Trader Joe’s Is Selling Kung Pao Chicken Mochi Balls

When roaming the aisles of Trader Joe’s, there are surprises on every corner. The latest in innovative Trader Joe’s news are the kung pao chicken mochi balls that look like one of the tastiest reheat-and-serve meals you can buy.

At first, the name of these things might seem a little bit confusing because when you think mochi, you probably think dessert. While mochi filled with ice cream is really popular, the term mochi actually just describes the rice-based outer layer. Mochi ice cream has a chewy texture to it and this kung pao chicken mochi can be cooked to be crispy on the outside.

This new reheat-and-serve meal was found by food blogger @snacksoflife on Instagram at a Trader Joe’s location in California. The box describes it as “spicy chicken in a crisp, chewy mochi rice paper.”

If the photo of the mochi balls on the front of the box aren’t convincing enough, the ingredient list proves that these are filled with the good stuff. The spicy kung pao chicken mixture is made with cabbage, red bell peppers, water chestnuts, celery, and green onions with additional spices like ginger and garlic to add flavor.

In the comments section of the post on @snacksoflife’s page, one user suggested cooking these in a convection oven to really get the mochi wrap to have a nice crunch to it. I would think throwing a couple of these into an air fryer would have a similar result! Go try ’em and let us know what you think!