Is Chicken Tikka Good For Weight Loss? Ayesha Nasir

I’m Lahore’s best clinical dietitian and I’m here to bring you the best weight loss tips and tricks backed by scientific evidence and sufficient research. All your weight loss answers are on my blog!

Today we will be talking about Is Chicken Tikka Good for Weight Loss?
Chicken tikka, also known as chicken tandoor, a spice filled grilled chicken recipe originated in the subcontinent.

Deciding if you should have chicken when you are trying to lose weight majorly depends on the kind of diet you are on.

Chicken tikka or tandoori chicken is typically a chicken dish that uses yogurt and spices to marinate chicken and make it tender, juicy, and flavorful.

The question remains: is it healthy and does it promote weight loss?

The answer is no. chicken tikka is not the ideal meal to have when you are starting out weight loss diets. It is high in fats with comparatively much less protein.

This might have the opposite effect on your weight loss regimen by encouraging weight gain and might lead to further complications.
You can check out the dietary implications and nutritional value of chicken tikka here!

But this is not to say that a healthy diet can not incorporate chicken into it. There are plenty of low-fat, low-calorie ways to prepare chicken tikka that will ensure you don’t have to give up on chicken completely.

If you are a non-vegetarian and find it hard to give up on chicken completely, fret not. There are ways to lose those extra pounds without leaving chicken as it is a lean meat and can be prepared in a way so as to maximize its nutritional value.

As it is a lean meat, it does not put you at an increased risk of high cholesterol.
Let’s dive into looking at healthier ways to consume chicken tikka.

Understanding the Nutritional Value of Chicken Tikka

Chicken tikka commonly uses chicken thighs and legs as the main ingredient of the dish. Plain yogurt and a plethora of different spices are used to marinate the chicken to make it nice, juicy, and tender.

Most recipes call for the chicken to be marinated in the mix of yogurt and spices for up to 6 hours to give it the most flavor.

For every serving of chicken tikka, there are an estimated amount of 360 calories, 9 grams of carbohydrates, 22 grams of fat and 32 grams of protein.

This makes the dish relatively higher in fat than in protein. For this chicken dish to aid you in weight loss it needs to have a fat to protein ratio of 1:3.

As protein is great for weight management, chicken tikka higher in protein will catalyze this process.

This fat enriched dish is also higher in calories than protein. There are 9 calories per gram of fat while carbohydrates and protein have about 4 calories per gram.

Since chicken tikka mostly consists of fat, this means it is higher in carbohydrates as well.

To encourage weight loss, an ideal amount of fat to consume is around 50-60 grams every day. More than that and it would exceed your total calorie intake for the day. Chicken tikka is 22 grams of fat. This is half the amount of fat you should be eating per day.

This is why it is recommended to only eat half a serving of chicken tikka which will put you at 11 grams of fat and 180 calories per day!

Incorporating this into your diet will make you weight loss journey more efficient and successful.

What Should you Eat with Chicken Tikka?

As discussed above, your ideal diet for chicken tikka is half a serving which means only half a serving of chicken tikka will not be enough to satisfy your appetite. So, what should you eat as a side?

Typically, chicken tikka is served with some kind of a bread e.g. naan or roti but those options are rich in carbs and not suitable for when you are trying to lose weight.
Another way chicken tikka is served is with rice. This is once again an option extremely rich in carbs.

Rice and bread are to foods that have the tendency to be overeaten if you are not being very aware about the food that you consume. So be aware!
To save yourself from the carbohydrate trap, let’s consider other options as sides with your chicken tikka.

A great replacement for rice is cauliflower. You can grill or pan fry some cauliflower.
Cauliflower rice is also a popular choice as a replacement for regular rice.

It is especially low in calories and carbs and is ideal for people trying to lose weight or watch their carb intake.

Cauliflower also helps to burn belly fat as it contains a very unique compound of phytonutrients that can help decrease stomach fat.

Here is a recipe to help you make cauliflower rice!

This is a great low carb replacement that will allow you to eat more food with less caloric intake.

Another way to eat your chicken tikka is with a side of vegetables and greens. Brussel sprouts, broccoli, etc. are great options and can be made to taste delicious when steam fried, grilled, or pan fried and seasoned well.

Pairing your half, a serving of chicken tikka with a side of vegetables is a great way to have a complete meal that satiate you completely.

Greens are low on calories and have a high fiber content that help you stay full for longer increasing your satiety. This will also prevent you from overeating.

Leafy greens also help in curing constipation and enriching your gut and intestinal health. Some good options for leafy greens are spinach, kale, collard greens, chard etc.

How to Make a Healthier Version of Chicken Tikka?

It is difficult to incorporate typical chicken thigs and legs into a diet that aims to aid weight loss. Well, good for you, we now have ways to make your chicken tikka meal healthier.

Replace the chicken things with chicken breast. This will significantly reduce the fat and calories in your dish. Another thing to remember is to use skin less chicken as chicken skin contains additional fats and calories.

Chicken breast is a vert good source of protein and is a lean meat. Every 100 grams of chicken breast has 160 calories and only 4 grams of fat and 31 grams of protein with almost no carbohydrates.

An alternative to plain yogurt that is used to marinate is Greek non-fat yogurt. Greek yogurt is a great source of protein with an extremely low-calorie count and almost no fat.

Greek yogurt will also add a tangy flavor to your dish which will make up for using the low-calorie version of the dish in taste.

The seasoning does not have to change as seasonings have extremely low calories and they won’t compromise on the nutritional value of your chicken tikka.

Spices are actually a better alternative to heavy sauces that can be higher in calories.

Conclusion

It is important to remember to exercise as well as watching your diet. Diet only goes so far when aiming to lose weight.

Above mentioned are all the ways your favorite chicken tikka can be incorporated into your diet when watching your weight.

For more tips and tricks, make sure to check out my blog where I post regularly about healthy, clean eating that encourage weight loss.

I also take appointments with clients and help them with their specific concerns and provide them with diet plans that cater to their specific body shape and type. You can book your appointment here!

Frequently Asked Questions

Which chicken is best for weight loss?
Chicken wings, chicken legs and chicken drumsticks have relatively higher amounts of protein which make these a healthier alternative to red meats.

Does chicken help lose belly fat?
Chicken tikka can help you stay fuller for longer periods of time as it contains around 25 grams of food. This can help you lose fat around your body.

Is chicken OK to eat every day?
There is no evidence to suggest that chicken is detrimental to eat every day. If prepared in a healthy way, it can be eaten every day with no negative consequences on your health.

What are the health benefits of Chicken Tikka?
The lean protein in chicken is a good source of amino acids that are used in the body to build muscle tissue. Studies have also shown chicken to help in maintaining bone mineral density. It is filled with nutrients such as vitamin B12, choline, zinc, iron and copper.