CR Annabel Karmel Butter Chicken and Rice

Annabel Karmel Mild Butter Chicken and Rice | Chewsday Review

Annabel Karmel’s line of frozen meals for toddlers is directed at children aged 1-4 years, and claims to provide balanced alternatives for those days when cooking comes last (we all have them!) So, although I reviewed the Bolognese pasta bake a while back, many of you have asked for specific reviews. Today features Mild Butter Chicken & Rice.

Ingredients

Cooked Rice & Vegetable Mix (52%) Water, Rice (31%), Vegetables (16%) Corn, Carrot, Vegetable Oil, Yeast Extract, Spices, Butter Sauce (40%) Tomatoes (15%) Tomatoes, Firming Agent (509), Acidity Regulator (330), Water, Cream (Milk), Onion, Yoghurt (Milk), Cornflour, Honey, Butter (Milk) (0.8%), Spices, Garlic, Yeast Extracts (Natural Flavours), Herbs, Paprika Extract, Ginger, Cooked Chicken Breast (8%) Chicken, Water, Potato Starch, Wheat Fibre, Cornflour.
I like that the ingredients are mostly ingredients you might find in your kitchen.
Common allergens: wheat, gluten, milk.
May contain: peanut, cashew

Positives

Negatives

At $4.30 each, these are expensive compared to frozen meals intended for adults, especially considering the smaller portion size.
Unfortunately, fibre isn’t mentioned on the nutrition panel. I’d expect there to be a small amount from the veggies.
The iron content isn’t listed either. This butter chicken contains 8% chicken, which works out to just over 6g chicken in the whole meal. This provides only 0.75% of a toddler’s daily iron requirements.

Marketing

‘Low Sodium’. Tick.
‘Low in Sugar’. True, as I would hope for a savoury meal.
‘Tested by Toddlers’: Although this sounds great, individual preferences vary significantly within this age group. So, I wouldn’t take this as a guarantee that your kiddo will give it the tick of approval!
‘1 serve of veg’. True. This is a bonus if your toddler likes the veggies included and is ok with mixed dishes.

Alternatives

This is a decent option for busy nights when you need a meal on the table in a flash. I like that it meets guidelines for sodium, sugar and saturated fat, as well as including some veggies.
Where possible, I’d still recommend opting for regular butter chicken, shared with the family. There really is no need for toddler-specific meals, as children can and should be partaking in family meals as soon as possible. #samefoodsametime is so powerful for kids. A homemade version also gives the option to deconstruct the meal to be considerate of your toddler’s preferences, particularly if they’re still learning to like mixed dishes.

The composition of food products changes regularly. The nutritional values of the products in this Chewsday Review were correct at the time of publishing.