Shish tawook: yogurt tenderises, oil just coats.
Shish tawook is chicken marinated in yogurt, lemon and garlic, and the yogurt does the tenderising. Use breast, nonfat yogurt and 15 g of oil, and a serving goes from 560 to 317 kcal.
- 317 kcal a serving, down from 560 for the classic, with 46 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 58 g a serving
- 4 servings, weighed at 1,050 g when finished, from 9 USDA FoodData Central entries in the library
Classic vs lighter, per serving.
The same shish tawook, 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 | 560 | 317 | −243 |
| Protein g | 32 | 46 | +14 |
| Carbs g | 13 | 12 | −1 |
| Fat g | 42 | 9 | −33 |
| Saturated fat g | 10.6 | 1.6 | −9.0 |
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, −1 g carbs, −24 g fat, −6.9 g saturated fat a serving
For the same 700 g, 177 kcal and 24 g of fat less a serving.
2. Marinate in nonfat Greek yogurt
0 kcal, +3 g protein, −2 g fat, −1.0 g saturated fat a serving
The same 200 g of nonfat yogurt is thicker and has the fat taken out: about the same calories, with 3 g more protein and 1.0 g less saturated fat a serving.
3. Use 15 g of oil, not 45 g
−66 kcal, −7 g fat, −1.1 g saturated fat a serving
Most marinade oil stays in the bowl, but some goes into the dish. The extra 30 g was 66 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 46 g protein and 317 kcal. Save the one you like as its own recipe.
Use 900 g of chicken
+60 kcal, +12 g protein, +1 g fat, +0.3 g saturated fat a serving, making 58 g protein a serving
Another 200 g of skinless breast adds 12 g of protein a serving for 60 kcal.
Serve with 300 g of garlic yogurt sauce
+46 kcal, +8 g protein, +3 g carbs, +0.1 g saturated fat a serving, making 54 g protein a serving
Nonfat Greek yogurt stirred with garlic and lemon adds 8 g of protein a serving 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 breast, skinless, raw | 700 g | 840 | 158 | 0 | 18 |
| Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat | 200 g | 122 | 21 | 7 | 1 |
| Lemon juice | 45 g | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Garlic | 20 g | 30 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| Olive oil | 15 g | 133 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Tomato paste, canned | 20 g | 16 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Paprika | 6 g | 17 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Onions, raw | 150 g | 60 | 2 | 14 | 0 |
| Red bell pepper, raw | 150 g | 39 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| Whole recipe | 1,306 g | 1,267 | 185 | 47 | 35 |
| Per serving (4) | 263 g | 317 | 46 | 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
The marinade is where shish tawook changes from one kitchen to the next: whole-milk yogurt and a good pour of oil, or nonfat yogurt and a spoonful. Building it as a recipe shows what each choice does to a skewer.
What to weigh
Weigh the chicken raw, as the library entry describes it. The skewers lose water over the coals, so the sample plate with its onion and pepper weighs 1,050 g from 1,306 g of ingredients.
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 breast skinless" lists the entries, raw and cooked.
2. Enter the amount you weighed
Pick the raw, skinless breast, switch 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 yogurt, lemon, garlic, oil, tomato paste, paprika, onion and pepper, then enter 4 servings and the 1,050 g you weighed. One serving comes to 317 kcal.
4. Save it and log a serving
Save the recipe and it becomes one of your own foods, ready to log by the serving or any weight.
Tips while you build it
- Marinate for at least four hours, or overnight. Yogurt and lemon work slowly, and the longer rest keeps the breast tender.
- Cut the chicken into pieces of about 3 cm so each one stays moist while the edges catch.
- A serving is about 263 g: a few skewers and their vegetables. Log by weight when you are measuring.
Go further
- Making the thigh version? Save it as a second recipe with 700 g of skin-on thigh and whole-milk yogurt and log whichever you served.
- Serve it with toum or pita and log them as separate foods.
Each change is a second recipe with its own name, so the first stays as you built it.
Shish tawook questions.
How many calories are in shish tawook?
It depends on the cut and the marinade. The sample comes to 317 kcal a serving made lighter, with 46 g protein, 12 g carbs and 9 g fat, against 560 kcal with skin-on thigh, whole-milk yogurt and 45 g of oil.
Is shish tawook the same as chicken shawarma?
No. Shish tawook is cubed chicken in a yogurt marinade cooked on skewers; shawarma is spiced chicken cooked stacked and sliced thin.
Will the breast stay moist?
Yes, with the yogurt marinade and a short, hot cook. Take the skewers off as soon as the pieces are cooked through.
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Keep going.
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