much as well, is $3.99/lb. One difference I noticed is the texture of this Heirloom Ground Chicken seems to be better, a coarser grind and not as finely ground as the other one (and this one seems to be less wet?). So this seemed to brown a bit faster. It’s 90% lean with 10% fat.
To cook the ground chicken, I added seasonings and mixed in quite a bit of chopped scallions. I shaped the mixture into patties, sprinkled them generously with the terrific AJIKA blend which is great on chicken and also helps browning. I sautéed them in olive oil for about 4 minutes on both sides until golden brown. I served these burgers/kebabs on warm pita doing kind of a Middle Eastern chicken burger thing. I sauced them with some TJ’s Garlic Dip and some Green Dragon. These chicken kebabs were really tasty; we really enjoyed them. One could of course make something similar and shape them into meatballs or long cylinder kebabs. What I didn’t do, but might in future is compare the two kinds of ground chicken TJ’s sells side by side, cook them up the same to compare. Meanwhile I’ll say yes this “premium” chicken is quite good. I would buy it again. Trader Joe’s also sells boneless breasts of this Heirloom Chicken for the same price as the ground chicken, while whole chickens are $3.99 / lb. (Again, cheaper I think than it would be at Whole Foods?) So you can either try a whole bird (roasted) or the boneless breasts, or this.
There’s more you can read about ALL NATURAL HEIRLOOM CHICKEN on the TJ website (Whole chickens are $3.99/lb)
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
Recent Comments