The $2 Aldi Snack I Always Keep Stocked in My Pantry
If you haven’t caught on to the Aldi craze yet, what are you waiting for? There’s no better place to shop when you’re strapped for time and budget is top of mind (which basically is all of us). Aldi has been opening stores left and right over the past few years, so there’s likely a location near you.
It does take some time to get used to the store’s quirks, like the rental cart system and the rapid-fire checkout line. Once you realize the chain’s choices are all in an effort to keep prices low, it’s easy to overlook the bare-bones decor and try out some of the really good private-label (aka store-brand) products.
Every year Aldi releases a list of Fan Favorites, which are actually chosen by loyal shoppers. As an avid Aldi shopper, I pride myself on having tasted most of the products in the store. Of course, there are always some favorites that fly under my radar, and one of those is Clancy’s Restaurant-Style Tortilla Chips. When I saw they were at the top of this year’s Fan Favorites, I knew I had to try them.
What’s So Great About Clancy’s Restaurant-Style Tortilla Chips?
I buy tortilla chips so often, for a while I stopped paying attention to the price. So it was a rude awakening to realize that I’d been shelling out $6.63 for a smaller, 12-ounce bag of name-brand chips, when I could have been buying a slightly bigger (13-ounce) bag of Clancy’s Restaurant-Style Tortilla Chips for just $1.95 this whole time. That’s almost $5 in savings on just chips.
If price alone doesn’t convince you, then maybe the taste will. Clancy’s Restaurant-Style Tortilla Chips strike the perfect balance between crisp and crunchy. The chips are not too salty (my main complaint with tortilla chips), but still plenty seasoned, and they have a nice corn flavor that is delicious enough to eat on their own, with dips, or added to recipes.
What’s the Best Way to Use Clancy’s Restaurant-Style Tortilla Chips?
These chips are great dipped into salsa. When I have the time, I make a batch of this simple homemade blender salsa, but there are some great store-bought options too (for both Team Chunky and Team Smooth fans).
Aldi’s tortilla chips can also add corn flavor and crunch to many meals. Hearty beef or chicken nachos are the ultimate weeknight dinner. They’re so simple to assemble — especially if you have leftovers in the fridge, and cleanup is a breeze when you line the pan with aluminum foil.
In lieu of croutons, add tortilla chips to a taco salad bowl or a chopped BBQ chicken salad. ‘Tis the season for hearty bowls of chili, and while crumbly cornbread is a classic side, I prefer the crunch of tortilla chips. Don’t let any of the broken chips from the bottom of the bag go to waste; shake them over bowls of chili before serving. You can do the same for other soups and stews including Pozole Rojo, Chicken Tortilla Soup and Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili.
Find it in stores: Clancy’s Restaurant-Style Tortilla Chips, $1.95 for 13 ounces at Aldi (or $2.15 online at Instacart)
What Aldi grocery do you wish you tried sooner? Tell us about it in the comments below.