One Of The Best New Trader Joe's Items Of 2026 Is In The Deli Aisle

When you look beyond the stable of cult-favorite offerings at Trader Joe's, you might notice that the chain often updates its shelves with fresh new products. In 2026 alone, the grocer introduced a slew of deli items, such as whipped ricotta cheese and mini sticks of uncured pepperoni. One of the most highly praised among them came in the form of a protein-packed sandwich. Enter: the Trader Joe's chicken salad croissant.

Eagle-eyed customers spotted the prepared bite in the market's deli section in July, and words of approval soon followed. As one Instagram reviewer shared, "The croissant is soft and flaky and buttery and the chicken salad is super creamy with a nice crunch coming from carrots and celery. I would pick this up for a grab and go option." Another user dubbed it "Pretty good!" However, they found the chicken salad to be on the dryer side. Nevertheless, they agreed that "the croissant is flaky, and it's a solid option when you need a quick lunch."

A tuna salad version of the croissant sandwich also debuted this summer. And while some folks find both offerings to be plenty tasty, the tuna got a "meh" from one of the aforementioned reviewers. "Not bad, but not something I'd go back for," they wrote in an Instagram post. If you're on the fence, the poultry option sounds more likely to live up to the hype.

The Trader Joe's sandwich is filled with what the company calls "a classic American chicken salad." It consists of roasted and pulled white-meat chicken, celery, carrots, green onions, and mayonnaise, which has been blended with "a suite of savory seasonings." The creamy and crunchy spread is served on a bed of leafy green lettuce, and it's all packed inside an airy, buttery croissant. Providing 450 calories and a whopping 16 grams of protein, the ready-to-eat sandwich likely makes for a filling meal. As a summertime launch, it also arrived just in time to munch at picnics at the beach or the park.

Both the chicken salad and croissant have earned lots of praise, but one component proved to be controversial: the lettuce. Whether due to this summer's mysterious cyclosporiasis outbreak, worries about soggy leaves, or an off-balance ingredient ratio, various TJ's shoppers have taken some issue with the inclusion of those leafy greens on the sandwich. "Just tried it today. It's good. Too much lettuce is my only gripe," shared one Redditor in the r/traderjoes subreddit. On a Facebook post about the product, another customer commented that they enjoyed it, "minus the lettuce." Of course, the issue could also be tied to differences between individual sandwiches. As another Facebook user shared, "The chicken salad [was] flavorful and even the lettuce was crisp (but I think I might've lucked out in that)."