Trader Joe’s Green Chili Chicken Bowl. Bowls are all the rage right now. Not sure where the trend started but it seems we have to put everything in a bowl now. For me it seemed to start with the poke bowls out of Hawaii then the salad bowls I started to see pop up. Now everything is in a bowl. Mexican food. Chinese food. Why not? It’s an easy way to enjoy a nutritious meal.
Trader Joe’s has released many bowls over the years. I have reviewed most of them. My favorite bowls from Trader Joe’s are: Trader Joe’s Cuban Style Citrus Garlic Bowl , The Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken Bowl , and the Trader Joe’s Sriracha Shrimp Bowl . So many bowls to choose from and that is just a few of what they offer.
I probably don’t have to tell you what this bowl has in it but as you can see from the picture on the front of the box, it’s pretty basic. The bowl has rice, chicken, green chile peppers and cheese, and other minor ingredients like onions and garlic.
This is another super easy bowl to make. Just like the other bowls I mentioned above. You poke a hole in the clear plastic and pop it in the microwave for several minutes. But I have to warn you, and I read this on a couple of Trader Joe’s Facebook groups, that they seemed to have screwed up the times on the microwaving and it comes out super hot if you microwave for 3 minutes and 3 more minutes. Even at 3 minutes, stir, then one more minute it was still very, very hot.
Just like the other bowls, this doesn’t have much heat (the spicy kind, not the temperature), and if you want more heat, I suggest topping it with your favorite hot sauce.
What I really liked about this bowl is that it felt like they had enough of everything. Sometimes these bowls have too little meat or they scrimp on the cheese, but this bowl had lots of meat and lots of cheese. Plus, the cheese was good, like real cheddar cheese.
I think these bowls, while really good on their own, would be a great start to the stuffing for enchiladas, tacos, or burritos. Especially for burritos if you buy some seasoned beans and heat them up and then just stuff all that into a tortilla and bam! you got a full meal! Buy several bowls for a family meal.
When I took it out, I stirred it all together. It doesn’t look all that appetizing but trust me this has some really good flavors. The chicken is cooked and shredded and has been seasoned well. There are a lot of green chiles that contribute to the flavors. You can see actual shredded cheese before you cook it which I really appreciate. The only downside to this bowl is it is only 320 calories per bowl, which is kind of on the light side for me (I’m a six foot tall guy). I could doctor it up with more cheese and whatnot to boost the calories.
Final Thoughts
I really like the flavors and the simplicity of this Trader Joe’s Green Chile Chicken Bowl. It was easy and had some deep good flavors. I’ll be picking up several of these to keep in the freezer! I will give this bowl a solid 8 Bells!
INGREDIENTS:
WATER, DARK CHICKEN MEAT, DICED GREEN CHILE PEPPERS (GREEN CHILE PEPPERS, WATER, SALT, CITRIC ACID [TO PRESERVE]), WHITE RICE, SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE (PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, MICROBIAL ENZYME, ANNATTO EXTRACT [FOR COLOR], TAPIOCA STARCH), DICED ONION, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF SEA SALT, SOYBEAN OIL, LIME JUICE, ONION POWDER, GARLIC POWDER, CORNSTARCH, CHILI PEPPER, OREGANO, CUMIN POWDER, DRIED CILANTRO, SUGAR, BLACK PEPPER.
I loved this one! But as soon as I discovered it, it became impossible to find again. Dang TJs! But if I ever see it again in my store, I’m stocking up.
Both my husband (and he’s a picky eater) and myself loved this green chicken bowl. Worth having a few in the freezer. We can’t eat a full bowl when splitting it, in fact I split it in 1/4 and will eat a side dish of cooked veggies or salad. A keeper for us.
Had my first Green Chicken Chili Bowl today. The flavors are great and I would get it again, but the most noticeable downside was, the rice was undercooked and crunchy. I sort of expected that this is a reheat on the rice, so it should already be cooked. It tasted good enough that I’m willing to try again though and see if maybe I got a one-off the first time.
Interesting! I haven’t noticed that. Maybe another 30 seconds in the microwave?
I bought the green chile bowl for the first time today. I seem to have a different opinion than some of the others.
I found the bowl dry, so dry. The seasonings, especially the peppers were excellent. There was no cheese that I could see. There was supposed to be a sauce. Perhaps it was absorbed by the rice, which was gummy. I think the overall dryness is what surprised me the most. I have been a Trader Joe patron since 1968 and I love many items I buy there. I do know that throughout the years there has been quality control issues with items I loved and then they just weren’t the same. I cannot decide why I found the bowl so dry, while others loved it, but that is my review. I cooked it in the oven for the minumum posted time of 35 minutes.
This is so weird because it is always a little wet for the several times I have bought it. Weird