Trader Joe’s Chicken Shawarma Bowl
I like to order shawarma when my family eats at a local restaurant that serves Middle Eastern food. It’s commonly made with meat (beef, chicken, lamb, etc.) that is slow roasted on a spit, somewhat similar to gyros. My local restaurant serves shawarma chicken in a toasted pita with onions, pickles, tomatoes, and tahini, and it’s one of my favorites.
Sometimes I find shawarma options at grocery stores so I can make my own at home. Trader Joe’s, which is a cousin to Aldi, sells shawarma chicken thighs in its fresh meat refrigerator case.
I also recently discovered a chicken shawarma bowl in the freezer aisle at Trader Joe’s. The package describes this as “basmati rice, shawarma seasoned chicken meat, red bell pepper, spinach, pickled red onion & a creamy garlic sauce.”
We bought this ourselves for review purposes. I paid $3.99 for an 11.3-ounce Trader Joe’s Chicken Shawarma Bowl at the time of writing. That comes out to about 35 cents per ounce.
This is a product of Canada.
If you’re looking out for allergens, this contains milk.
The rest of the ingredients list looks pretty straightforward, with mostly whole, easily recognizable ingredients. The only exception to that is xanthan gum fairly far down the list.
One container makes up one serving, which will net you 400 calories, 12 grams of total fat (15% DV), 3.5 grams of saturated fat (18% DV), 720 mg of sodium (31% DV), 52 grams of total carbohydrates (19% DV), 4 grams of dietary fiber (14% DV), 3 grams of total sugars, 2 grams of added sugars (4% DV), and 20 grams of protein.
The box has directions for cooking this from frozen in either the microwave or a conventional oven.
To microwave, remove the outer packaging and pierce the film twice. Cook on high for 4 minutes. Lift the film and stir. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until the food reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Let stand for 1 minute and serve.
To bake in the oven, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the outer packaging and pierce the film twice. Place the bowl on a baking sheet on the center rack in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, lift the film, and stir. Cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the temperature reaches 165 degrees. Let stand for 1 minute before serving.
I microwaved this for a quick workday lunch. It’s mostly rice-based, with cubes of shawarma-seasoned chicken and plenty of bell peppers and spinach, with some onion, all in a creamy sauce. It has a little bit of kick to it, but it’s not too spicy. It’s pretty good, and it’s a nice way to enjoy shawarma without some of the added carbs that come with serving it in a pita.
The Verdict:
The Trader Joe’s Chicken Shawarma Bowl features shawarma chicken with basmati rice, spinach, bell pepper, and pickled red onion in a creamy garlic sauce. It’s a nice variation on traditional shawarma that’s usually served in a pita.
