Chicken biryani, lighter without losing the layers.
Biryani gets its richness from the ghee, the yogurt marinade and the chicken thigh. Take the skin off, marinate in nonfat Greek yogurt and use a spoon of ghee, and a serving goes from 617 to 464 kcal.
- 464 kcal a serving, down from 617 for the classic, with 32 g protein, 63 g carbs and 8 g fat
- 3 swaps, each with what it does to a serving, and 2 ways to add protein, up to 39 g a serving
- 6 servings, weighed at 2,100 g when finished, from 11 USDA FoodData Central entries in the library
Classic vs lighter, per serving.
The same chicken biryani, made two ways from the same library entries and the same 6 servings. The lighter version is the one built on the screens below.
| Per serving | Classic | Lighter | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| kcal | 617 | 464 | −153 |
| Protein g | 26 | 32 | +6 |
| Carbs g | 63 | 63 | 0 |
| Fat g | 28 | 8 | −20 |
| Saturated fat g | 10.3 | 3.0 | −7.3 |
Saturated fat comes from the same USDA entries; the recipe sheet itself shows calories, protein, carbs and fat. Calorie and macro figures are fitness estimates, not medical or dietary advice.
Swap by swap.
Each change in turn, from the classic to the lighter version, and what it does to one serving.
1. Use skinless thigh, not skin-on
−117 kcal, +4 g protein, −14 g fat, −4.0 g saturated fat a serving
For the same 700 g, taking the skin off saves 117 kcal and 14 g of fat a serving, and the meat stays juicy in the yogurt.
2. Marinate in nonfat Greek yogurt
0 kcal, +2 g protein, −1 g fat, −0.7 g saturated fat a serving
The same 200 g, thicker and with the fat taken out, saves 0 kcal a serving and adds a little protein.
3. Use 15 g of ghee, not 40 g
−36 kcal, −5 g fat, −2.6 g saturated fat a serving
Ghee is 876 kcal per 100 g, so 25 g less is 36 kcal a serving, and a spoonful still gives the biryani its flavour.
More protein, if you need it.
Hitting a protein target is the hard part for most people. Each option is added to the lighter version on its own, with what it does to a serving of 32 g protein and 464 kcal. Save the one you like as its own recipe.
Use 900 g of chicken
+40 kcal, +7 g protein, +2 g fat, +0.4 g saturated fat a serving, making 39 g protein a serving
Another 200 g of skinless thigh adds 7 g of protein a serving for 40 kcal.
Serve it with a raita
+30 kcal, +6 g protein, +2 g carbs, +1 g fat, +0.1 g saturated fat a serving, making 38 g protein a serving
300 g of nonfat Greek yogurt as a raita adds 6 g of protein a serving for 30 kcal.
Oil and fat: the type changes the fat, the amount changes the calories.
The three oils below are each 884 kcal per 100 g, and ghee is within a few calories of them. Swapping one for another moves the saturated fat, not the calories; using less is what saves them. Butter is lower per gram only because part of it is water.
| Fat, per tablespoon, 14 g | kcal | Fat g | Sat fat g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | 124 | 14 | 1.9 |
| Canola oil | 124 | 14 | 1.0 |
| Avocado oil | 124 | 14 | 1.6 |
| Ghee (butter oil) | 123 | 14 | 8.7 |
| Butter, salted | 100 | 11 | 7.2 |
The sample data
These are the amounts of the lighter version used on the screens below, with each figure taken from the library entry for that ingredient. They are sample figures for a pot or tray of this size, not a measurement of anyone's kitchen.
| Ingredient | Amount | kcal | Protein g | Carbs g | Fat g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken thigh, skinless, raw | 700 g | 847 | 138 | 0 | 29 |
| White rice, raw | 399 g | 1,456 | 28 | 319 | 3 |
| Onions, raw | 300 g | 120 | 3 | 28 | 0 |
| Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat | 200 g | 122 | 21 | 7 | 1 |
| Tomatoes, red, raw | 200 g | 36 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| Ginger root | 15 g | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Garlic | 15 g | 22 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Cumin seed | 4 g | 15 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Coriander seed | 4 g | 12 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Turmeric, ground | 3 g | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Ghee (butter oil) | 15 g | 131 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Whole recipe | 1,855 g | 2,782 | 194 | 376 | 50 |
| Per serving (6) | 350 g | 464 | 32 | 63 | 8 |
Calorie and macro figures are fitness estimates, not medical or dietary advice. Ingredient values are from USDA FoodData Central, which is in the public domain.
Why this recipe
Biryani is a good recipe to build because the rice, the chicken and the fat are all substantial and easy to mis-measure by eye. A restaurant plate and the pot you make at home are different dishes, and entering yours once gives you your own number.
What to weigh
Weigh the rice raw, as the library entry describes it; it roughly triples in weight when it cooks. The sample finishes at about 2,100 g from 1,855 g of ingredients, because the rice drinks water. Water adds grams, not calories.
The full workflow, in four steps.
1. Open Create a recipe and search the library
Open Add food and choose Create a recipe, name it, then choose Add ingredient and search the library. Typing "chicken thigh" lists the entries, with and without skin and raw or cooked, each with its calories per 100 g.
2. Enter the amount you weighed
Pick the raw, skinless thigh, switch the portion to grams and enter what the scale showed. The sheet shows 847 kcal for the chicken before you add the rice.
3. Add the rest, then set the servings and finished weight
Add the rice (weighed dry), onion, yogurt, tomato, the spices and 15 g of ghee, then enter the 6 servings and the 2,100 g you weighed at the end. One serving comes to 464 kcal.
4. Save it and log a serving
Save the recipe and it becomes one of your own foods. The next screen is the normal Add food form, ready to log one serving or any weight of it.
Tips while you build it
- Weigh the ghee on the scale rather than by the spoon. It is the densest thing in the pot, and a heaped spoon can be double a level one.
- Brown the onions in a dry pan with a splash of water instead of extra fat, and keep the sweet, deep colour that biryani is known for.
- A serving is about 350 g, a generous plate. Log by weight when you are measuring.
Go further
- Making it for a feast? Build the skin-on, 40 g of ghee version as a second recipe, and log whichever one you served.
- Use brown rice instead: search "rice brown long-grain raw" and enter the same dry weight.
Each change is a second recipe with its own name, so the first stays as you built it.
Chicken biryani questions.
How many calories are in chicken biryani?
It depends on the chicken, the ghee and the rice. The sample comes to 464 kcal a serving made lighter, with 32 g protein, 63 g carbs and 8 g fat, against 617 kcal with skin-on thighs, whole-milk yogurt and more ghee.
Does nonfat yogurt split in the marinade?
Nonfat Greek yogurt is thick and stable. Keep the heat moderate when you add it to the pot, and stir through gently.
Should I weigh the rice raw or cooked?
Raw, because the library entry is raw. Weigh the finished pot once to enter the finished weight.
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Keep going.
- Recipe builderWhat the builder does, and every example recipe in one place.
- Indian food caloriesPer 100 g tables for the dishes the food library finds.
- Nutrition and macro trackingBarcodes, label reading, targets that follow your weigh-ins.
- Help: scan, create and recipesThe same steps in the Help Center.
Cook it once. Log it for good.
Build a lighter version of your own indian favourite in Nutrition.