Review of Ajinomoto Japan's Allergen-Aware Frozen Chicken Products

Review of Ajinomoto Japan's Allergen-Aware Frozen Chicken Products

Ajinomoto's wheat-free microwaveable fried chicken on a plate

On my last visit to Japan, Ajinomoto's allergen aware frozen microwaveable chicken products saved the day.

I was getting tired of my usual go-to of a boilied egg and salmon onigiri with fruit from Convenience Stores. So, I was scrolling the "Gluten-Free in Japan" facebook group, looking for ideas. I came across a post talking about Ajinomoto's frozen chicken karrage (fried chicken) that was wheat-free! Well, I had to go out to the closest supermarkent and start this treasure hunt right then and there!

Above is a photo of Ajinomoto's Frozen wheat-free fried (karrage) chicken that I cooked in the microwave. I was so happy to have found them. They were delicious. Well seasoned, firm yet tender. I bought these quite often, and really enjoyed them.

Package of Ajinomoto's frozen what-free Karrage (microwaveable fried chicken)

Here is what the front of the package looks like. Oh my god, I loved them! So very juicy, just the right amount of flavouring. I found them at the Aeon Supermarket near my Airbnb. They were in the regular frozen section. You do have to spend time looking, especially if like me, you don't read much Japanese and are relying on Google Translate! ^-^ Also, the symbols showing it is wheat-free are on the back of the packaging.

Back of a package of Ajinomoto's frozen what-free Karrage (microwaveable fried chicken)

The back of the package has a lot of information. I focus on the ingredients, any allergen symbols or text and the directions. Here the ingredients are on the bottom right area. The allergen symbols are in the middle of the packaging in blue.

Close up of the wheat-free, dairy-free, egg-free symbols on Japanese Ajinomoto packaging

Here is a closeup of the allergen symbols used on this package. They are the blue symbols with a red "X" through them. The first one represents wheat: 小麦 (こむぎ, komugi), then egg: 卵 (たまご, tamago) and then dairy: 乳 (にゅう, nyuu). Above the symbols in red text, it states "Contains no wheat, eggs or milk".

In the green box above the blue symbols box, it states the allergens in the product are soybeans: 大豆 (だいず, daizu) and chicken: 鶏肉 (とりにく, toriniku).

Underneath the blue allergen box there is this little symbol (※). This is similar to an asterisk (*) in English. It states that "This product is manufactured in a factory that also produces products containing wheat, eggs and dairy."

Each of us have a different comfort level with eating products produced in a factory that may have possible contamination. I personally find that i would eat very little in Japan if I let this stop me, therefore I do eat products with this notice on them.

Google Translate of Ajinomoto's wheat-free kaarage ingredients

Above is a photo of the ingredients list after it has been translated from Japanese to English using Google Translate. I highly recommend downloading the Google Translate app on your phone. I find it very helpful.

You will notice that one of the ingredients is "brewed vinegar". One issue in Japan is that "barley" is not considered an allergen, and therefore doesn't need to be listed in ingredients lists. This is an issue for celiacs. Vinegar could potentially have barley in it and we just don't know. The only way to find out would be to contact the manufacturer. I took the chance that it is not malt vinegar.

Luckily another person had reached out to the company, and stated that they were told this product didn't contain barley. Another celiac used a nima testor (I know that this is controversial - I just wanted to include it for your information), but her results came back negative for gluten. Therefore because of these two review, I felt comfortable eating the product. You will need to go by your comfort levels.

Here is the front of the package of Ajinomoto's wheat-free fried chicken meatballs

Another Ajinomoto wheat-free product I tried were their frozen chicken meatballs. They were very good.

Back of the chicken meatballs package

Here is what the back of the package looks like. You can see the blue allergen symbols.

Above is a Google Translate photo of the back of the meatballs. I've included it, so that you can see the cooking instructions in English.

Here is a Google Translate of the ingredients list of the Ajinomoto wheat-free chicken meatballs. I find Google Translate to be very useful. It is not perfect, but helps in my reading of labels.

Photo of the Ajinomoto wheat-free chicken meatballs on a plate.

Here is a photo of the inside of the chicken meatball so that you can see the texture, which was smooth and soft. I really enjoyed these. They are milder in flavour compared to the fried chicken, because they are made for children. But I enjoyed them on their own and with rice. They had a soft delicate soya sauce taste.

For more information, check out Ajinomoto's allergen line website . I translated to English in Chrome using Google.

The Ajinomoto allergen line of products can be hard to find, but think of it as a treasure hunt. I love checking out supermarkets when I travel. They are in the freezer section, take your time and look for them. I've found them in large and small stores.

Next time I'm in Japan, I look forward to trying some of their other wheat free products, such as the "Lemon Fried Chicken" and the "Rice flour Gyoza".

As always do read all labels.

Note: These are my personal experiences and opinions. Always seek out a medical opinion for medical concerns. Not sponsored. If sponsored I will always say so at the top of the post.