Sometimes you need a meal that’s quick and convenient, without a lot of fuss to prepare. Frozen or take and bake pizzas or chicken tenders are some of my family’s go-to options for nights when we don’t have the time or energy to cook. If we want something more sophisticated, though, Aldi sells several suitable entrees in its refrigerated deli aisle. We’ve enjoyed beef brisket, pulled pork, fajita chicken, burnt ends, and artichoke stuffed chicken. Most recently, we tried the Thai Coconut Chicken, which we’ve heard other Aldi fans speak highly of.
Park Street Deli Thai Coconut Chicken cost $7.49 for a 16-ounce package at the time of publication. The package describes this as “grilled boneless skinless chicken thigh meat in tangy Thai inspired coconut sauce.” It is fully cooked and should be kept refrigerated.
This is a Regular Buy, which means you should be able to find it at Aldi any time of year.
Nutrition information, ingredients, and heating instructions. (Click to enlarge.)
If you’re looking out for allergens, this contains soy, wheat, and tree nuts.
This has a fairly lengthy ingredients list that includes some more processed items such as maltodextrin, xanthan gum, and carrageenan, but that is often the case when you’re buying a ready-to-serve, pre-made product that needs to last on the refrigerator shelf for a bit. If you want easy meals with more whole ingredients, the Aldi Whole & Simple private label product line is a good option.
One package of this chicken contains about three 5-ounce servings. One serving has 200 calories, 8 grams of total fat (12% DV), 3.5 grams of saturated fat (17% DV), 730 mg of sodium (30% DV), 9 grams of total carbohydrates (3% DV), and 6 grams of sugars.
The package has instructions for heating this in the microwave (recommended) or on the stove top.
To microwave, remove the outer sleeve from the tray. Leave the inner pouch in the tray, but puncture the pouch. Place in the microwave and heat on high for 3 minutes or until hot.
To heat on the stove top, heat water up to a soft boil and place the bag in the water for 15 minutes. Using tongs, remove the package from the pot. Let product rest for 2 minutes before opening the bag.
If you don’t plant to eat this right away, it can be frozen. To defrost, place in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours. Then follow the heating instructions above. Use the product within three days of defrosting.
Heated and ready to serve.
I heated this easily in the microwave, and it’s unique and surprisingly good. The chicken thigh meat is very tender. It is squishy — for lack of a better word — and has a fatty-like texture, but I didn’t find any fat chunks in it. Just know that it’s not like a chicken breast, which tends to be drier. Some parts of this chicken have more dark grill marks than others, but none of it tasted burned. The sauce is flavorful and tangy with notes of coconut and a mild kick. I didn’t think this was too spicy at all, but one family member who is more picky didn’t care for the spice. I served this chicken on its own alongside a salad, but it would also go well with rice.
This is my new favorite option among all of the Aldi Park Street Deli ready-to-heat entrees in the refrigerated aisle, with the beef brisket, pulled pork, and burnt ends coming in close behind. I will definitely buy this again, either for a family dinner or as an easy weekday lunch.
The Verdict:
Park Street Deli Thai Coconut Chicken features tender chicken thigh pieces with seasoning and sauce that include brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, pineapple juice, Thai coconut sauce, and red chile flakes. It’s flavorful, with just a very mild amount of spice. If you like Thai food, drop this in your cart during your next shopping trip.
We used to love this product but it has taken a nose dive in the last few months. Now it is almost inedible. We bought 2 packages a couple months ago and found significant differences. The quality of the chicken was disgusting with so much fat, tendons, and almost black meat that was unrecognizable. The sauce also had a very different taste, not nearly as good as before. And the inside packaging was noticeably different. We stayed away for a while but decided maybe it was a bad batch and purchased 2 packages again recently. Unfortunately theybhad the same issues. Perhaps this was a change in manufacturing to cut costs but we won’t be buying it again.
I am a CKD patient and have be on a strict diet…have troulble with high potassium. I did not find any Potassium listed on the nutrition facts….mmm ???
The Pork Fajitas has changed drastically too. I’ve never had this chicken but the pulled pork went from incredibly tender flavorful to full of gristle hard and inedible, this all happened a few months back and it hasn’t changed since. I also was hoping it was a bad batch. Maybe they change the supplier for all their pre-made meat products?
This product was some of our favorite quick meals. The changes have made it horrible bringing six pkgs back to Aldi
The Thai coconut chicken was horrible we use to eat this all the time my wife was so mad she threw it in the trash. Really bad when you find a product you enjoy, and the company makes a change. The meat was disgusting the sauce was watery and bland no spice no flavor this product is ruined.
First time to buy. It’s going down the garbage disposal. Really bad and just the color is awful.
Thai coconut chicken does not taste like any Thai food I have ever eaten. It is not good and I will not buy it again. I am a big Aldi fan and this is my first Aldi purchase I would not buy again.