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Is Lidl Deluxe Chicken Jalfrezi ultra-processed?

400g Meals with chicken Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Lidl Deluxe Chicken Jalfrezi

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:

  • 98 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score A

Less processed meals with chicken

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

Fragrant Rice 44% (Water, Basmati Rice, Ginger (Lemon Juice), Rapeseed Oil, Salt, Cumin Seed, Turmeric, Curry), Jalfrezi Sauce 36% (Water, Tomato, Onion, Red Pepper, Green Pepper, Tomato Purée, Rapeseed Oil, Garlic Purée, Ginger, Coriander, Coriander Leaf, Chicken Flavour Stock (Vegetable Stock (Water, Onion, Carrot Juice, Tomato, Sage), Glucose Syrup, Flavourings, Yeast Extracts, Salt, Maltodextrin, Sugar, Sunflower Oil, Rapeseed Oil), Paprika, Potato Starch, Cumin, Salt, Garam Masala (Coriander, Cumin, Ginger, Black Pepper, Nutmeg, Cloves, Cardamom, Bay Leaf), Colour (Paprika Extract), Green Chilli, Sugar, Chilli, Cumin Seed, Kashmiri Chilli, Fennel, Fenugreek), British Chicken 20% (Chicken Breast 16.8%, Yogurt, Rapeseed Oil, Lemon Juice, Garlic Purée, Ginger, Tandoori Masala (Paprika, Chilli, Coriander, Cumin, Garlic, Cassia, Clove, Fennel, Bay Leaf, Salt, Colours (Beetroot Red), Paprika Extract, Acid (Citric Acid), Lemon Oil), Paprika Powder, Cornflour, Salt, Garam Masala (Coriander, Cumin, Ginger, Black Pepper, Nutmeg, Cloves, Cardamom, Bay Leaf), Green Chilli, Paprika Extract, Chilli)

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E162 Beetroot red , E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

44% Fragrant Rice (Water, Basmati Rice, Ginger Purée: Lemon Juice, Rapeseed Oil, Salt, Cumin Seed, Turmeric, Curry Leaf), 36% Jalfrezi Sauce (Water, Tomato, Onion, Red Pepper, Green Pepper, Tomato Purée, Rapeseed Oil, Garlic Purée, Ginger Purée, Ground Coriander, Coriander Leaf, Chicken Flavour Stock [Vegetable Stock (Water, Onion, Carrot Juice, Tomato, Sage Extract), Glucose Syrup, Flavourings, Yeast Extracts, Salt, Maltodextrin, Sugar, Sunflower Oil, Rapeseed Oil], Paprika, Potato Starch, Cumin, Salt, Garam Masala [Coriander, Cumin, Ginger, Black Pepper, Nutmeg, Cloves, Cardamom, Bay Leaf], Colour: Paprika Extract; Green Chilli, Sugar, Chilli Powder, Cumin Seed, Kashmiri Chilli, Fennel Powder, Fenugreek), 20% Cooked Marinated British Chicken (84% Chicken Breast, Yogurt (Milk), Rapeseed Oil, Lemon Juice, Garlic Purée, Ginger Purée, Tandoori Masala [Ground Paprika, Chilli Powder, Ground Coriander, Ground Cumin, Garlic Granules, Ground Cassia, Ground Clove, Ground Fennel, Ground Bay Leaf, Salt, Colours: Beetroot Red, Paprika Extract; Acid: Citric Acid; Lemon Oil], Paprika Powder, Cornflour, Salt, Garam Masala [Coriander, Cumin, Ginger, Black Pepper, Nutmeg, Cloves, Cardamom and Bay Leaf], Green Chilli, Paprika Extract, Chilli Powder).

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.
  • E162 Beetroot red Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

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.

  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
5 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.
  • 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 213 meals with chicken

From least to most processed, this one ranks 206th. 79% of the meals with chicken 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 213 meals with chicken, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4056489899785, last edited 27 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.