The Freezer 25 · No. 1 of 25 · Trader Joe's

1Trader Joe'sA photo like it: Luca Nebuloni, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Trader Joe's · Curries, noodles, rice

Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice

Trader Joe's

The sauce is properly rich and the rice comes out fluffy, not steamed into paste. It's the one frozen dinner people buy two of.

Voted No. 1 in Lunch and Dinner at Trader Joe's Customer Choice Awards for the fourth year running (January 2026).

The box saysMicrowave about 4 minutes, or heat sauce and rice in two pans.
Chef's upgrade5 min on top of the box, serves 2
Make it taste homemade
Butter chicken, finished like the restaurant does it
Frozen curries go flat because the spices were cooked hours ago. Blooming a little garam masala in hot butter, then a spoon of cream and a squeeze of lemon, wakes the whole thing up.
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You need
- 1 box Trader Joe's Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp Kashmiri chili powder or sweet paprika
- 2 tbsp heavy cream or whole-milk yogurt
- 1/2 lemon
- A small handful of cilantro, chopped
- 1 piece naan, to serve (optional)
How to make it
1. Heat the rice in the microwave as the box says. Squeeze the frozen sauce pouch into a small pan instead of the microwave.
2. Melt the butter in a second small pan over medium heat until it foams. Add the garam masala and chili powder and stir for 20 seconds, until fragrant. Don't let it smoke.
3. Pour the spiced butter into the butter chicken and simmer 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until the chicken is hot through and the sauce bubbles at the edges.
4. Take it off the heat and stir in the cream and a squeeze of lemon. Taste: add a pinch of salt or more lemon if it tastes heavy.
5. Spoon over the rice, scatter the cilantro, and warm the naan in a dry pan for 30 seconds a side to scoop it up.
Chef's own upgrade, in our words. Save it and it opens in Chef Amazing with a timeline, the prep laid out and what you already have.
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