Ethnic Gourmet Chicken Tikka Masala

February 28, 2008 | Reviewer: Sarah

Ethnic Gourmet Chicken Tikka Masala Price: $4.59
Serving: 10 oz.
Calories: 260
Fat: 10%, 6g
Cholesterol: 15%, 45mg
Sodium: 28%, 680mg
Protein: 19g
Carbohydrates: 11%, 32g
Fiber: 11%, 3g
Sugar: 4g
Weight Watchers Points: 5 Points

Ethnic Gourmet says: Seasoned white meat chicken pieces in a robust, creamy sauce, with seasoned, long-grain brown rice. All natural, no artificial ingredients, flavors, colors or preservatives. Minimally processed.

Sarah says: It’s been quite a long while since I wrote anything for HeatEatReview, and I’m glad that I’m able to come back on a high note. Now, a very important thing for me to explain before I start discussing the tasty logistics of this meal is that I am now centrally located in the midwestern United States. As such, you might start to see a difference in some of the items I purchase and the items that are available in your local supermarket. Unless, of course, you are made of awesome and you also live in the Hawkeye State.

That said, the grocery chain here (called HyVee) has, in recent years, developed a “health foods” section which is actually quite impressive. (Back when I was a youngin’, it was just ten rows of corn, corn and more corn!) It’s several small aisles filled with organic, vegan, gluten-free, and otherwise new-age hippie foods. I ended up in this section this week, on a mission to stock up my house with healthier, lower calorie foods as I attempt to burn off the December pounds. And I’m glad I did, because that is where I found this meal.

I was skeptical at first. The price was a little high, and we don’t really do Indian food here in Farm Country. As someone who has lived on both coasts, the lack of diverse cuisine is probably my biggest complaint about the midwest. But I’ve been craving a little curry in my life, and so I threw the box into my cart.

I decided to eat it after a trip to the gym - a good call, as I’m always (counter-intuitively) less hungry after a trip to the gym. It smelled delicious, and I was extremely pleased to find that despite the misleading look that my photograph might give you, there was plenty of fantastic chicken meat buried beneath the sauce. And I mean PLENTY - I actually ran out of rice before the chicken was gone! The sauce itself was tasty, though true lovers of Indian cuisine will probably wish that it was a bit spicier. I can’t really fault them for this though, as the box clearly notes that the meal is “Mildly Spiced.” It still had enough oomph that I needed a glass of water to accompany it, so all in all, not so bad!

Probably the only complaint I had about this meal was the rice. There was plenty of it, and I felt good about myself eating something so healthy, but as a rule, brown rice is harder to cook as well as white rice. It comes out a little dry, and I think that this might partially be because I had to cook the meal for an extra minute in my microwave in order to completely heat the chicken. But I still ate all of the rice, and it was very filling.

Veggie lovers might be sort of disappointed with the meal, so I guess it’s a good thing that I’m not a veggie lover. There are some peas in the rice, but I can only assume that they’re there to add color. I mean, why do I need peas in my rice? Ugh. I hate peas. But since I doused each forkful of pea!rice in my chicken and sauce, I barely even noticed that they were there. Thank goodness.

All in all, at only 260 calories this meal did one hell of a job. I felt full after eating it, and it left me craving a trip to the one Indian restaurant in town. I’ll definitely buy it again.

Note: I just realized that over a year ago, my darling Jess reviewed the same meal and was not impressed. Maybe they’ve since improved it? Or maybe I’m just easier to please. Who knows?

comments

11 Responses to “Ethnic Gourmet Chicken Tikka Masala”

Kayla on February 28th, 2008

Fellow Iowan here! (Yee-ha!) I also was pretty impressed with good ol’ HyVee’s recent organic/health food growth spurt. I’ll have to track this meal down and give it a try.
Sarah on February 28th, 2008

Heck yeah, Iowans unite! I really dig the organic section, to tell you the truth. You should also try the organic apricot apple sauce. It makes a good snack.
Lora on February 28th, 2008

I used to eat this meal for my lunch a few months ago and I really enjoyed it! Since I was counting calories at the time I would eat one of those small Joseph’s Flax pita breads with a bit of roasted garlic hummus schmeared on it. To give myself a grand calorie total of 330! Woo hoo!
AF on February 28th, 2008

My husband was born in Iowa, or as he calls it, “the Saudi Arabia of corn.” I must say that Hyvee is a pretty good grocery store overall. I wish we had them here in Texas! Oh, and a Trader Joe’s.
Molly on February 28th, 2008

I’ve always preferred the Tandoor Chef meals to these Ethnic Gourmet variety. I find that the sauce in these meals (this on in particular) is always quite watery. You get a side of rice (something that Tandoor Chef doesn’t provide) but I think that the quality of the entree is lower in the Ethnic Gourmet Meals.
Laura on February 28th, 2008

I love these meals, I used to eat them all the time. This one was my fave, now I don’t know where to get them in this town. I am in Wyoming.
rob on February 28th, 2008

The local Wild Oats had these at half price and I must have eaten a dozen of them, they are very good.
Crow on February 29th, 2008

“Or maybe I’m just easier to please.”

We could test this. Do you have a brand insistence for tea?
christine on February 29th, 2008

I got this meal on clearance for 89 cents. I bought 2 initially and after having one went and bought the remaining 2 that were left. I loved the taste as did my husband. I mixed the rice in with the chicken and it was VERY tasty.
Sarah on February 29th, 2008

Crow:

A brand insistence for tea? Generally I’ll drink any brand, as long as it’s black. Generally I buy Twinings. Jess is probably more picky than me about tea.
Crow on March 1st, 2008

A preference for Twinings indicates taste, and therefore, exposes you as someone not likely to be easy to please.