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Trader Joe's has always had a very impressive selection of vegetarian/vegan products and have been adding more and more over the past few years. I try to mix up my regular supermarket trips with ones to TJ's just to balance out my meals for the week (as you probably know, the supermarket can be somewhat limited in regards to soy/meatless products). I usually end up walking out of TJ's with a handful of new things to try...this was one of them.

It is a newer product of TJ's found in the refrigerated section near the hummus, soups, etc . It's called Chicken-less BBQ Pulled Chicken and although being a little hesitant to try it out (the packaging offered very little idea of what was inside), I was happy with the results.

First thoughts? The texture is eerily similar to real pulled chicken. Very similar. It also has a smokey/somewhat spicy BBQ flavor that makes for a great sandwich. It's fully cooked so all that is required is heating it up. You have several ways of doing this but I opted for the stove-top option on a pan. It was a bit messier but I like to try to stay away from my microwave unless it is necessary.

Next thought...how did they get the texture to be so firm yet not too chewy?! It's almost perfect. I topped it with some shredded cheese on a bulkie (yes, I'm from New England) roll and it was great.

The whole box can feed two people and has 17 grams of protein in total (there is both soy and pea protein in the ingredients). If you're feeling the urge for BBQ and don't feel like marinating tofu yourself, I would highly recommend giving this a try. For $3.50-$4.00 a box, it's worth it!