Trader Joe's Chicken Chow Mein

Grocery store Chinese takeout-style food is a favorite in my household when we don’t have the energy or time to cook from scratch. It’s also a budget-saver when we don’t want to spend on restaurant takeout, which can quickly get expensive.

Trader Joe’s — which is a distant cousin to Aldi — offers some pretty good frozen takeout-inspired options. We like their fried rice and chicken fried rice. Their orange chicken and spring rolls are also tasty.

I also recently bought some chicken chow mein from TJ’s. It features savory noodles, veggies, and lean chicken breast, and it’s advertised as low in fat.

We buy products for review using our own funds. I paid $5.49 for a 20-ounce package of Trader Joe’s Chicken Chow Mein at my local TJ’s in April of 2025. That’s about 27 cents per ounce.

If you’re looking out for allergens, this contains sesame, soy, and wheat.

Ingredients include noodles, sauce, broccoli, red bell peppers, cooked seasoned chicken breast, onions, and carrots.

One bag contains about three servings. One serving has 200 calories (with 15 calories from fat), 1.5 grams of total fat (2% DV), no saturated fat, 960 mg of sodium (40% DV), 39 grams of total carbohydrates (13% DV), 4 grams of dietary fiber (16% DV), 6 grams of sugars, and 9 grams of protein.

Trader Joe's Chicken Chow Mein — Nutrition information, ingredients, and cooking instructions. (Click to enlarge.)

The bag has directions for cooking this from frozen either on the stovetop or in the microwave.

To cook on the stove, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add chicken, vegetables, and noodles. Cover and cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once heated through, add the contents of the sauce packet and stir until combined and hot, about 30 seconds.

To microwave, place chicken, vegetables, and noodles in a microwave-safe dish and cover. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Stir in the sauce, re-cover, and microwave at 70% power until thoroughly cooked, about 1-2 minutes.

The package also says that for saucier chow mein, you can add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water with the sauce.

This is what I expected for grocery store chow mein. It’s not all that unlike the frozen chicken lo mein Aldi sells. It features noodles, chicken, broccoli, red bell peppers, onions, and carrots in a savory sauce. I served this alongside some sweet and sour chicken from Aldi, homemade fried rice, and some jalapeno cream cheese wontons from Trader Joe’s for a complete takeout-style dinner.