Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken

Trader Joe's mandarin orange chicken has been the top-selling frozen item in their stores for over a decade. Staying at the top in a chain that rotates inventory constantly tells you how well they got it right. Pre-breaded chicken pieces bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, then you toss them in the sauce packet that comes in the bag. Closer to actual takeout than any frozen meal has a right to be. Sweet and tangy with enough vinegar bite to keep it from tasting like candy, the sauce works. Even after you add the glaze, the breading stays crispy if you do it right. For $4.99, a bag feeds 2 people or 1 very hungry person. Hard to beat when delivery runs $18 plus tip. Trader Joe's understood that frozen food fails when it tries to be restaurant food and succeeds when it offers a shortcut that is honest about what it is. I have served this to people without telling them where it came from and gotten compliments. Is either a testament to the product or an indictment of everyone's palate, but either way it works. Plain packaging, almost aggressively un-fancy, with a photo of the finished dish that looks exactly like what you actually get. That accuracy builds trust in a category full of misleading packaging. My roommates and I keep 2 bags in the freezer at all times because it solves the 9 PM problem of wanting real food without wanting to cook or spend real money. The frozen aisle at Trader Joe's is full of good options but this one anchors the whole section. Staying in the lineup while hundreds of other products have come and gone says more about it than any review could. It does one thing and does it well.