Diet by Priyanka
Chicken tikka salad with a mayo drizzle
Grilled chicken tikka cubes over garden greens, finished with a teaspoon of light mayonnaise. The plate is 398 kcal, 34.2 g protein and 11.2 g net carbohydrate.
Why this dish works
A teaspoon of mayonnaise is the difference between a salad people eat and a salad people photograph. Drizzled over the top rather than tossed through, it flavours the whole plate at a cost of about 15 kcal.
The greens are the base, not the meal. A hundred and fifty grams of tikka is what gets this to 34 g of protein, and without it this would be a side dish pretending to be dinner.
Let the tikka cool for two minutes before it goes on the greens. Straight off the pan it wilts them, and wilted leaves are why cold salads with hot toppings go wrong.
What you need
Makes one plate:
- 150 g boneless chicken, cut into cubes
- 2 tbsp thick curd
- 1 tsp tandoori or tikka masala
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp oil, for the pan
- Salt, to taste
- A large handful of lettuce and garden greens
- ½ cucumber, sliced
- 1 tomato, cut into wedges
- ¼ onion, sliced fine
- 1 tsp light mayonnaise
- Lemon and black pepper, to finish
How to make it
Coat the chicken cubes in the curd, tikka masala, chilli powder and salt, and leave them for at least thirty minutes.
Heat the oil in a grill pan and cook the tikka in a single layer, three minutes on one side and two on the other, until the edges char.
Let the tikka rest off the heat for two minutes.
Build the plate with the greens, cucumber, tomato and onion, lay the tikka over the top, and drizzle the mayonnaise across it in a thin line. Finish with lemon and coarse pepper.
Nutrition per plate
| Calories | 398 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 34.2 g |
| Fat | 23.4 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 11.2 g |
| Fibre | 2.4 g |
Figures are for one plate: 150 g of grilled chicken tikka, garden greens and vegetables, and 1 tsp of light mayonnaise. A full mayonnaise dressing instead of a drizzle would add 90 kcal or more.
Who this suits
Thirty four grams of protein in a cold plate makes this a good working lunch on a weight loss plan, and it packs into a box if the greens and the tikka travel separately.
On a PCOS plan the combination of protein and volume is the useful part, because it keeps the gap to the next meal long.
Have a question about this recipe?
Priyanka answers WhatsApp herself. Ask about ingredient swaps, portion size, or whether this dish suits what you are working on:
There is no charge for a question, and you will be talking to Priyanka, not an assistant.
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:
- Chicken seekh kebabs with green chutney
- Dahi-marinated chicken curry
- Chicken in a thick red gravy
- Chicken in a smooth tomato gravy
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.