Chicken, cauliflower, and a cold sauce
Tandoori Chicken Bowls coat the chicken in spiced nonfat yogurt and roast cauliflower alongside it. The separate cucumber-herb yogurt sauce brings a cold finish; pack it apart from the rice and chicken.
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3 Indian-Inspired High-Protein Meal Preps
Three Indian-inspired meal preps with at least 59g protein per serving: tandoori chicken bowls, baked tandoori salmon, and creamy butter chicken.
3selected recipes
59.1-71.7gprotein / recipe serving
A shorter list, with a reason for every pick
What sounds good this week?
Start with the kind of prep session you want: oven-roasted chicken and cauliflower, spice-coated salmon with cool raita, or chicken in a creamy tomato sauce on the stovetop. These three recipes share garam masala and rice, but their cooking methods and sauces are different enough to make the choice matter.
How we chose: Three selected published recipes tagged Indian, each with four original servings, at least 59g protein per listed serving, and more than 25% of listed calories from protein at 4 calories per gram. These are the site’s Indian-inspired home-kitchen recipes, not a claim of traditional technique. Nutrition includes the written rice, vegetables, and sauces where present. This is not a low-sodium or dairy-free collection.
Salmon without a yogurt marinade
Baked Tandoori Salmon uses an olive-oil spice paste on the fish. The yogurt goes into cucumber raita, not the coating. Zucchini and rice complete the written meal.
A stovetop tomato-and-cream sauce
Creamy Butter Chicken cooks chicken in onion, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, and spices, then finishes with heavy cream. It includes rice but no separate vegetable side; adding one changes the meal totals.
| Recipe | Protein | Calories | Cost est. | Listed time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tandoori Chicken Bowls | 71.7g | 610 | $4.55 | 45 min |
| Baked Tandoori Salmon | 59.9g | 779 | $5.77 | 40 min |
| Creamy Butter Chicken | 59.1g | 767 | $2.53 | 55 min |
Pick a flavor, then open the full recipe
Good food worth making again.
01 · Yogurt-coated chicken + cauliflower
Tandoori Chicken Bowls
71.7g protein$4.55 / serving est.45 min
The highest-protein option in this shortlist pairs chicken tenderloins and roasted cauliflower with rice and a separate cucumber-herb yogurt sauce. Paprika, cumin, coriander, and garam masala run through the dish.
Before you cook: The written 45-minute recipe overlaps marination and prep. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator while you prep the rest; an optional longer refrigerated rest adds time. Keep the 1 cup marinade yogurt separate from the 1 cup sauce yogurt, and pack the sauce cold.
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02 · Spice-coated fish + cold raita
Baked Tandoori Salmon
59.9g protein$5.77 / serving est.40 min
Choose this for salmon, roasted zucchini, rice, and a cool cucumber-cilantro raita. The fish takes an oil-and-spice coating rather than a yogurt marinade.
Before you cook: The written 40 minutes includes overlapping rice, oven, and raita work. Nutrition assumes four 8 oz raw Atlantic salmon fillets, while the historical price uses a frozen Coho sale-price proxy. Weigh your fillets and review the product rather than treating that estimate as an exact quote.
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03 · Creamy stovetop chicken + rice
Creamy Butter Chicken
59.1g protein$2.53 / serving est.55 min
A tomato-paste and heavy-cream sauce makes this the creamy option, with garam masala and optional fenugreek rather than a roasted vegetable or cold topping. It is the lowest estimated ingredient-use cost per serving in this shortlist.
Before you cook: The written recipe uses 2 lb chicken breast, 1 cup heavy cream, and 1 cup dry rice for four servings. Keep the cream on low heat after adding it; substitutions change the listed nutrition and cost.
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Match the prep to the method
Do not combine the oven temperatures
The chicken recipe uses 425°F and the salmon uses 400°F. If cooking both, plan separate stages and leave room around the food rather than treating the listed recipe times as one combined session. Chicken needs 165°F and fish 145°F; use a thermometer instead of time alone.
Keep serving sauces away from raw proteins
For the chicken bowls, the marinade yogurt and serving-sauce yogurt are separate measured amounts. Mix the clean sauce before handling raw chicken, use separate utensils, and refrigerate it. Pack both the chicken sauce and salmon raita cold, apart from the components you will reheat.
Gentle heat for the creamy option
For Butter Chicken, reduce the heat before adding cream and stir during reheating to limit scorching. Check the chicken reaches 165°F. The listed rice is part of its nutrition and cost, not an optional uncounted extra.
Pack safely for later. Refrigerate cooked food in shallow containers within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. Keep the fridge at 40°F or below and use leftovers within 3-4 days; freeze later portions promptly. Reheat leftovers to 165°F throughout. Follow the recipe’s cooking instructions and check the safe cooking temperatures. USDA leftover guidance.
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A quick note on the numbers.
Nutrition and time
Protein and calories come from the current recipe labels and describe one listed serving. Brands, portions, and substitutions change the values. The totals include the recipe’s sides and sauces. These selections have at least 50g of protein per listed serving.
Times come from each recipe, rather than a separate timed cooking test. Prep speed, appliance preheating, pan size, and cooking in batches can change the time you need. Read the full recipe before you start.
Ingredient-use estimates
Costs allocate the amount of each ingredient used, rather than every full package you buy. Optional ingredients and exclusions follow each recipe’s cost breakdown. Taxes, delivery, and membership fees are excluded; local prices and a first pantry shop can cost more.
These recipes’ cost records were checked September 21, 2026. Formula updates can retain earlier price observations. Open a recipe for its ingredient-level price sources and dates.
Reviewed October 20, 2026 · Selection and prep notes are based on the linked recipe ingredients and instructions · Cost methodology · Nutrition methodology