31 reviews for Trader Joe’s Spatchcocked Lemon Rosemary Chicken Reviews
Rated 5 out of 5
Linda Gaffney –
WOW!!! One of the best prepared chicken items I’ve ever had. I grilled mine in the BBQ, skin side up using direct heat. When it was just about done, I turned to skin side down on direct heat for five minutes. Best BBQ’d chicken ever…moist and full of flavor!!!!
Rated 5 out of 5
Anonymous –
Excellent
Rated 2 out of 5
Anonymous –
I baked mine and I did not like at all. It was moist but the legs and thighs were too mushy. I also did not like the taste. I bought the coffee one too to put on the grill. Maybe I will like that better.
Rated 1 out of 5
Rita –
I thought this would be delicious, however this chicken, while moist, had the strangest aftertaste.
In addition the texture was just off. Sort of rubbery.
We have tried it twice now over a period of 6 months since I thought the first time was perhaps a fluke. But sadly, they both were bad. 🙁
Rated 5 out of 5
Stephen R Cornwell –
I’ve tried it..first time was delish!
Second time…better!
The second time I read the instructions..lol! …leaving the marinade with the chicken while baking!
The best…next to rotisserie from Costco..
2 thumbs up…IMO
Rated 1 out of 5
Pat Mitchell –
Followed directions and very disappointed. Minimal flavor and small bird for the price. Also packaging hard to cut open and get the flavoring out. Very messy. No way will I buy this again.
Rated 5 out of 5
KH –
Loved this chicken!!! I was a bit unsure buying a $13 already marinated chicken, but it did not disappoint. The flavor was perfect, not overly flavored and salty at all. I followed the directions on the package and cooked it in the oven. It was a huge hit in my house and I will be buying it again!
Rated 5 out of 5
Anne-Elise –
Perfect! After a long weekend travel I picked this up at 8:30 Sunday night and threw it directly in the Sous Vide (it’s packaged perfectly for that!). I woke at 5:30 Monday morning with it ready to be pulled apart and tossed in my salad* for lunch. The meat was amazing hot, cold, and even reheated the next day.
*Add to romaine, yellow and red pepper, avocado, and TJ’s amazing Cilantro Salad Dressing. This meal is a real winner!
Rated 5 out of 5
hb –
Off the hook great!!. Slow cooked on the grill – Indirect heat for about 40 min. This brine would be awesome with a turkey.
Rated 4 out of 5
Kristin –
Have any of you noticed that the thigh meat stays pink even though I’m sure it’s fully cooked? I am thinking the marinade dyes the meat pink.
Rated 3 out of 5
Thom Davis –
Overly marinated. The bones were squishy and soft due to too much marination. Chicken itself was tasty but had only a touch of lemon and could barely discern the rosemary. I probably won’t buy again–especially given how much per pound you are paying for it.
Rated 5 out of 5
Aiemee –
Used an Instant Pot to cook a hearty soup with this chicken.
Water, lentils, bell peppers, potatoes, onions, chicken. Very good, very hearty.
Rated 3 out of 5
Jess –
Pros: very easy to make, set up in my air fryer and it was done in just under the hour. Decently marinaded, didn’t dry out, skin was crispy. My biggest issue though, is that it’s very sweet. I checked the package to see if there was maybe balsamic in it, but I think it might actually be the brown sugar in the mojo marinade. It was just a surprising flavor given that it’s touted as lemon, which is tart.
Rated 5 out of 5
A.B –
Outstanding! So tender and Juicy! I cooked it on my Weber genesis on indirect heat and it was spectacular! Crispy skin, full of flavor, maybe a bit expensive but so worth it! Took about an hour to cook.! Will definitely buy again!
Rated 1 out of 5
Judd –
This tasted so sweet and no flavor of lemon or rosemary. I sat down to eat it with my salad for dinner and I couldn’t get passed a few bites. My spouse grabbed it and I realized the reason I never did was because of the sweet ingredients which I do not like. One of the few things of TJs I think is gross. He even smoked it on the green egg then grilled it to finish. Nope.
Rated 1 out of 5
J.B. –
This item was a total miss. When I pulled it out of the bag, it had a very strange odor. …I wasn’t sure if the chicken had gone bad, but the expiration date was still 15 days away. So, I leaned into risk and baked it. The taste was strange and off-putting. I’m a long time TJ’s superfan and love so many of their products. This is the first marinated meat product I’ve purchased and I will definitely not buy a marinated meat product in the future.
Rated 1 out of 5
Kristin –
Whoa…this was so disappointing! Like the previous poster, I thought the chicken had gone bad when I initially opened the bag. The odor was strong and very unpleasant. The smell improved somewhat as the chicken cooked, but not much. I used a meat thermometer so I knew it was thoroughly cooked, but there was a weird pink tinge to the meat and the texture was chewy. My husband and I both tasted the meat and it wasn’t horrible, but the odd color and texture combined with the weird smell made it completely unappetizing. I will definitely think twice before buying prepared products like this from TJ’s in the future (I wish I had kept the receipt…I would try to get my money back). By far, the worst TJ’s purchase ever!
Rated 1 out of 5
Jeff –
Very disappointing! The chicken was so small and had very little meat and the “lemon” flavor was artificial which gave it a strange taste. I didn’t taste any rosemary at all. Overall a total fail…
Rated 1 out of 5
Anonymous –
I was so excited about this chicken and was let down as soon as I smelled the terrible stench that flooded my whole house when I opened the package (which was difficult and messy to open btw). The chicken had this nasty smell that I’ve never smelled before so I don’t even know how to describe it other than “PEE-YEW”! I wanted to like this chicken so bad but that odor is otherworldly. Yuck. Pee yew on a stick!!!! -10/10
Rated 1 out of 5
Aubrey G –
I’ve bought the lemon/rosemary Spatchcock chicken at least 20 times in the last two years at the Brookfield, Wisconsin store on Bluemound Avenue. I’ve noticed the last several purchases, when opened, had that awful smell everybody is talking about. However, tonight, we opened the package and the stench was incredibly overwhelming. The sell by date is two days off. We are sure that the chicken was spoiled. Obviously there’s some issues either with the packaging or the marinade. Either way, I am going to stop buying the spatchcock chicken. And otherwise, we love Trader Joe’s and have lots of favorites. We’ve never had an issue with anything purchased at Trader Joe’s before.
Rated 1 out of 5
Amy Bekowich –
The chicken was really small with very little meat and yet, after almost two hours there were still areas that were still undercooked, with black veins and pink rubbery meat. The instructions state to put in oven uncovered for 60-75 minutes. The few bites we had between the two us from the breast meat were juicy and flavorful but not nearly enough to feed two people. Very disappointed overall. And, it’s ridiculously overpriced (mine was over $20), especially when one can get a rotisserie chicken at Costco for $5.99
Rated 1 out of 5
Frances Dow –
This was by far the worst thing I’ve ever bought from TJ’s! Like several reviews mentioned above, it smelled very bad. The Freeze By date was still 6 days away so I went ahead baking it. The texture of the chicken was okay and it wasn’t dry but it didn’t have much taste. The smell was not so strong after cooking but there was still a smell, definitely not lemon and rosemary. At $20, this product was a disappointment.
Rated 1 out of 5
Samantha –
I have never smelled anything so bad! It permiated the entire house. Never again! Lucky me I got to go out for dinner:)
Rated 1 out of 5
Donna –
This is honestly the worst chicken I’ve ever had. Honestly, it tasted like dish soap. Although I grilled it, it stunk up the house. After spending over $20, I threw it out. It was also very small. I must say this is the only Trader Joe’s product I’ve ever hated.
Rated 1 out of 5
Anonymous –
I used to buy this a few years ago and it tasted pretty good for a quick dinner. The last two times I’ve had it omg THAT SMELL. Best by date was over a week away too. Took a full day and a half to get that to go away. I don’t know what changed but it’s awful and won’t be buying again.
Rated 1 out of 5
larry mathe –
Absolutely terrible–and way overpriced at the same time–Trader Joes should be embarrassed for carrying such a poor product
Rated 1 out of 5
James Spatch –
Let’s just say our kitchen is off limits for the moment. When we opened the bag, our kids started asking if our guest chihuahua had farted in the kitchen. For some reason, we still decided to proceed with cooking it on the grill. When we brought served it, it still had an aura of stench but not as strong. And yes we are one of those families who still ate the stinky meat(taste was bland and not worth stink). Overall, we would not recommend this to anyone! If TJ decides to continue this product, instead of “lemon and rosemary” it should be called “foot and a$$.”
Disgusting, -5/5. (Hoping we don’t die tonight)
Rated 1 out of 5
Anonymous –
Was there a recipe change??
Rated 1 out of 5
Foodie –
Was there a recipe change??
Rated 1 out of 5
Anonymous –
Horrible! Dry chicken! Don’t buy!
Rated 1 out of 5
Jeanette –
Looks like it will be good. It’s horrible. My husband said it tasted like nail polish remover. It has the worst aftertaste, like pledge. Disgusting texture too. Skip it and make your own.
Linda Gaffney –
WOW!!! One of the best prepared chicken items I’ve ever had. I grilled mine in the BBQ, skin side up using direct heat. When it was just about done, I turned to skin side down on direct heat for five minutes. Best BBQ’d chicken ever…moist and full of flavor!!!!
Anonymous –
Excellent
Anonymous –
I baked mine and I did not like at all. It was moist but the legs and thighs were too mushy. I also did not like the taste. I bought the coffee one too to put on the grill. Maybe I will like that better.
Rita –
I thought this would be delicious, however this chicken, while moist, had the strangest aftertaste.
In addition the texture was just off. Sort of rubbery.
We have tried it twice now over a period of 6 months since I thought the first time was perhaps a fluke. But sadly, they both were bad. 🙁
Stephen R Cornwell –
I’ve tried it..first time was delish!
Second time…better!
The second time I read the instructions..lol! …leaving the marinade with the chicken while baking!
The best…next to rotisserie from Costco..
2 thumbs up…IMO
Pat Mitchell –
Followed directions and very disappointed. Minimal flavor and small bird for the price. Also packaging hard to cut open and get the flavoring out. Very messy. No way will I buy this again.
KH –
Loved this chicken!!! I was a bit unsure buying a $13 already marinated chicken, but it did not disappoint. The flavor was perfect, not overly flavored and salty at all. I followed the directions on the package and cooked it in the oven. It was a huge hit in my house and I will be buying it again!
Anne-Elise –
Perfect! After a long weekend travel I picked this up at 8:30 Sunday night and threw it directly in the Sous Vide (it’s packaged perfectly for that!). I woke at 5:30 Monday morning with it ready to be pulled apart and tossed in my salad* for lunch. The meat was amazing hot, cold, and even reheated the next day.
*Add to romaine, yellow and red pepper, avocado, and TJ’s amazing Cilantro Salad Dressing. This meal is a real winner!
hb –
Off the hook great!!. Slow cooked on the grill – Indirect heat for about 40 min. This brine would be awesome with a turkey.
Kristin –
Have any of you noticed that the thigh meat stays pink even though I’m sure it’s fully cooked? I am thinking the marinade dyes the meat pink.
Thom Davis –
Overly marinated. The bones were squishy and soft due to too much marination. Chicken itself was tasty but had only a touch of lemon and could barely discern the rosemary. I probably won’t buy again–especially given how much per pound you are paying for it.
Aiemee –
Used an Instant Pot to cook a hearty soup with this chicken.
Water, lentils, bell peppers, potatoes, onions, chicken. Very good, very hearty.
Jess –
Pros: very easy to make, set up in my air fryer and it was done in just under the hour. Decently marinaded, didn’t dry out, skin was crispy. My biggest issue though, is that it’s very sweet. I checked the package to see if there was maybe balsamic in it, but I think it might actually be the brown sugar in the mojo marinade. It was just a surprising flavor given that it’s touted as lemon, which is tart.
A.B –
Outstanding! So tender and Juicy! I cooked it on my Weber genesis on indirect heat and it was spectacular! Crispy skin, full of flavor, maybe a bit expensive but so worth it! Took about an hour to cook.! Will definitely buy again!
Judd –
This tasted so sweet and no flavor of lemon or rosemary. I sat down to eat it with my salad for dinner and I couldn’t get passed a few bites. My spouse grabbed it and I realized the reason I never did was because of the sweet ingredients which I do not like. One of the few things of TJs I think is gross. He even smoked it on the green egg then grilled it to finish. Nope.
J.B. –
This item was a total miss. When I pulled it out of the bag, it had a very strange odor. …I wasn’t sure if the chicken had gone bad, but the expiration date was still 15 days away. So, I leaned into risk and baked it. The taste was strange and off-putting. I’m a long time TJ’s superfan and love so many of their products. This is the first marinated meat product I’ve purchased and I will definitely not buy a marinated meat product in the future.
Kristin –
Whoa…this was so disappointing! Like the previous poster, I thought the chicken had gone bad when I initially opened the bag. The odor was strong and very unpleasant. The smell improved somewhat as the chicken cooked, but not much. I used a meat thermometer so I knew it was thoroughly cooked, but there was a weird pink tinge to the meat and the texture was chewy. My husband and I both tasted the meat and it wasn’t horrible, but the odd color and texture combined with the weird smell made it completely unappetizing. I will definitely think twice before buying prepared products like this from TJ’s in the future (I wish I had kept the receipt…I would try to get my money back). By far, the worst TJ’s purchase ever!
Jeff –
Very disappointing! The chicken was so small and had very little meat and the “lemon” flavor was artificial which gave it a strange taste. I didn’t taste any rosemary at all. Overall a total fail…
Anonymous –
I was so excited about this chicken and was let down as soon as I smelled the terrible stench that flooded my whole house when I opened the package (which was difficult and messy to open btw). The chicken had this nasty smell that I’ve never smelled before so I don’t even know how to describe it other than “PEE-YEW”! I wanted to like this chicken so bad but that odor is otherworldly. Yuck. Pee yew on a stick!!!! -10/10
Aubrey G –
I’ve bought the lemon/rosemary Spatchcock chicken at least 20 times in the last two years at the Brookfield, Wisconsin store on Bluemound Avenue. I’ve noticed the last several purchases, when opened, had that awful smell everybody is talking about. However, tonight, we opened the package and the stench was incredibly overwhelming. The sell by date is two days off. We are sure that the chicken was spoiled. Obviously there’s some issues either with the packaging or the marinade. Either way, I am going to stop buying the spatchcock chicken. And otherwise, we love Trader Joe’s and have lots of favorites. We’ve never had an issue with anything purchased at Trader Joe’s before.
Amy Bekowich –
The chicken was really small with very little meat and yet, after almost two hours there were still areas that were still undercooked, with black veins and pink rubbery meat. The instructions state to put in oven uncovered for 60-75 minutes. The few bites we had between the two us from the breast meat were juicy and flavorful but not nearly enough to feed two people. Very disappointed overall. And, it’s ridiculously overpriced (mine was over $20), especially when one can get a rotisserie chicken at Costco for $5.99
Frances Dow –
This was by far the worst thing I’ve ever bought from TJ’s! Like several reviews mentioned above, it smelled very bad. The Freeze By date was still 6 days away so I went ahead baking it. The texture of the chicken was okay and it wasn’t dry but it didn’t have much taste. The smell was not so strong after cooking but there was still a smell, definitely not lemon and rosemary. At $20, this product was a disappointment.
Samantha –
I have never smelled anything so bad! It permiated the entire house. Never again! Lucky me I got to go out for dinner:)
Donna –
This is honestly the worst chicken I’ve ever had. Honestly, it tasted like dish soap. Although I grilled it, it stunk up the house. After spending over $20, I threw it out. It was also very small. I must say this is the only Trader Joe’s product I’ve ever hated.
Anonymous –
I used to buy this a few years ago and it tasted pretty good for a quick dinner. The last two times I’ve had it omg THAT SMELL. Best by date was over a week away too. Took a full day and a half to get that to go away. I don’t know what changed but it’s awful and won’t be buying again.
larry mathe –
Absolutely terrible–and way overpriced at the same time–Trader Joes should be embarrassed for carrying such a poor product
James Spatch –
Let’s just say our kitchen is off limits for the moment. When we opened the bag, our kids started asking if our guest chihuahua had farted in the kitchen. For some reason, we still decided to proceed with cooking it on the grill. When we brought served it, it still had an aura of stench but not as strong. And yes we are one of those families who still ate the stinky meat(taste was bland and not worth stink). Overall, we would not recommend this to anyone! If TJ decides to continue this product, instead of “lemon and rosemary” it should be called “foot and a$$.”
Disgusting, -5/5. (Hoping we don’t die tonight)
Anonymous –
Was there a recipe change??
Foodie –
Was there a recipe change??
Anonymous –
Horrible! Dry chicken! Don’t buy!
Jeanette –
Looks like it will be good. It’s horrible. My husband said it tasted like nail polish remover. It has the worst aftertaste, like pledge. Disgusting texture too. Skip it and make your own.