This Dairy-Free Chicken Saag is a PCOS-friendly recipe with 459 calories, 52.6g protein, and 23.5g carbs per serving. Ready in 45 minutes. High in fiber (8.1g), which supports insulin sensitivity.
Nutrition per Serving
Restaurant chicken saag gets its silky texture from cream and ghee. This one gets it from a lot of spinach, blended after a quick blanch, with chicken thighs simmered in an onion, tomato and garlic masala. Each serving has 459 calories and 53g of protein, with no dairy at all.
Grocery list:
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Fresh spinach
- Onion
- Tomato
- Garlic
- Fresh ginger
- Green chillies
- Avocado oil
- Cumin seeds
- Ground coriander
- Ground turmeric
- Garam masala
- Lemon
Nutrition notes: Figures are per serving, half the batch, worked from USDA FoodData Central values for every weighed ingredient. Garam masala is a pinch and is left out of the count.
Keeps: Keeps 3 days in a sealed box in the fridge and freezes well for up to 2 months. The spinach darkens a little on reheating but tastes the same.
Ingredients
Instructions
-
Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add the spinach and cook for 1 minute, just until it wilts. Drain it and rinse with cold water.Squeeze out some of the water, then blend the spinach with 1 green chilli and 3 tablespoons of water to a rough puree. Set it aside.Heat the oil in a heavy pan over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for 30 seconds.Add the onion and cook for 8 minutes, stirring often, until golden. Add the garlic, ginger and the other chilli and cook for 1 minute.Stir in the ground coriander, turmeric and salt, then the tomato. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the tomato is soft and the oil starts to show at the edges.Add the chicken. Turn it in the masala for 3 to 4 minutes until it is no longer pink on the outside.Pour in 100ml of water, cover and simmer on low for 10 minutes.Stir in the spinach puree and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes more, until the sauce is thick and the chicken is cooked through. Cut a large piece to check.Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and garam masala, taste for salt and serve.
Why this works for PCOS
Most of the calories in a takeaway saag come from cream and ghee. Take those out and you are left with what makes the dish good: chicken, a lot of greens, and a well-cooked masala.
Each serving has 53g of protein and only 23g of carbs. A meal built on protein and vegetables like this one tends to give a gentler blood sugar rise than a rice-heavy plate. That is a useful pattern if you have insulin resistance with PCOS.
The ingredients doing the work
- Chicken thighs: they stay juicy in a curry where breast can dry out, and they bring most of the protein.
- Spinach: 200g per serving. That is far more greens than most people eat in a day, and it gives the sauce its body.
- Lemon juice: added at the end, it lifts the flavour so the dish does not taste heavy without the cream.
Serve it with
It is a full meal as it is. If you want something to scoop it up with, cauliflower rice or a small portion of brown rice both work. For a vegetarian version, use firm tofu cubes and add them at the spinach step.
How this fits a PCOS week
One good recipe is easy. A whole week that skips the foods you avoid is the hard part. PCOS Meal Planner builds your week around the food you actually cook, keeps out what you do not eat, and turns it into one shopping list.
Why this Dairy-Free Chicken Saag works for PCOS
With 52.6g of protein per serving (about 46% of calories), this Dairy-Free Chicken Saag 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 23.5g of carbohydrates here come paired with 8.1g 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 36% 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.
You Have a Recipe. But Do You Have a Full Week?
One great recipe is a start. A complete PCOS meal plan is a system. Here is how to go from one meal to a full week of eating that supports your hormones.
Free. Personalized. No signup required to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this Dairy-Free Chicken Saag recipe is designed to be PCOS-friendly. At 459 calories per serving with 52.6g of protein, it supports balanced blood sugar and hormonal health. It also provides 8.1g of fiber, which helps with insulin sensitivity.
This recipe takes about 45 minutes total. Prep time is 15 minutes and cook time is 30 minutes. It makes 2 servings, so you can meal prep for multiple days.
Per serving: 459 calories, 52.6g protein (46%), 23.5g carbs, 18.6g fat. Plus 8.1g 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 459 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 2 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.
Rate this recipe
Register or log in to rate this recipe