Trader Joe’s Chicken Tamale Pie

December 3, 2006 | Reviewer: Abi

Trader Joe's Chicken Tamale Pie

Price: $3.99
Serving: 1/2 pie, 8 oz.
Calories: 420
Fat: 30%, 19g
Sodium: 17%, 490mg
Protein: 20g
Carbs: 14%, 41g
Fiber: 28%, 7g

Trader Joe says: We’ve started with a hearty mixture of chicken, black beans, and vegetables. Then, we ramp things up a bit with a zesty Tex-Mex tomato sauce. For the finale, we add a cornbread topping as a nod to the masa dough and the corn husk treatment. It’s all served up in a handy tray that’s both oven and microwave safe.

Abi says: Trader Joe rarely fails to please, unless you’ve happened to purchase a Chicken Tamale Pie. I’m not even going to get into the whole 2 servings in an obviously-single-serving-container issue, because you shouldn’t buy this product.

The layer of “cornbread topping” was nothing more than a layer of bright yellow sawdust. After that failed experimental bite, I dug through the 1/2 inch layer of cornbread to access the chicken, black bean, vegetable mixture. Unfortunately for my tastebuds, blandness prevailed. While I am willing to sacrifice my tastebuds for the sake of others, I am not willing to eat flavorless Mexican-inspired meals. I made one last attempt to save the meal, mixing my dry cornbread and wet bean/vegetable mixture together. It didn’t help the meal, though I did manage to find a consolation prize: one piece of chicken.

Trader Joe’s completely dropped the ball in issuing this bland waste of calories. Forego the tamale pie and have yourself a Chicken Tamale or Chile Cheese Tamale instead. Oh yeah, and that yellow stuff seeping out of the top of the cornbread topping? That’s grease, not cheese.

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One Response to “Trader Joe’s Chicken Tamale Pie”

Be Prepared: More than a motto | Jones, Abi on July 18th, 2007

[…] boss said today, ‘Does Trader Joe’s make anything that’s bad?’. Well, yes, they do. But that is beside the […]

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