The Worst Trader Joe's Product Hall Of Fame Item Is Still Worth The Price At $5.49

If you don't know what the Trader Joe's Product Hall of Fame is, you may need some background info. Every single year, good old TJ's allows customers to nominate their favorite products in the brand's Customer Choice Awards. If an item wins frequently enough, the powers that be will induct it into Trader Joe's Product Hall of Fame — an honor bestowed upon the Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips in 2025. Once an item makes it in, it can no longer be entered into the competition again, leaving room for other products to shine.

The Hall of Fame spans all manner of goods, including desserts — the best of which has been crowned the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. With so many great products, we knew we had to find out which was really the best, so we tried and ranked every item in TJ's Hall of Fame. To the shock of all, the Mandarin Orange Chicken — beloved by just about everyone — ranked last. Our taste tester said it just wasn't a unique enough draw and that you could get the likes of it at a Chinese restaurant. Even so, it's quick to make, easy as pie, and — importantly — it tastes almost as good as what you get at an actual eatery. That's four cups of chicken (and four servings) for less than $6 — or $1.50 per bowl. The price per serving alone guarantees that this is still worth the money.

Of course, as with all things in life, you can make Mandarin Orange Chicken even better. Rather than cooking it in a skillet (which uses a lot of oil and can make the coating gummy), take the easy route and bake it. It'll crisp up without losing its juiciness. You can also air fry it to a similar effect, but that's more hands-on work.

Next, you'll want to flesh it out by adding aromatics and vegetables for a more flavorful, filling meal. Saute a little garlic, onion, and ginger in a neutral oil as your chicken bakes, and add your favorite veg as a pairing — sugar snap peas, water chestnuts, slices of bell pepper, or even chiles would complement the chicken beautifully. Then, once it's time to toss the sauce with the chicken, you can add all those little extras in.

That said, you can't eat orange chicken without rice. We're pretty sure that's some sort of sacrilege. Now, you could expend the energy of making your own coconut sticky rice, but the idea here is quick and easy. Instead, head to the freezer section at TJ's and pick up some Organic Basmati Rice. Toss it in the microwave and decant it onto a plate, ready to welcome your Mandarin Chicken into its fragrant grains. Or lean into the Trader Joe's fusion feel and serve your chicken over TJ's Korean Japchae Fried Rice. Talk about delicious.