Diet by Priyanka
Dahi-marinated chicken curry
Chicken marinated in curd overnight, seared in ghee until it crusts, then finished in a whole-spice tomato gravy cooked in a second pan. One serving is 210 kcal, 22.1 g protein and 2.1 g net carbohydrate, with no sugar, cream or thickener.
Why Priyanka makes this
Sunday afternoons used to mean ordering in, because a proper chicken curry felt like a two-hour production I did not have time for. The first time I sat down to marinate the chicken the night before, more out of curiosity than commitment, I forgot about it until the next evening, almost eighteen hours in the fridge instead of the usual thirty minutes. That accident is what changed everything. The curd and the spices had gone into the meat instead of sitting on the surface, and searing it in ghee before it touched the gravy gave it a crust I had never managed before. The whole spices went in almost as an afterthought, a cinnamon stick and a couple of cardamom pods I nearly skipped because I did not want to hunt for them in the masala box. That is the part that made it taste like someone’s kitchen instead of a packet of curry powder. Twenty two grams of protein per bowl, and I now make this on purpose, not because takeaway ran out of options.
What you need
Serves 3 to 4, from a 500 g batch. For the marinade:
- 500 g chicken, curry cut, bone-in
- 85 g curd (dahi)
- 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tbsp kasoori methi, hand-rubbed
- ½ tsp ajwain, hand-rubbed
- Salt, red chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric, to taste
- A touch of chaat masala, garam masala and tandoori chicken masala
- 1½ to 2 tbsp desi ghee, for searing
For the gravy base:
- 1 tbsp desi ghee
- Whole spices: 1 cinnamon stick, 1 to 2 black cardamoms, 2 to 3 green cardamoms, 3 to 4 cloves, a few black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp coarsely crushed ginger and garlic
- 2 large onions, finely chopped
- 2 to 3 medium tomatoes, pureed
- Red chilli powder and chicken masala, to taste
- Salt, a conservative pinch
- Warm water, as needed
How to make it
Wash and pat the chicken dry, cutting small slits into the meatier pieces. Mix it with the curd, ginger-garlic paste, hand-rubbed kasoori methi and ajwain, salt and all the ground spices until every piece is coated. Cover and refrigerate, overnight if you can, which is what gives the best texture.
Melt the ghee in a heavy-bottomed kadhai and sear the marinated chicken, flipping now and then, until a golden brown crust forms. Cover and slow-cook on low to medium heat for 18 to 22 minutes, splashing in a little water if the marinade catches on the bottom.
Meanwhile, heat the ghee in a second pan and let the whole spices crackle until fragrant. Add the crushed ginger and garlic, sauté briefly, then add the onions and fry until deep golden brown. Pour in the tomato puree, season with chilli powder, chicken masala and a little salt, and cook until the moisture evaporates and the ghee separates from the masala.
Pour the gravy base into the chicken kadhai, stir to combine, add a splash of warm water to loosen it, cover, and simmer gently until the chicken is tender. Serve hot.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 210 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 22.1 g |
| Fat | 12.2 g, of which 6.2 g saturated |
| Net carbohydrate | 2.1 g |
| Fibre | 0.6 g |
A serving is roughly a quarter to a third of the batch. Onion and tomato account for the carbohydrate, so a heavier hand with either moves that figure.
Who this suits
Twenty two grams of protein against 2.1 g of carbohydrate makes this one of the better main courses on a muscle gain plan or a strict low-carb day. Nothing thickens the gravy except reduced onion and tomato.
The two-pan method is the point. Cooking the marinated chicken separately from the masala keeps the curd from splitting, which is what goes wrong when everything goes into one pan at once.
Have a question about this recipe?
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More from Priyanka’s kitchen
Every published recipe is listed on the low-carb recipes page, with macronutrients listed for each.
If this one worked for you, these are close cousins from the same plans:
- Grilled chicken with lemon and herbs
- Keema with cauliflower rice
- Pan-seared chicken breast medallions
- Chicken tikka salad with a mayo drizzle
Recipes work best inside a plan built around your history and your routine. To start there, book a Discovery Call with Priyanka.
These meals come from the same plans Priyanka builds for PCOS, thyroid, prediabetes and fatty liver support.
Written by Priyanka Chanana, nutritionist, practising since 2021. Nutrition support runs alongside medical care rather than replacing it.