We’ve been big fans of the Tandoor Chef brand for a while now. From their tandoor oven pizzas to their curry dishes, this is a frozen food maker that doesn’t often disappoint.
Even so, we had mixed feelings going into the Tandoor Chef Chicken Tandoori with Spinach. While our mouths watered whenever we looked at that red roasted chicken, we weren’t sure we wanted it to be bathed in so much spinach. We realize this is completely irrational, because we had the same concern with the Palak (Saag) Paneer and the spinach portion of that frozen dish was quite good. Still, there’s something about that dark green color that causes hesitation.
But we decided to be brave and try it out anyway. Once we conquered our fear of the color green, it was a simple matter of tossing this meal into the microwave for three minutes, stirring it, and popping it back in for two more minutes.
The first thing we noticed when we pulled this out of the microwave was that the chicken is not nearly as dark as shown in the picture on the cover. In fact, this is a strange orangey pink color that we find to be far less appealing than that delicious roasted red on the package.
Yet, when we bit into a piece, that color didn’t persist all the way through. The centers of these chicken morsels are actually white. The coloration of the outside must be due to the marinade (tandoori chicken is typically marinaded, right?)
Of course, the flavor is great. It’s juicy and tender, and it has a spicy kick to it that really cleared out our sinuses. The spinach is pretty good too. It’s not pure spinach, but a blend of spinach, onion, tomatoes, and spices, which means it tastes far better than it looks. We should probably learn to relax and trust that the folks at Tandoor Chef know what they’re doing. They’ve created plenty of pretty tasty authentic Indian meals.
One box is apparently two servings, though we think you’ll probably down the whole thing in one sitting without any problems. A serving contains 200 calories (110 from fat) and 590 mg of sodium, meaning the full box has 400 calories (220 from fat) and 1,180 mg of sodium. It’s a little high in calories, and it’s absolutely loaded with sodium.
The Tandoor Chef Chicken Tandoori with Spinach made us realize we need to stop judging food by its looks. This has a somewhat unappetizing color palate, but the flavor is great. There’s no reason to be afraid of this spicy meal (unless, of course, you don’t like spice).
To learn more about the nutrition content or ingredients in this frozen meal, check out our package scans below.
