Greek lemon chicken: the skin and the pan oil are 225 calories a plate.
Greek lemon chicken and potatoes roasts in a pan of lemon juice, oil and its own juices, and the potatoes drink the lot. Use skinless thighs, measure the oil and trim the potatoes, and a plate goes from 873 to 510 kcal.
- 510 kcal a serving, down from 873 for the classic, with 50 g protein, 40 g carbs and 16 g fat
- 3 swaps, each with what it does to a serving, and 2 ways to add protein, up to 58 g a serving
- 4 servings, weighed at 1,900 g when finished, from 7 USDA FoodData Central entries in the library
Classic vs lighter, per serving.
The same greek lemon chicken and potatoes, 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 | 873 | 510 | −363 |
| Protein g | 44 | 50 | +6 |
| Carbs g | 50 | 40 | −10 |
| Fat g | 56 | 16 | −40 |
| Saturated fat g | 12.8 | 3.5 | −9.3 |
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 thighs, not skin-on
−225 kcal, +7 g protein, −1 g carbs, −28 g fat, −7.7 g saturated fat a serving
For the same 900 g, 225 kcal and 28 g of fat less a plate.
2. Roast in 25 g of oil, not 70 g
−100 kcal, −12 g fat, −1.5 g saturated fat a serving
The broth and the juices keep the potatoes from sticking. The extra 45 g was 100 kcal a plate.
3. Roast 800 g of potatoes, not 1,000 g
−38 kcal, −1 g protein, −9 g carbs, −0.1 g saturated fat a serving
Potatoes soak up the pan. 200 g fewer saves 38 kcal a plate.
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 50 g protein and 510 kcal. Save the one you like as its own recipe.
Use skinless breast instead of thigh
−2 kcal, +7 g protein, −3 g fat, −1.2 g saturated fat a serving, making 57 g protein a serving
The same 900 g of breast adds 7 g of protein a plate for 2 kcal.
Serve with 300 g of nonfat Greek yogurt
+46 kcal, +8 g protein, +3 g carbs, +1 g fat, +0.1 g saturated fat a serving, making 58 g protein a serving
A bowl of tzatziki-style yogurt beside the tray adds 8 g of protein a plate for 46 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, meat only, raw | 900 g | 1,089 | 177 | 0 | 37 |
| Potatoes, flesh and skin, raw | 800 g | 616 | 16 | 140 | 1 |
| Lemon juice | 100 g | 22 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Olive oil | 25 g | 221 | 0 | 0 | 25 |
| Garlic | 20 g | 30 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| Oregano, dried | 5 g | 13 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Chicken broth, low sodium | 300 g | 48 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Whole recipe | 2,150 g | 2,039 | 200 | 161 | 65 |
| Per serving (4) | 475 g | 510 | 50 | 40 | 16 |
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
This is a good recipe to build because the dish is a tray of three things. The chicken skin, the oil in the pan and the potatoes that soak both up are what decide the plate, and each is easy to weigh.
What to weigh
Weigh the chicken raw and the potatoes before cutting. The tray roasts down as the juices reduce, so the sample weighs 1,900 g from 2,150 g of ingredients and a plate is 475 g.
The full workflow, in four steps.
1. Open Create a recipe and search the library
Open Add food, choose Create a recipe and name it, then choose Add ingredient. Typing "chicken thigh meat only" lists the entries, raw and cooked.
2. Enter the amount you weighed
Pick the raw, skinless thigh, switch to grams and enter what the scale showed. The sheet shows 1,089 kcal for the chicken.
3. Add the rest, then set the servings and finished weight
Add the potatoes, lemon juice, oil, garlic, oregano and broth, then enter 4 servings and 1,900 g. One plate comes to 510 kcal.
4. Save it and log a serving
Save the recipe and it becomes one of your own foods, ready to log by the plate or any weight.
Tips while you build it
- Marinate the chicken in the lemon, garlic and oregano for an hour. The acid does the work the skin would have done.
- Roast at a high heat with the broth in the tray. The potatoes steam and then brown, without extra oil.
- A plate is about 475 g. Log by weight when you are measuring.
Go further
- Making the skin-on version? Save a second recipe with skin-on thighs, 70 g of oil and 1,000 g of potatoes.
- Serving it with a salad? Log the salad separately.
Each change is a second recipe with its own name, so the first stays as you built it.
Greek lemon chicken and potatoes questions.
How many calories are in Greek lemon chicken and potatoes?
It depends on the skin and the oil. The sample comes to 510 kcal a plate made lighter, with 50 g protein, 40 g carbs and 16 g fat, against 873 kcal with skin-on thighs, 70 g of oil and more potato.
Do skinless thighs dry out?
Not with a lemon marinade and broth in the tray. Thigh meat is forgiving, which is why it suits this dish.
Should I weigh the chicken raw or cooked?
Raw, because the library entry is raw. Weigh the finished tray once to enter the finished weight.
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Cook it once. Log it for good.
Build a lighter version of your own greek favourite in Nutrition.