This Spinach, Eggplant & Chicken Coconut Curry is a PCOS-friendly recipe with 432 calories, 31.46g protein, and 18.4g carbs per serving. Ready in 40 minutes. High in fiber (7.1g), which supports insulin sensitivity.
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
Instructions
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On medium heat, add coconut oil to a large and deep nonstick pan.
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Add garlic and onions, and cook until translucent. Add cubed chicken breast and cook until no longer pink.
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Once chicken is cooked add cubed eggplant and cook for about 10 minutes or until tender. If you don't have room, just remove the chicken and onions, add a little more coconut oil and cook eggplant by itself.
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Once eggplant is tender, add spinach and cook until wilted.
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If you have removed the chicken from the pan, now is the time to mix all the ingredients together again. Now, add your curry powder, salt and pepper.
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Pour the coconut milk over the mixture, mix around, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.
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Taste to see if you need to add anymore curry powder, because the yellow kind is very mild.
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Once the sauce has thickened, it is ready to eat. Serve over basmati rice or eat it alone
How This Recipe Supports PCOS Management
Understanding the nutritional profile of what you eat is a powerful step in managing PCOS. Here is how the key ingredients in this Spinach, Eggplant & Chicken Coconut Curry contribute to your health goals:
- Chicken: Protein-rich meals help manage insulin resistance common in PCOS
- Egg: Contain choline which supports liver function and hormone metabolism
- Spinach: Magnesium may help improve insulin sensitivity in women with PCOS
- Coconut: May support metabolism without spiking blood sugar
- Garlic: May help reduce cholesterol levels often elevated in PCOS
PCOS Diet Principles in This Recipe
The PCOS diet focuses on three core principles: reducing inflammation, managing insulin resistance, and supporting hormonal balance. Every recipe in our collection is evaluated against these principles. This recipe excels in providing protein-rich ingredients that help regulate appetite hormones (ghrelin and leptin), and anti-inflammatory spices that target the chronic inflammation underlying PCOS. As part of a balanced PCOS meal plan, we recommend pairing recipes like this with a variety of nutrient-dense foods throughout the week to ensure you are meeting all your micronutrient needs.
Meal Prep Tip: This Spinach, Eggplant & Chicken Coconut Curry can be prepared ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Meal prepping is one of the most effective strategies for sticking to a PCOS-friendly diet, as it removes the temptation to reach for processed convenience foods when time is short.
Why this Spinach, Eggplant & Chicken Coconut Curry works for PCOS
With 31.46g of protein per serving (about 29% of calories), this Spinach, Eggplant & Chicken Coconut Curry sits at the top end of the 25-35g per-meal range that the 2023 International PCOS Guideline recommends for managing insulin resistance and supporting lean mass. Higher-protein meals also blunt the glucose response when carbohydrates are included, which matters for women with PCOS because chronic insulin elevation drives androgen excess and irregular cycles.
The 18.4g of carbohydrates here come paired with 7.1g of fibre, which slows glucose absorption and produces a flatter post-meal blood sugar curve. Fibre is one of the most under-rated tools for PCOS: it feeds gut bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids linked to improved insulin sensitivity, and it modestly lowers circulating androgens by binding bile acids in the gut.
Fat makes up about 56% of calories in this dish. Dietary fat plays a load-bearing role in PCOS because sex hormones are synthesised from cholesterol, and very-low-fat eating can suppress hormone production over time. The 2023 PCOS guideline does not specify a strict fat target, but most clinicians recommend at least 25-35% of calories from a mix of monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated sources.
Evening meals affect overnight insulin and morning blood sugar more than most women realise. Keeping dinner protein-forward and finishing eating at least 2-3 hours before bed gives your body time to clear glucose before the overnight fast, which improves morning fasting insulin readings.
PCOS-Friendly Foods in This Recipe
This recipe contains the following foods that may benefit PCOS management: Chicken Breast, Spinach.
Skinless chicken breast, often heralded for its lean nutritional profile, is undeniably a powerhouse when it comes to protein content. With an impressive 21 grams of protein packed into every 100 grams of the breast, it emerges as a preferred choice for those conscious about their protein intake. Delving deeper into the nutritional matrix of chicken, one can't overlook the copious amounts of vitamin B6 it houses. This particular vitamin plays an indispensable role in our body, especially when di...
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this Spinach, Eggplant & Chicken Coconut Curry recipe is designed to be PCOS-friendly. At 432 calories per serving with 31.46g of protein, it supports balanced blood sugar and hormonal health. It also provides 7.1g of fiber, which helps with insulin sensitivity.
This recipe takes about 40 minutes total. Prep time is 10 minutes and cook time is 30 minutes. It makes 4 servings, so you can meal prep for multiple days.
Per serving: 432 calories, 31.46g protein (29%), 18.4g carbs, 26.99g fat. Plus 7.1g fiber. PCOS meal plans typically aim for 30% protein, 35% fat, 35% carbs to support insulin sensitivity.
Yes, this recipe works well as a PCOS-friendly Dinner. At 432 calories, it fits within typical PCOS meal plan targets for Dinner. Pair it with other PCOS-friendly foods throughout the day for balanced nutrition.
This recipe can be part of a structured PCOS meal plan. It makes 4 servings, making it great for meal prep. For a complete weekly plan tailored to your PCOS type, take our free 60-second quiz at pcosmealplanner.com/pcos-quiz to get a personalized 7-day meal plan.
Cook Another PCOS-Friendly Dinner
Each recipe you add to your rotation makes PCOS management easier. Variety keeps you from getting bored and quitting.
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