The Protein-Packed Frozen Meal Reddit Praises For Flavor

After TV dinners fell out of popularity, frozen meals are once again considered a quick option when you don't have the time — or inclination — to cook, but many of them miss the mark when it comes to taste, like certain frozen dinners from Trader Joe's. Furthermore, some meals don't have very large portions, or they aren't made of filling ingredients, so you're hungry again after an hour. Redditors have a lot of opinions mirroring these concerns, but in one thread, titled "Best frozen meal I ever had" on the frozendinners subreddit, they seem to have found a prime option, one that tastes incredible (and contains 23 grams of protein to boot): It's Deep Indian Kitchen's Butter Chicken.

The nine-ounce microwavable meal — which comes with chicken in a rich, creamy sauce, as well as basmati rice — had Redditors shouting their love for the dish, as well as the company's other offerings, from the rooftops. Several declared the dish as their "favorite," while another stated that the brand had never disappointed, and it really knew how to make frozen meals flavorful. One poster stated, "I love how they always add just the right amount of each ingredient" (per Reddit). Of course, other chicken-based dinners (like the Chicken Tikka Masala) have similar amounts of protein if not more. The vegetarian options aren't anything to sneer at either, with the Spinach Paneer set at 13 grams and the Matar Paneer at 14.

If there is one drawback to the meal, and indeed Deep Indian Kitchen's entire line of frozen dinners, it's the price; they're in the $5 and up range for a single packaged meal. Multiple Redditors mentioned the higher price point; however, the consensus is that they're all worth the money spent because of the quality and flavor.

In response to the rapturous acclaim Deep Indian Kitchen's frozen meals received, one comment on the frozendinner subreddit thread reads, "When you learn [the history] of the company (an Indian mom)[,] you'll love it even more" (per Reddit). They're referring to Bhagwati Amin, an Indian immigrant who settled in New Jersey and who started cooking in her garage in the early 1970s. What began as a modest mail-order business, shipping out bags of fried noodles with spiced nuts (called "Hot Mix") expanded to a whole line of Indian foods — and new digs, as the company purchased a warehouse in 1977. Amin's husband eventually left his job to join the company, and she issued a stern warning to him, saying, "There will be no compromising on quality" (via the New York Times).

Many of the ingredients and components that the company uses are imported directly from India. In fact, everything is made from scratch, like the Chicken Tikka Masala, which takes almost a dozen hours to create. So there is a reason you're paying more for a Deep Indian Kitchen meal than, say, a Lean Cuisine, and it has everything to do with the quality of the ingredients, where they are sourced, and how the food is made (despite the fact that they are still, technically, considered a processed food).