This Tandoori Chicken and Cauliflower Traybake is a PCOS-friendly recipe with 427 calories, 45.1g protein, and 23.7g carbs per serving. Ready in 50 minutes. High in fiber (7.4g), which supports insulin sensitivity.
Nutrition per Serving
Restaurant tandoori chicken is marinated in yogurt. This version gets its tang from lemon instead, so it is fully dairy free, and it roasts on one tray with the cauliflower. Each serving has about 425 calories, 45g of protein and 24g of carbs. Marinate it in the morning and dinner is 35 minutes of oven time.
Grocery list:
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs (600g)
- Cauliflower
- Red onion
- Red bell pepper
- Cucumber
- Lemons (2)
- Garlic and fresh ginger
- Fresh coriander and mint
- Kashmiri chilli powder or sweet paprika
- Ground cumin, ground coriander, ground turmeric, garam masala
- Avocado oil
Nutrition notes: figures are per serving of a third of the tray plus a third of the salad, worked from USDA FoodData Central values. Kashmiri chilli powder is not in the USDA database, so sweet paprika values were used for it.
Keeps: 3 days in the fridge. The cold chicken is good in a lunch box with the salad.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. It will be a thick red paste.Add the chicken and turn it to coat. Leave it for at least 30 minutes, or covered in the fridge overnight.Heat the oven to 220C fan, 240C conventional, or 450F. Line a large tray with baking paper.Add the cauliflower, onion and pepper to the bowl and toss them through whatever marinade is left.Spread everything on the tray in one layer, with the chicken on top. Use two trays if it is crowded, or it will steam instead of char.Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through and the cauliflower is charred at the edges.Mix the cucumber, coriander, mint and lemon juice for the salad. Serve with the traybake.
Why this works for PCOS
Dinner is where many PCOS plans go wrong: a big plate of rice or naan with a small amount of curry. This traybake turns that around. The plate is mostly chicken and vegetables, with 45g of protein and 7g of fibre per serving.
Roasted cauliflower stands in for the rice. Per serving it carries about 8g of carbs, where a cup of cooked white rice carries about 45g. If you want a grain, add a small portion of cooked and cooled basmati, which forms some resistant starch.
The ingredients doing the work
- Chicken thighs: 200g per serving gives most of the 45g of protein. Thighs stay juicy at high heat where breast dries out.
- Cauliflower: 165g per serving. It chars well and soaks up the marinade.
- Lemon instead of yogurt: the acid tenderises the chicken the way yogurt does, with no dairy.
Swaps
Vegetarian: use 400g of extra-firm tofu cut into cubes, and roast for 25 minutes. A dairy-free coconut yogurt can go into the marinade if you want the classic creamy coating.
How this fits a PCOS week
Most PCOS meal plans are built around Greek yogurt, cheese and toast. If you cook Indian food, or you skip dairy, those plans fall apart by Wednesday. PCOS Meal Planner builds a week around the food you actually cook, keeps out the foods you avoid, and gives you one shopping list.
Why this Tandoori Chicken and Cauliflower Traybake works for PCOS
With 45.1g of protein per serving (about 42% of calories), this Tandoori Chicken and Cauliflower Traybake 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 23.7g of carbohydrates here come paired with 7.4g 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 38% 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.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this Tandoori Chicken and Cauliflower Traybake recipe is designed to be PCOS-friendly. At 427 calories per serving with 45.1g of protein, it supports balanced blood sugar and hormonal health. It also provides 7.4g of fiber, which helps with insulin sensitivity.
This recipe takes about 50 minutes total. Prep time is 15 minutes and cook time is 35 minutes. It makes 3 servings, so you can meal prep for multiple days.
Per serving: 427 calories, 45.1g protein (42%), 23.7g carbs, 18.1g fat. Plus 7.4g 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 427 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 3 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.
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