Chicken tikka masala may not be a true Indian recipe -- it likely was concocted in 20th century Britain to please Western tastes -- but there's no doubting that the bits of chicken in a spicy cream sauce are a crowd pleaser.
In the United Kingdom, chicken tikka is so ubiquitous that a former foreign secretary hailed it as ''Britain's true national dish.'' Here in South Florida, there may not be a curry shop on every corner, but frozen versions of chicken tikka masala are now easy to find in the grocery store.
We don't pretend to judge these examples for ''authenticity'' -- a 1998 survey by Britain's Real Curry Restaurant Guide found that of 48 versions of chicken tikka masala, the only common ingredient was the chicken. But here are our takes on taste and nutrition.
Whole Kitchen Tikka Masala
Cost: $3.99 per 12.3-ounce package
Nutrition: 490 calories, 13 g fat (4.5 g saturated, 24 percent Daily Value); 60 mg cholesterol (19 percent Daily Value); 870 mg sodium (36 percent Daily Value); 23 g protein; 50 percent Daily Value Vitamin A.
The verdict: Tasters liked the fluffy white basmati rice, and the very mild, sweet-savory sauce was redolent of ginger. Anyone looking for spicy-hot would be disappointed. Two of the three tasters said the chicken tasted overcooked and was stringy.
Grade: B
Note: Available at Whole Foods only.
Ethnic Gourmet Chicken Tikka Masala
Cost: $3.79 per 10-ounce package.
Nutrition: 260 calories; 6 g fat (2 g saturated, 10 percent Daily Value); 45 mg cholesterol (15 percent Daily Value); 680 mg sodium (28 percent Daily Value); 19 g protein; 25 percent Daily Value Vitamin A.
The verdict: Tasters liked the medium-spicy sauce and chicken, but only one of the three was a fan of the brown rice with peas that came with the dish. At 10 ounces, this serving size was noticeably smaller than the other packages, which appeared to come with twice as much rice. Even when factoring in the smaller serving size, Ethnic Gourmet has the least fat and fewest calories.
Grade: A
Discover Cuisine Chicken Tikka Masala
Cost: $4.99-$5.49 per 12-ounce package.
Nutrition: 450 calories, 11 g fat (6 g saturated, 30 percent Daily Value); 720 mg sodium (30 percent Daily Value); 21 g protein; 20 percent Daily Value Vitamin A.
The verdict: This was the overall favorite for both rice and sauce. The ''Stac Pac'' is designed to simmer the meat and sauce in the top tray while steaming the rice in the bottom, but we didn't see any real difference between this rice and the Whole Kitchen product. The sauce was medium-hot.
Grade: A
Note: Available at Whole Foods only.
The bottom line: The frozen-aisle can be a tasty passage to India, but anything in cream sauce is going to be fairly high in saturated fat, and the sodium levels are about one-third of what you should consume in a day.
