Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart / Target / Walmart
Hey, mothercluckers. Today, I’m cosplaying as the Chick-Fil-A cow. Go ahead and picture me in a cow-print onesie holding up a giant sign. Only now, instead of “eat mor chikin,” the sign reads: “Eat more chicken with the best frozen chicken at the grocery store!” Wordy, I know, but the message is important. Also, I decorated the sign in rainbow stickers. (And yes, as you can see, I corrected the original sign’s grammar. I may be a cow, but I’m a cow that can spell.)
Look, as Americans, we love chicken. (It’s statistically proven to be our most consumed meat on a yearly basis.) But it’s easy to get sick of broiled chicken breast every night, no matter how many different marinades and spice combos you throw on it. That’s why we made a list of the best frozen chicken products you can find at the grocery store, in all of their various delectable forms. We’re chicken freaks, and we’re proud of it. So without further ado, here’s our guide to the best chicken brands and products you can find in the frozen aisle.
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Chicken tenders are a top priority for the Sporked team. We won’t settle for anything less than quality meat and crispy, evenly-seasoning breading. Enter: Good & Gather chicken tenders, which have juicy, fresh, clean-tasting meat that really surprised us. Texturally, it’s like biting into real chicken breast instead of that nightmare-inducing chicken paste. Plus, the breading is made with cracker meal, so the crunch factor is through the roof.
Popcorn chicken does not get enough love. I get it: Sometimes popcorn chicken is too dry, and the breading-to-chicken ratio is way off. Not Great Value! These literal popcorn-sized chicken niblets are crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside. What really makes them standout is the coating. It has an addictive seasoning and light sheen of grease, which adds so much flavor, you really don’t even need a dipping sauce. If you’ve got an air fryer and you aren’t using it to make crispy popcorn chicken, give me your air fryer right now. You don’t deserve it.
All hail Foster Farms Hot & Spicy chicken wings. Tangy, hot, beautifully seasoned Buffalo sauce made with aged cayenne pepper infused into the breading? Check. A nice crispness straight out of the oven? Check. Tender meat that’s juicy instead of dry? Check. These weren’t just the best hot wings we tried—they were the best frozen wings, period. (But hey, if you can shop at Publix, we’ve gotta insist you pick up some of the new Hooters frozen wings, too. We tried them recently, and they altered our brain chemistry. Permanently.)
Do you think it’s easy? Being a gluten-free chicken nugget and beating out every other brand of “gluten-y” chicken nuggets in taste, texture, and chicken quality? No. But that’s the life Trader Joe’s GF Chicken Nuggets chose for themselves. Even as the underdogs, they strove for greatness, and they achieved it. These nuggets are steamy little flavor explosions in your mouth. They’re super moist, shockingly crunchy, and they nail the seasoning blend. We can’t get enough. When it comes to the best frozen chicken, TJ’s sure didn’t chicken out.
There’s a lot to appreciate about P.F. Chang’s pretty faithful frozen rendition of their popular orange chicken recipe. The sauce is slightly less sweet than other brands we tried (thanks to the lack of corn syrup) and still has a more layered, nuanced flavor profile. You can taste the ginger, red chili paste, oyster sauce, and signature orange juice tang. It comes with some stir-fried veggies, too, which gives it that real restaurant dish star quality. Cook up some fresh white rice, and you’re good to go.
Burger King has done a lot for our country, for better or worse, but the creation of chicken fries certainly lives among their brightest accomplishments. Sporked editor-in-chief Justine Sterling said it best: “Imagine the best chicken nugget, now stretch it out until it looks like your finger. That’s what these Aldi chicken fries taste like.” Aldi understands what makes chicken fries so yummy: black pepper. Every bite is savory, juicy, and so flavorful, you don’t even need ketchup or dipping sauce. We definitely recommend an air fryer for these bad boys if you’re looking for that signature BK chicken fry crisp, but these are yummy enough to throw in a toaster oven, too. (Though, to be clear, these have a much better value than Burger King. Just sayin’.)
Fun fact about Los Angeles It’s hard to find a single restaurant that won’t sell you a fried chicken sandwich. I think that’s kinda beautiful. But I can’t afford a trendy, trussed up $18 fried chicken sandwich every week. So guess what? Now I buy John Soules Foods Chicken Patties instead, and throw my own coleslaw, spicy mayo, and hot pickle chips on them myself. These patties are the perfect thickness and have such a beautiful blend of seasonings, you don’t even really need to put these on a sandwich to enjoy them. But I do, because I consider my kitchen to be a trendy L.A. restaurant. And now you can, too!
Did you think our list of the best frozen chicken wouldn’t include vegan chicken? We’re inclusive, gosh darn it. Daring has done something remarkable with their soy protein chicken substitute, creating a product that’s incredibly chicken-like in both texture and taste. The pieces pull apart just like the real thing, and they’re impressively moist and savory—even without seasoning. They’re super versatile. For once, you won’t find yourself trying to disguise the vegan meat in dishes with layered ingredients. If you’re craving a simple chicken fettuccine alfredo or chicken caesar salad, minus the real bird, you can’t go wrong.
Hey, Daring. Nice to see you again. Oh, you’re here for the same reason we found your original vegan chicken pieces so enticing? That incredible chicken-like texture? Fantastic. You know what else is fantastic? How tangy and spicy these vegan wings are, too. Bravo, Daring! Who knew one of the best chicken brands at the grocery store could be vegan.
Ariana Losch is a Sporked contributor, webcomic writer, java junkie, and bad TV enthusiast. She only ever feels at peace laying out on a beach like a kebab, roasting in the sun; sadly, she can never move back to Florida, her home state, because there simply isn’t enough good Mediterranean food. You can find her overstaying her welcome at just about every LA coffee shop, working on a screenplay and avoiding all eye contact. (She is embarrassed to be there, please leave her alone.)
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