Is Tesco Tandoori Roast Chicken Thigh Pieces ultra-processed?

180g Meals with chicken Sold in the United Kingdom

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Colour
E160c Paprika extract

29 ingredients
1 additive
Nutri-Score A

Less processed meals with chicken

Classic Butter Chicken The Spice Tailor 12 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Chicken Tikka Masala & Pilau Rice Charlie Bigham's 52 ingredients · 1 additive NOVA group 3
Japanese Style Chicken Curry with rice Myprotein 23 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Chicken Caesar Salad with Caesar dressing, croutons and Parmigiano Reggiano Sainsbury's 37 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3

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

Chicken Thigh 89%, Tapioca Starch (processing marker), Coriander Leaf, Sugar (processing marker), Paprika, Tomato, Cumin, Coriander Seed, Salt (processing marker), Dried Garlic, Red Pepper, Jalapeño Chilli, Ginger, Ginger, Onion, Colour (ultra-processing marker) (Paprika Extract (ultra-processing marker)), Smoked Paprika, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Black Pepper, Mint, Fenugreek Leaf, Chilli, Coriander, Cardamom, Cumin, Black Pepper Extract, Ginger Extract, Paprika Extract (ultra-processing marker)

Additives: E160c Paprika extract

As written on the pack

Chicken Thigh (89%), Tapioca Starch, Coriander Leaf, Sugar, Paprika, Tomato Powder, Cumin, Coriander Seed, Salt, Dried Garlic, Red Pepper, Jalapeño Chilli Powder, Ginger Purée, Ginger, Onion Powder, Colour (Paprika Extract), Smoked Paprika, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Black Pepper, Mint, Fenugreek Leaf, Chilli, Coriander Extract, Cardamom, Cumin Extract, Black Pepper Extract, Ginger Extract, Paprika Extract.

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.
Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.

4 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 213 meals with chicken

From least to most processed, this one ranks 96th. 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 5057753934231, last edited 24 May 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.