Quicklly Indian Butter Chicken Review
Author’s Note: Not a sponsored review. These are my own weird opinions. I have no affiliation with Quicklly or Costco.
Don’t judge a book by its cover?
This might be my new favorite Indian meal from Costco.
I almost didn’t buy it. I looked all over the package, trying to figure out if there was one big pouch of the curry inside (like Sam’s Club), or if it was divided into two separate packets (like Sukhi’s). The label doesn’t say. There is only one stomach at my house, so this matters. I don’t wanna gobble 2 pounds at once.
I also hesitated because the box doesn’t state what kind of chicken is used. The ingredients just say “Chicken.” I’m not a fan of dark meat (I don’t like the texture, fight me), and I had an awful experience with Costco’s Deli Butter Chicken Meal. Probably the only Indian meal I couldn’t choke down.
And, not to be utterly pedantic, but the Quicklly box is RIDDLED with typos. It made me worry that the product inside was “sus.”
But, I am ridiculously glad I put this Butter Chicken in my cart. You should, too. Here’s why:
You do, in fact, get TWO sealed trays of the curry. Single stomachs rejoice! (Alone. Where no one can hear you.)
And the meat texture is fabulous. It’s wildly tender, but not squashy. I appreciate the natural, unprocessed quality. Plus, it’s flavorful all the way through, like it was marinated over a long period of time. It nearly melted in my mouth. The pieces are in fairly large chunks, but trimmed very well. I only found one “jiggly bit” in my whole package. I hate jiggly bits!
The sauce is thick. I opted to heat mine in a skillet on the stove over low heat, which took about 10 minutes. Even when hot, the sauce viscosity is enough to hold a shape on the spoon. The cream is evident; it’s lush, without being greasy. No pools of oil, but the mouthfeel of butter and blended cashew nuts.
As a sad side note, there is more soybean oil than actual butter here. More about the ingredients later.
Despite the deep red-orange color, there are no “dyes” listed on the ingredients. This made me almost happy enough to forget the soybean oil.
I would describe this as a “sweet” curry. It’s not overpowering, but has a slight sugary flavor, balanced by the acidic tomatoes. It’s mellow, without an aggressive garlic or onion flavor. It’s definitely milder than I expected, but richly seasoned and complexly flavored. My first tray was slightly spicier than the second. The sweetness of the garam masala is palpable — it tastes like mild chilies, cinnamon, ginger, and friends. I loved it! Although I do prefer a bit more heat.
In my opinion, there are exactly two modest servings per tray. Or, four per package. I served mine over freshly cooked basmati rice. For a healthier twist, I also tried adding Costco frozen Normandy Vegetables to the sauce in the pan, simmering until tender (add a bit of water to thin the sauce). If you need something “extra” to go with your meal, I recommend these Deep Indian Kitchen Samosas.
Ingredients in Just By Quicklly Butter Chicken
Here is my best attempt at typing out the ingredients, from the label. The items are not consistently separated by commas on the label, and there appear to be odd typos:
- Chicken
- Tomato (Water, Diced Tomato, Tomato Paste, Tomato Juice, Salt, Calcium Chloride, Citric Acid)
- Crear [Cream???]
- Water
- Onions
- Yogurt (Pasteurized Grade A Milk, Cultures)
- Soybean Oil
- Butter
- Cashews
- Sour Cream (Cultures, Pasteurized Light Cream, Nonfat Milk, Enzymes)
- Sugar
- Spices
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Salt
- Cultured Dextrose
I’m pretty disappointed that there is more soybean oil than butter. But otherwise, this list is relatively thrilling.
More information from the label:
- Gluten Free
- Halal
- Antibiotic Free
- USDA Inspected
- Made in the USA
Nutrition Facts
A serving is 8 ounces and contains 350 calories. You get 24 grams protein, and 22 grams fat (8 grams saturated fat). There are just 12 grams total carbohydrates, of which 2 grams are fiber, and 8 grams are sugar (4 grams added sugar). There’s a modest 19% your daily value sodium per serving, and 22% your daily value cholesterol. You also get a sliver of iron, with 8% your daily value.
Price and Servings
The 32 ounce package cost $15 at my local Costco. Since there are 4 servings per box, each serving is $3.75.
Shelf Life
The “best by” date on my package allowed approximately a month to consume. Again, having two sealed trays is fabulous — I ate one immediately, and saved the other for the end of the month.
Cooking Instructions
The label only offers microwave instructions. As previously mentioned, I heated mine in a skillet on the stove. But, you do you. Here are the official instructions:
- “Remove band.
- Puncture film 2 to 3 times.
- Heat on high setting for 3 minutes.
- Carefully peel back film and stir, place film back onto tray.
- Heat for an additional 1 minute or until temperature reaches 165 degrees.
- Let sit for 1 minute. Carefully remove film to avoid steam burns.”
Just as a snarky side note: the film is very difficult to peel from the tray. It splits and tears. A lot. Good luck.
Dramatic Conclusion
For a pre-made option, this is excellent curry. I am especially impressed by the tender, high quality chicken texture. This is not a product for “heat lovers,” but it is a crowd-pleasing and flavorful choice.
On my equally crowd-pleasing “Awesome-o-Meter,” this Quicklly Butter Chicken scores an enthusiastic “Yaaas.”
The End.
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