Whole & Simple Mediterranean Style Chicken Quinoa Bowl

Sure, Aldi has an amazing junk-food aisle loaded with peanut butter cups, cheese puffs, imitation Girl Scout cookies, queso dip, and more. But the discount grocer also is a smart place to shop for healthy food, including fresh and frozen produce, as well as keto-friendly items such as cheese crisps or gluten-free items such as cauliflower crust pizza. Aldi also sells several healthy, quick-to-heat convenience meals in the freezer section, including some chicken quinoa bowls.

The Whole & Simple Mediterranean Style Chicken Quinoa Bowl cost $2.99 for a 10.5-ounce box at the time of publication. The box describes it as including brown rice, spinach, red bell peppers and sun-dried tomatoes. This is a product of Canada and is sold alongside a similar bowl, the Whole & Simple Southwestern Style Chicken Quinoa Bowl. The Whole & Simple Aldi private label focuses on foods with simple, less-processed ingredients, with past selections including burritos and breakfast omelet bites.

Both types of chicken quinoa bowls are Regular Buys, which means you can find them at Aldi all year.

Ingredients are: cooked white quinoa and red quinoa , cooked brown rice, cooked seasoned chicken breast with rib meat (chicken, water, potato starch, sea salt), water, spinach, red bell peppers, onions, sundried tomatoes (sundried tomatoes, salt), garlic puree (garlic, water), chicken broth, canola oil, brown sugar, concentrated lemon juice, modified corn starch, isolated pea product, red wine vinegar, olive oil, spices, and salt.

Whole & Simple Mediterranean Style Chicken Quinoa Bowl nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)

One serving has 330 calories, 7 grams of total fat (9% DV), 1 gram of saturated fat (5% DV), 25 mg of cholesterol (8% DV), 600 mg of sodium (26% DV), 53 grams of total carbohydrates (19% DV), 8 grams of dietary fiber (29% DV), 5 grams of total sugars, 3 grams of added sugars (6% DV), and 17 grams of protein.

You can heat this meal in the microwave (recommended) or a conventional oven.

To microwave, remove the bowl from the carton. Do no pierce or remove the film. Heat on high for 3 minutes. Peel back the film and stir thoroughly. Replace the film and cook on high for an additional 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from the microwave, stir, and let stand 1 minute before serving. Be careful because the bowl will be hot.

To heat in the oven, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the bowl from the carton. Do not pierce or remove the film. Place the bowl on a baking sheet on the middle oven rack for 25-30 minutes. Halfway through cooking time, peel back the film, stir, and replace the film for the remaining baking time. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, using caution because the bowl will be hot. Remove the film and stir thoroughly. Let stand 1-2 minutes before serving.

Whole & Simple Mediterranean Style Chicken Quinoa Bowl, ready to eat.

I microwaved this meal and it came out piping hot. As far as how it tastes, it has plenty of quinoa and rice, and it has quite a bit of spinach. Similar to the southwestern chicken quinoa bowl that Aldi also sells, this doesn’t have a lot of chicken. This is a decent healthier meal, but its taste is on the mild side. It has a light garlic flavor, and I enjoyed the small bits of sundried tomato throughout, but I thought Aldi’s southwestern chicken quinoa bowl had more flavor. This would be fine for times when I’m really hungry, but it’s not my favorite. Another family member who tried this liked it, though, so your mileage may vary.

The Verdict:

The Whole & Simple Mediterranean Style Chicken Quinoa Bowl features brown rice, spinach, white and red quinoa, sundried tomatoes, and chicken. It’s not the most flavorful dish in the Aldi Whole & Simple product line, but it’s good for people who are looking for a healthier microwavable convenience meal.