Chicken 65

Name: Chicken 65
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: Chicken breast; Fat-free Greek yoghurt; Cornflour; Vegetable oil; Red chilli; Fresh ginger; Garlic; Curry leaves; Lemon juice

280 kcal a serving, against 518 for the traditional version. That is 238 kcal off, or 46%, with 41.3g of protein. Serves 4. .

What the traditional version is

Bite-sized chunks of chicken thigh dumped into a thick batter of plain flour and cornflour, deep-fried in vegetable oil until golden, then tossed in a blistering pan of fresh curry leaves and chillies.

What changed, and what each change costs

100g of vegetable oil and 50g of plain flour for a 15g slick of oil and a fierce oven bake

Submerging food in oil forces it to absorb massive amounts of fat. By spreading the coated meat on a wire rack and baking it at the highest possible temperature, you force the marinade to cling and blister. You get the fierce heat and the vibrant colour without the huge puddle of grease.

What it costs you. You lose that thick, shattering crust that only a deep fryer can deliver. You end up with a slightly softer but intensely savoury home substitute. The version that's a perfect pub snack anymore is still out there and still better.

600g of chicken thigh for 700g of chicken breast

Thigh meat is fantastic, but breast meat is incredibly lean and packs far more protein into the same space. Dropping the heavy batter means you lose bulk, so adding an extra 100g of chicken fills the physical gap on your plate.

What it costs you. Chicken breast is deeply unforgiving. If you leave it in the oven for even 3 minutes too long, it dries out and turns to absolute chalk. You've got to watch it like a hawk.

100g of full-fat yoghurt for 50g of fat-free Greek yoghurt

You only need enough dairy to carry the spices and tenderise the meat. A smaller amount of thick, zero-fat yoghurt does the exact same job as a massive spoonful of the fatty stuff.

What it costs you. You've got less wet batter to play with. You'll need to use your hands to forcefully massage the marinade into the chicken.

What goes in it

The ingredients, without the quantities. The weights are what the figures below are computed from, and they are in the book.

Chicken breast
Fat-free Greek yoghurt
Cornflour
Vegetable oil
Red chilli
Fresh ginger
Garlic
Curry leaves
Lemon juice

How it starts

Dice the chicken breast into small, even chunks.
Preheat your oven to 240C, or as hot as it'll possibly go.
Bake the chicken for 12 minutes.

The rest of the method, and every weight, is in Authentic-ish Indian.

The numbers

Per serving	Traditional	Lightened
Calories	518	280
Protein	32.2g	41.3g
Fat	31.2g	8.5g
Saturated fat	5.3g	1.5g
Carbohydrate	24.9g	6.9g
Protein per 100 kcal	6.2g	14.8g

Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Indian prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked. How every number is computed sets out the method.

Allergens. milk.

The method is in the book

This delivers the sharp, aggressive spice you expect from a decent Indian starter. Swapping the deep fryer for a screaming hot oven cuts out a massive amount of unnecessary fat, while leaning on chicken breast keeps the protein sky high. You trade away the thick batter, but you gain a dish you can actually eat on a regular Tuesday.

The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Indian, along with 54 more. Buy the paperback