Tandoori chicken: the marinade is light, so the cut is what counts.

A tandoori marinade is yogurt, lemon and spice, which is already light. The calories are in the cut and the oil, so skinless breast and a brush of oil take a serving from 617 to 357 kcal.

357 kcal a serving, down from 617 for the classic, with 53 g protein, 13 g carbs and 10 g fat
3 swaps, each with what it does to a serving, and 2 ways to add protein, up to 64 g a serving
4 servings, weighed at 1,150 g when finished, from 11 USDA FoodData Central entries in the library

The Tandoori chicken recipe on a phone: its ingredients and their calories, the whole recipe at 1,428 kcal, 4 servings, a finished weight of 1,150 g and 357 kcal per serving.

Classic vs lighter, per serving.

The same tandoori chicken, 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	617	357	−260
Protein g	37	53	+16
Carbs g	14	13	−1
Fat g	46	10	−36
Saturated fat g	11.2	1.6	−9.6

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

−202 kcal, +12 g protein, −28 g fat, −7.9 g saturated fat a serving

For the same 800 g, 202 kcal and 28 g of fat less a serving, and more protein for every bite.

2. Marinate in nonfat Greek yogurt

0 kcal, +4 g protein, −1 g carbs, −2 g fat, −1.3 g saturated fat a serving

The same 250 g, thicker and with the fat taken out, saves 0 kcal a serving.

3. Brush on 14 g of oil, not 40 g

−58 kcal, −6 g fat, −0.4 g saturated fat a serving

A thin brush of oil is enough on a hot rack. The rest was 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 53 g protein and 357 kcal. Save the one you like as its own recipe.

Use 1,000 g of chicken

+60 kcal, +11 g protein, +1 g fat, +0.2 g saturated fat a serving, making 64 g protein a serving

Another 200 g of skinless breast adds 11 g of protein a serving for 60 kcal.

Serve it with a raita

+31 kcal, +5 g protein, +2 g carbs a serving, making 58 g protein a serving

200 g of nonfat Greek yogurt with cucumber adds 5 g of protein a serving for 31 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	800 g	960	180	0	21
Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat	250 g	153	26	9	1
Lemon juice	40 g	9	0	3	0
Ginger root	20 g	16	0	4	0
Garlic	22 g	33	1	7	0
Paprika	6 g	17	1	3	1
Cumin seed	4 g	15	1	2	1
Coriander seed	4 g	12	0	2	1
Turmeric, ground	3 g	9	0	2	0
Canola oil	14 g	124	0	0	14
Onions, raw	200 g	80	2	19	0
Whole recipe	1,363 g	1,428	211	51	39
Per serving (4)	288 g	357	53	13	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.

Why this recipe

Tandoori chicken is a good recipe to build because it is mostly chicken and the marinade barely moves the numbers. That makes the cut and the oil the whole story, and it is easy to see them in the swaps.

What to weigh

Weigh the chicken raw, as the library entry describes it. The sample comes off the oven at about 1,150 g from 1,363 g of ingredients, because water and some marinade leave in the heat. The onion goes in as a salad on the side.

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.

Add ingredient on a phone with “chicken breast skinless raw” typed in the search box and matching library entries listed, each with its calories and a portion.

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 960 kcal for the chicken before the marinade.

The amount sheet for chicken breast, skinless, raw: 800 grams giving 960 calories, 180 g protein, 0 g carbs and 21 g fat, with an Add to recipe button.

3. Add the rest, then set the servings and finished weight

Add the yogurt, lemon, ginger, garlic, spices, 14 g of oil and the onion, then enter the 4 servings and the 1,150 g you weighed after cooking. One serving comes to 357 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.

The saved Tandoori chicken recipe ready to log: one serving of 288 g at 357 kcal with 53 g protein, 13 g carbs and 10 g fat.

Tips while you build it

Score the breasts with a knife before they marinate. The flavour goes deeper and the meat cooks evenly in a hot oven.
Use a wire rack over a tray. The fat that drips away stays on the tray, and the chicken roasts instead of frying in its own juices.
A serving is about 288 g of cooked chicken with onion. Log by weight when you are measuring.

Go further

Making the dhaba version? Build the skin-on thigh, whole-milk yogurt and 40 g of oil version as a second recipe, and log whichever one you served.
Add chopped cucumber and tomato as another ingredient for a kachumber salad: more plate, very few calories.

Each change is a second recipe with its own name, so the first stays as you built it.

Tandoori chicken questions.

How many calories are in tandoori chicken?

It depends on the cut and the oil. The sample comes to 357 kcal a serving made lighter, with 53 g protein, 13 g carbs and 10 g fat, against 617 kcal with skin-on thighs and more oil.

Does breast dry out in the oven?

It can, but a yogurt marinade of at least a few hours keeps it tender. Take it out as soon as it is cooked through.

Should I weigh the chicken raw or cooked?

Raw, because the library entry is raw. Weigh the cooked chicken once, to enter the finished weight.

More example recipes.

Keep going.

Cook it once. Log it for good.

Build a lighter version of your own indian favourite in Nutrition.

Start logging

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