It’s always a good idea to keep a frozen pizza on hand for busy nights. Pair it with a simple salad, and you’ve got a reasonably healthy, low-maintenance meal. Of course, there’s a huge variety of frozen pizza brands available. If you don’t already have a favorite, you run the risk of grabbing one with a tough crust, cheese that doesn’t melt, or disappointingly sparse toppings. Trader Joe’s has at least 14 frozen pizza and flatbread options, which Chowhound has ranked from worst to best, making your decision easier if you’re a frequent Trader Joe’s shopper.
Before we dive into the worst on the list, it’s worth noting that flatbread and pizza are very similar, however, pizza tends to have a thicker crust and more sauce and toppings. Out of the 14 products Chowhound ranked, 10 were pizzas, and four were flatbreads. Perhaps surprisingly, all four flatbreads ranked sixth or higher, with the number-one spot taken by Trader Joe’s Tarte aux Champignons flatbread. A far cry from this delight, however, was the BBQ Chicken pizza, coming in at number 14.
The BBQ Chicken pizza, described as being “topped with tangy BBQ sauce, chicken, mozzarella and gouda cheese, and red onions,” was judged to have a cardboard-like texture, way too little cheese, and meat that was “shriveled and dry.” Both the taste and the aftertaste were bad enough that the reviewers couldn’t finish the pie.
Can this pizza be saved?
Now, although it may be difficult to fix a crust that’s reminiscent of cardboard, there are plenty of budget-friendly ways to upgrade a frozen pizza. So, if you already have Trader Joe’s BBQ Chicken pizza in your freezer, all is not lost. Some of our favorite ways to fix a frozen pizza include adding more toppings, whether that be extra sauces, seasonings, cheese, meat, or veggies. You could also rearrange the toppings so they’re more evenly distributed and brush the crust with oil or butter before baking. This can give a dry crust some extra flavor and moisture.
In the case of Trader Joe’s BBQ Chicken pizza, you might do well to add some higher quality BBQ sauce (stick with a tangy flavor so it complements what’s already on there), sprinkle on some chunks of rotisserie chicken, and throw on an extra handful (or two) of cheese. Go ahead and baste the crust as well. Hopefully, adding some tastier ingredients to the mix and making sure it’s nice and cheesy will change the overall eating experience from negative to positive.
