Chicken korma: the sauce is the calories, and yogurt can carry it.
Korma is a mild curry with a pale, creamy sauce of ghee, cream and ground cashews. The chicken is lean; the sauce is not. Building it on yogurt with a smaller handful of cashews takes a serving from 486 to 289 kcal.
- 289 kcal a serving, down from 486 for the classic, with 38 g protein, 10 g carbs and 10 g fat
- 3 swaps, each with what it does to a serving, and 2 ways to add protein, up to 47 g a serving
- 5 servings, weighed at 1,050 g when finished, from 11 USDA FoodData Central entries in the library
Calories and macros per serving and per 100 g
The lighter example makes 5 servings from a 1,050 g finished batch: 210.0 g per serving. These are sample weights, not a measurement of your plate.
| Portion | kcal | Protein g | Carbs g | Fat g |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One serving | 289 | 37.8 | 9.8 | 10.4 |
| 100 g cooked | 137 | 18.0 | 4.7 | 5.0 |
Calculated from the ingredient totals below, before rounding the displayed serving. Use your own cooked weight; retained fat, liquid and portions can change the estimate.
Classic vs lighter, per serving.
The same chicken korma, made two ways from the same library entries and the same 5 servings. The lighter version is the one built on the screens below.
| Per serving | Classic | Lighter | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| kcal | 486 | 289 | −197 |
| Protein g | 40 | 38 | −2 |
| Carbs g | 13 | 10 | −3 |
| Fat g | 31 | 10 | −21 |
| Saturated fat g | 14.2 | 2.0 | −12.2 |
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. Cook in 14 g of oil instead of 40 g of ghee
−46 kcal, −6 g fat, −4.7 g saturated fat a serving
Ghee and oil are both close to 9 kcal a gram, so the amount matters most. A tablespoon of canola oil is 46 kcal and 4.7 g of saturated fat less a serving.
2. Use a splash of half and half, not a cup of cream
−93 kcal, −1 g protein, −10 g fat, −6.5 g saturated fat a serving
The yogurt already makes the sauce pale and creamy. 60 g of lowfat half and half in place of 150 g of heavy cream saves 93 kcal a serving.
3. Grind 30 g of cashews, not 80 g
−58 kcal, −1 g protein, −3 g carbs, −5 g fat, −1.0 g saturated fat a serving
A small handful still thickens the sauce and gives the korma its flavour. The other 50 g were 58 kcal a serving.
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 38 g protein and 289 kcal. Save the one you like as its own recipe.
Use 900 g of chicken
+48 kcal, +9 g protein, +2 g fat, +0.3 g saturated fat a serving, making 47 g protein a serving
Another 200 g of chicken breast adds 9 g of protein a serving for 48 kcal, and the sauce still covers it.
Double the Greek yogurt
+24 kcal, +4 g protein, +1 g carbs, +0.1 g saturated fat a serving, making 42 g protein a serving
400 g of nonfat Greek yogurt makes a looser, tangier sauce and adds 4 g of protein a serving for 24 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 breast, skinless, raw | 700 g | 840 | 158 | 0 | 18 |
| Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat | 200 g | 122 | 21 | 7 | 1 |
| Onions, raw | 200 g | 80 | 2 | 19 | 0 |
| Cashews, unsalted | 30 g | 175 | 4 | 10 | 14 |
| Ginger root | 15 g | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Garlic | 12 g | 18 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Canola oil | 14 g | 124 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Coriander seed | 4 g | 12 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Cumin seed | 3 g | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Turmeric, ground | 2 g | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Half and half, lowfat | 60 g | 43 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Whole recipe | 1,240 g | 1,443 | 189 | 49 | 52 |
| Per serving (5) | 210 g | 289 | 38 | 10 | 10 |
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.
USDA source entries: Chicken breast, skinless, raw; Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat; Onions, raw; Cashews, unsalted; Ginger root; Garlic; Canola oil; Coriander seed; Cumin seed; Turmeric, ground; Half and half, lowfat. Match the preparation and weighed amounts to your own ingredients.
Why this recipe
A takeaway korma is one of the highest-calorie curries on the menu, and no two kitchens make the sauce alike. At home the cream, ghee and nuts are amounts you weigh, so the serving is yours.
What to weigh
Weigh the chicken raw, as the library entry describes it. The ingredients weigh 1,240 g and the sample pan weighs 1,050 g once the sauce has reduced, so a serving is 210 g.
How to cook it
The method for the lighter version above, using the amounts in the sample data. Use a food thermometer to check the safe temperatures.
- Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Soak the cashews in a little hot water for 10 minutes, then blend them with the water to a smooth paste.
- Warm the canola oil in a wide pan and cook the sliced onion over medium heat for 8 minutes until soft and golden.
- Add the grated ginger, crushed garlic, coriander, cumin and turmeric and stir for 1 minute, then add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes, turning.
- Add the cashew paste and a splash of water, cover and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C).
- Take the pan off the heat, stir in the Greek yogurt a spoonful at a time and then the half and half. Warm through gently and season with salt.
At a glance
- Prep: 15 minutes
- Cook: 30 minutes
- Makes 5 servings
- Per serving: 289 kcal, 38 g protein
Times are for a home kitchen and leave out any marinating or resting the steps mention.
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. Searching "chicken breast skinless raw" lists the raw entry with its calories per 100 g.
2. Enter the amount you weighed
Pick it, switch the portion to grams and enter 700. The sheet shows 840 kcal with 158 g of protein for the chicken.
3. Add the rest, then set the servings and finished weight
Add the Greek yogurt, onion, cashews, ginger, garlic, 14 g of canola oil, the spices and 60 g of half and half, then enter the 5 servings and the 1,050 g the pan weighed.
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 cashews. A handful is anywhere from 20 g to 50 g, and they are close to 6 kcal a gram.
- Take the pan off the heat before the yogurt goes in and stir it in a spoonful at a time, so the sauce stays smooth.
- A serving is about 210 g of chicken and sauce. Rice or bread is logged on its own.
Go further
- Prefer thighs? Enter skinless thigh meat instead of the breast and the recipe shows what that changes.
- Making the restaurant version? Build a second recipe with 40 g of ghee, 150 g of heavy cream and 80 g of cashews.
Each change is a second recipe with its own name, so the first stays as you built it.
Chicken korma questions.
How many calories are in chicken korma?
The sample is 289 kcal a serving, with 38 g protein, 10 g carbs and 10 g fat, without rice. Made with ghee, heavy cream and more cashews, the same serving is 486 kcal.
Does yogurt split in a korma?
It can if it boils. Stir it in off the heat, a little at a time, and warm the sauce gently afterwards without boiling it hard.
Is chicken korma high in protein?
With 700 g of chicken breast for five servings, the sample has 38 g of protein a serving.
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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.
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