Souvlaki: lemon and oregano carry it, not the oil.
Souvlaki is chicken, lemon, garlic and oregano, and the marinade does not need much oil to work. Cut the oil, use breast, and make the tzatziki with nonfat yogurt, and a serving goes from 605 to 329 kcal.
- 329 kcal a serving, down from 605 for the classic, with 49 g protein, 12 g carbs and 9 g fat
- 3 swaps, each with what it does to a serving, and 2 ways to add protein, up to 60 g a serving
- 4 servings, weighed at 1,300 g when finished, from 9 USDA FoodData Central entries in the library
Classic vs lighter, per serving.
The same chicken souvlaki, made two ways from the same library entries and the same 4 servings. The lighter version is the one built on the screens below.
| Per serving | Classic | Lighter | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| kcal | 605 | 329 | −276 |
| Protein g | 33 | 49 | +16 |
| Carbs g | 13 | 12 | −1 |
| Fat g | 47 | 9 | −38 |
| Saturated fat g | 11.6 | 1.7 | −9.9 |
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 breast, not skin-on thigh
−177 kcal, +11 g protein, −25 g fat, −6.9 g saturated fat a serving
For the same 700 g, 177 kcal and 25 g of fat less a serving.
2. Marinate in 15 g of oil, not 60 g
−99 kcal, −11 g fat, −1.6 g saturated fat a serving
Most marinade oil stays in the bowl, but some goes into the dish. The rest was 99 kcal a serving.
3. Make the tzatziki with nonfat Greek yogurt
0 kcal, +5 g protein, −1 g carbs, −2 g fat, −1.4 g saturated fat a serving
The same 300 g, thicker and with the fat taken out, saves 0 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 49 g protein and 329 kcal. Save the one you like as its own recipe.
Use 900 g of chicken
+60 kcal, +11 g protein, +1 g fat, +0.2 g saturated fat a serving, making 60 g protein a serving
Another 200 g of skinless breast adds 11 g of protein a serving for 60 kcal.
Add a chickpea salad
+138 kcal, +7 g protein, +23 g carbs, +2 g fat, +0.2 g saturated fat a serving, making 56 g protein a serving
400 g of drained chickpeas on the side adds 7 g of protein a serving for 138 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 |
| Olive oil | 15 g | 133 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Lemon juice | 75 g | 17 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Garlic | 18 g | 27 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Oregano, dried | 6 g | 16 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat | 300 g | 183 | 31 | 11 | 1 |
| Cucumber, raw | 150 g | 24 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Onions, raw | 100 g | 40 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| Tomatoes, red, raw | 200 g | 36 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| Whole recipe | 1,564 g | 1,316 | 195 | 47 | 34 |
| Per serving (4) | 325 g | 329 | 49 | 12 | 9 |
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
Souvlaki is a good recipe to build because the marinade and the tzatziki both hide fat. The chicken is simple; the oil in the bowl and the yogurt in the sauce are what change from one kitchen to the next.
What to weigh
Weigh the chicken raw, as the library entry describes it. The sample comes off the grill at about 1,300 g with the tzatziki, onion and tomato, from 1,564 g of ingredients, because the chicken loses water over the flame.
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 breast skinless" lists the entries, raw and cooked, each with its calories per 100 g.
2. Enter the amount you weighed
Pick the raw, skinless breast, switch the portion to grams and enter what the scale showed. The sheet shows 840 kcal for the chicken before the marinade.
3. Add the rest, then set the servings and finished weight
Add the oil, lemon, garlic, oregano, the tzatziki (yogurt and cucumber), onion and tomato, then enter the 4 servings and the 1,300 g you weighed at the end. One serving comes to 329 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
- Marinate for at least an hour. The lemon does the tenderising, so the oil is for flavour, not for moisture.
- Grate the cucumber and squeeze it dry before it goes into the tzatziki, or the sauce turns watery.
- A serving is about 325 g: the skewers, a spoon of tzatziki and the salad. Log by weight when you are measuring.
Go further
- Making the taverna version? Build the skin-on thigh, 60 g of marinade oil and whole-milk yogurt version as a second recipe, and log whichever one you served.
- Serve it in a pita and log the pita as a separate food: search the library for the pita bread entry and enter its weight.
Each change is a second recipe with its own name, so the first stays as you built it.
Chicken souvlaki questions.
How many calories are in chicken souvlaki?
It depends on the marinade and the sauce. The sample comes to 329 kcal a serving made lighter, with 49 g protein, 12 g carbs and 9 g fat, against 605 kcal with thigh, a heavy marinade and whole-milk yogurt.
Will breast be dry on skewers?
It can be. Cut the pieces larger than you think, marinate in the lemon, and take them off the heat as soon as they are cooked through.
Should I weigh the chicken raw or cooked?
Raw, because the library entry is raw. Weigh the cooked plate once, to enter the finished weight.
More example recipes.
- Hummus bi tahini145 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 211 for the classic, with 6 g protein.
- Mujadara286 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 337 for the classic, with 13 g protein.
- Chicken shawarma (oven tray)309 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 444 for the classic, with 50 g protein.
- Chana masala288 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 307 for the classic, with 13 g protein.
- Dal tadka241 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 265 for the classic, with 14 g protein.
- Butter chicken314 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 442 for the classic, with 46 g protein.
- Spaghetti bolognese446 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 564 for the classic, with 31 g protein.
- Chicken cacciatore385 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 639 for the classic, with 48 g protein.
- Turkey chili315 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 430 for the classic, with 27 g protein.
- Homemade cheeseburgers363 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 500 for the classic, with 35 g protein.
- Kafta162 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 289 for the classic, with 22 g protein.
- Tabbouleh102 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 178 for the classic, with 4 g protein.
- Chicken biryani464 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 617 for the classic, with 32 g protein.
- Rajma masala290 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 364 for the classic, with 17 g protein.
- Tandoori chicken357 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 617 for the classic, with 53 g protein.
- Chicken fajitas449 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 639 for the classic, with 46 g protein.
- Chicken burrito bowl613 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 767 for the classic, with 48 g protein.
- Chicken teriyaki559 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 774 for the classic, with 44 g protein.
- Beef and broccoli529 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 676 for the classic, with 46 g protein.
Cook it once. Log it for good.
Build a lighter version of your own greek favourite in Nutrition.