Trader Joe’s Harvest Salad with White Chicken Meat

There’s no question that making your own lunch is cheaper than buying a prepackaged one. That’s true of sandwiches, wraps, salads, you name it. If you’re willing to buy the different ingredients and assemble it, you can do it for cheap. It may also be a little healthier depending on circumstances. If, for instance, you cook your own chicken instead of buying it precooked, you likely aren’t going to have the same additives and preservatives.

On the other hand, time is valuable. If you don’t have time to make your own lunch — and you may not — prepackaged items can be a godsend. Sure, you’re paying more money, but there’s no frontend preparation. Instead, you just toss it in your cooler or bag and you’re off.

Trader Joe’s, the distant Aldi cousin, keeps a legitimate selection of wraps and salads for the shopper who needs things ready to go. One of them is this straightforward grab-and-go salad.

Trader Joe’s Harvest Salad with White Chicken Meat can be found in the refrigerated section of the store. It comes in an 11-ounce clamshell package and in 2024 costs $5.99. That calculates out to 54 cents an ounce.

It’s a perishable salad, so be sure to note the best-by date and keep it refrigerated until you eat it.

The package describes it as “white chicken meat, grape tomatoes, green beans, white cheddar cheese, corn, and hard cooked egg on a bed of spring lettuce mix with a creamy Dijon dressing.”

This is a bigger salad than I often see, and the nutrition information slices the salad into 3 servings. The nutrition information also offers numbers for the salad with or without dressing.

If you’re going to eat this salad 1) as a single serving and 2) with the dressing, the salad has 390 calories, 30 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 710 milligrams of sodium, 12 grams of total carbs, 3 grams of fiber, and 21 grams of protein. The carbs-to-fiber ratio is 4:1, which is both a good ratio and to be expected for a salad.

Allergens include milk and egg.

The salad has most of what you need to assemble it. One notable exception is a fork: unlike Aldi salads and at some other grocers, you’ll need to provide your own utensil. Beyond that, you mix it and go.

It’s a pretty good salad. It’s a little different than I’m used to — I don’t often have green beans in my salad — but it certainly delivers a fresh, crunchy flavor. The creamy Dijon dressing gives it a bit of sharp flavor while the chicken, eggs, tomatoes, corn, and cheese all add substance to the greens. It’s substantial, and it’s certainly enough to make a meal on its own.

The Verdict:

This TJ’s salad claims to have three servings on the nutrition information, and for good reason: it’s a big salad. Most people, though, will probably see it as a single-serve grab-and-go lunch, and in that regard it does the trick, especially if you have a bigger appetite. There’s plenty of veggies here and they’re complemented by flavorful chicken, egg, cheese, and a dressing that adds the right accent. For that reason, it’s worth a look if you’re a salad fan. Just remember to bring a fork, since it doesn’t come with one.