Is it ultra-processed?
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Is J. James Tikka chicken ultra-processed?

Cooked chicken breast slices Sold in the United Kingdom and the United States

Pack of J. James Tikka chicken

Yes, it's ultra-processed

  1. 1 Unprocessed
  2. 2 Kitchen staple
  3. 3 Processed
  4. 4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

  • 38 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score A

Less processed cooked chicken breast slices

Less processed isn't automatically healthier, so compare the labels for what matters to you, such as sugar or salt.

Ingredients

Ultra-processing Processing signs are highlighted

British Chicken Breast Fillet, Yogurt (Cows' Milk), Onion, Garlic Purée, Sugar, Rice Flour, Honey, Coriander Leaf, Ginger, Tomato Purée, Potato Starch, Cornflour, Chilli, Cumin, Lemon Juice, Salt, Stabiliser (Sodium Triphosphate), Dextrose, Brown Sugar, Turmeric, Fenugreek, Cayenne Pepper, Cardamom, Spirit Vinegar, Black Pepper, Nutmeg, Paprika Extract, Rapeseed Oil, Cinnamon, Sunflower Oil, Made using 89g of chicken per 100g of marinated, chicken, Moisture is lost during cooking, safety (Although every care has been taken to remove all bones), some may remain

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E451 Triphosphates , E451i Pentasodium triphosphate

As written on the pack

British Chicken Breast Fillet, Yogurt (Cows' Milk), Onion Purée, Garlic Purée, Sugar, Rice Flour, Honey, Coriander Leaf, Ginger Purée, Tomato Purée, Potato Starch, Cornflour, Chilli, Cumin, Lemon Juice, Salt, Stabiliser: Sodium Triphosphate; Dextrose, Brown Sugar, Turmeric, Fenugreek, Cayenne Pepper, Cardamom, Spirit Vinegar, Black Pepper, Nutmeg, Paprika Extract, Rapeseed Oil, Cinnamon, Sunflower Oil. Made using 89g of chicken per 100g of marinated, cooked chicken. Moisture is lost during cooking. ALLERGY ADVICE: For allergens, see ingredients in bold. SAFETY: Although every care has been taken to remove all bones, some may remain.

What makes it ultra-processed

Cosmetic additives

Added to change how the food looks, feels or tastes, not to keep it safe. A hallmark of ultra-processed food.

  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
  • E451 Triphosphates Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.

Substances rarely used in home kitchens

Refined or extracted in factories, such as syrups made from starch or isolated proteins. The other hallmark of ultra-processed food.

  • Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
7 ingredients that would only make it processed

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
  • Prepared meats Products in the category "Prepared meats" are at least group 3.
  • Honey Honey, used as a sweetener.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 53 cooked chicken breast slices

From least to most processed, this one ranks 46th. 85% of the cooked chicken breast slices here are ultra-processed.

Ranked by NOVA group, then by the number of ultra-processing signs, additives and ingredients. Our ordering, not part of NOVA.

All 53 cooked chicken breast slices, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00423458, last edited 10 March 2026), available under the Open Database License. If something is wrong or the recipe has changed, you can correct it there.
  • Photo: Open Food Facts contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0.
  • The NOVA group is an automated estimate from crowdsourced data: a missing or mistyped ingredient can change it.
  • NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of A (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.