Trader Joe’s Chicken Mole Review: A Flash-Frozen Fiesta or a Flavor Flop?

Trader Joe’s has entered the mole chat, and no, this isn’t the chocolate-laced version that confuses gringos into thinking it’s some kind of spicy pudding. This is mole rojo, a bold, complex, deeply spiced sauce that doesn’t need a sprinkle of cocoa to prove its worth. Their new Chicken Mole is all about rich guajillo and pasilla peppers, fragrant cinnamon, and slow-simmered magic—all conveniently flash-frozen so you can pretend you spent hours in the kitchen crafting a dish worthy of a Central Mexican abuela. But does it actually deliver on its promise of deep, smoky, slightly spicy goodness, or is it just another microwavable letdown? Let’s find out.

The one thing that Trader Joe’s does really well is find a relatively obscure international dish like this Mexican Mole Rojo and try to deliver an interesting dish full of flavor at a decent price. Where are you going to find Mole Rojo at Fred Meyer or Safeway? Maybe in a jar in the Mexican section of your grocery store but highly unlikely. So, Trader Joe’s finds a supplier that gives us this super flavorful meal delivered in quantity to you local Trader Joe’s Frozen aisle.

When most people thing of Mexican Mole, they think of Mole Poblano or Mole Negro that both use chocolate in the recipe to give it’s nice deep dark color and depth of flavors. Some of those mole sauces (Mole means “sauce”) border on almost black color but the majority of their color comes from deeply roasted peppers. The sauces are thick, fragrant and loaded with flavor.

So, I was excited to see Trader Joe’s introduce a mole dish that, from the pictures, looked kind of authentic, but as they say, we need to taste before we pass judgement.

Preparation

There really is only two way to prepare this sauce. On the stovetop in a pan or in the microwave and since you are just heating it up since it’s fully cooked already, the microwave is probably the best and easiest method.

Like so many frozen products like this, there is in inner and outer sleeve. Pull the inner portion out. Cut a couple holes in the clear plastic and then pop in the microwave for a couple of minutes. Lift up a corner of the plastic and then stir and then stick back into the microwave again for a couple more minute and then you have a piping hot sauce.

Taste Test

First off, you probably won’t just eat this on it’s own. I guess you could, but it’s really meant to be part of a bigger dish. I included several quick meal ideas below to get you started.

I can smell the rich, roasted pepper and spice flavors coming out of the microwave. When I opened the door the final time, pow! right in the face.

I stirred it around a bit but was put off by the sauce to meat ratio. Like there is a lot of sauce, but not much meat. Nothing like what you see on the picture on the box. But fishing around in the sauce did yield some nice big chunks.

As expected the sauce is deep, rich, smoky, spicy but not too hot. It’s actually pretty mild considering the sauce is mostly peppers. It’s kind of like you would expect based on the visuals of the sauce. Deep, rich and satisfying. You get hints coriander and cinnamon, which is nice. Everything is nicely blended and well integrated. This will make a great enchilada and taco base! I really liked it, except for the lack of meat.

The meat itself is fine. Fully flavored. Not tough in anyway and there were a few bigger chunks but mostly it’s shredded already. I might be able to make 4 tacos from this meat.

Final Verdict

The only place I’ve had real mole is at an authentic Mexican restaurant. While this isn’t at the same level as that, but it is really good. The flavors seem to be there and it’s super easy to make. My main problem with this dish is common with Trader Joe’s and that is the lack of meat. Like the box says 16 oz and I would guesstimate that it’s about 6-7 ounces of meat and 8-9 ounces of sauce. I guess at $6.99 I wouldn’t expect much else, but if you are thinking you are going to feed a family on this, you better pick up two of them!

Quick Recipes

Here are three quick ways to use this product for a flavorful dinner!

1. Chicken Mole Tacos (10 Minutes)

Ingredients:

• 1 package Trader Joe’s Chicken Mole
• TJ’s Organic Yellow Corn Taco Shells (or Flour Tortillas)
• TJ’s Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese
• TJ’s Organic Chunky Homestyle Guacamole
• Cilantro & Lime Wedges (for garnish)

Instructions:

1. Heat the Chicken Mole in the microwave or on the stovetop.
2. Warm up taco shells in a dry skillet or microwave for a few seconds.
3. Fill each taco with Chicken Mole, then sprinkle cheese on top.
4. Add a dollop of guacamole and garnish with cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
5. Serve immediately and enjoy!

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2. Cheesy Mole Enchiladas (20 Minutes)

Ingredients:

• 1 package Trader Joe’s Chicken Mole
• TJ’s Flour Tortillas
• TJ’s Enchilada Sauce
• TJ’s Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese
• Sour Cream & Chopped Green Onions (for garnish)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Heat the Chicken Mole and spoon it into tortillas. Roll them up and place them seam-side down in a baking dish.
3. Pour Enchilada Sauce over the top, then sprinkle generously with cheese.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and golden.
5. Serve with sour cream and green onions.

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3. Mole Rice Bowl (15 Minutes)

Ingredients:

• 1 package Trader Joe’s Chicken Mole
• TJ’s Spanish Style Rice (or TJ’s Frozen Brown Rice)
• TJ’s Roasted Corn
• TJ’s Black Beans
• TJ’s Cotija Cheese (or Feta)
• Avocado Slices & Hot Sauce (optional)

Instructions:

1. Heat the Chicken Mole and Spanish Style Rice according to package instructions.
2. In a bowl, layer rice, roasted corn, and black beans.
3. Top with Chicken Mole and crumble Cotija cheese over the top.
4. Add avocado slices and drizzle with hot sauce if desired.
5. Mix everything together and dig in!

Ingredients

BONELESS SKINLESS CHICKEN LEG MEAT, WATER, ONION, SUGAR, PASILLA CHILE PEPPER, DICED TOMATOES IN JUICE (TOMATOES, TOMATO JUICE, SEA SALT, CALCIUM CHLORIDE, CITRIC ACID [ACIDIFIER]), CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF SAFFLOWER OIL, CHILE PEPPER BLEND (CHILI PEPPER, GUAJILLO CHILE PEPPERS), GARLIC, CORNSTARCH, SEA SALT, BLACK PEPPER, ONION POWDER, CORIANDER, GROUND CINNAMON.