Nepali · lunch, dinner, snack

Newari Chicken Choila

Newari Chicken Choila — from Chef Suni's cooking video Watch how it’s made · 5:30

Video by Chef Suni on YouTube · Open on YouTube

40 minServes 6297 kcal a serve
  • Low carb (3 g net carbs) but not keto: 52% of the energy is from fat, and keto meals get about 60% or more
  • Gluten-free ingredients
  • Dairy-free
  • Nut-free

Contains: none of the common allergens in the listed ingredients. Check labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes.

The chicken is seared and flame-charred rather than deep-fried, then tossed with roasted tomato, chillies and herbs: about 30 g of protein per serve, very few carbs and just 2 tbsp of oil in the whole dish.

Printable PDFA4

The printable card is ink-friendly, fits on one page and has a QR code back to this recipe.

Ingredients 15

Method

Tap a time to watch that step in the video.

  1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan and fry the chicken until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. Blot on kitchen paper. 0:26
  2. Thread the chicken onto skewers and char it briefly over a gas flame for a smoky taste. Slice it into bite-sized pieces and put it in a bowl with the spring onions, coriander and green chillies. 1:58
  3. Roast the tomatoes over the flame until blistered, then peel them. 3:14
  4. In a mortar, pound the garlic, ginger, roasted timur and soaked dried chillies to a paste, then pound in the roasted tomatoes to make a chunky sauce. Add it to the chicken. 3:26
  5. Heat the mustard oil until very hot, fry the fenugreek seeds until dark, add the turmeric and pour the sizzling oil over the chicken. 4:25
  6. Add the lemon juice and salt and mix well with a gloved hand. Serve with beaten rice (chiura) or steamed rice. 4:45

Tip. Serves about 6 as a snack or 4 as a main (our estimate). No gas flame? Char the chicken under a hot grill. Timur (Nepali Sichuan pepper) is sold at Nepali and Asian grocers; Sichuan pepper works.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.

One serve gives you 1 of 6

Energy297 kcal1,240 kJ
Protein30 g61% of a day
Fibre1.4 g5% of a day
Carbohydrate4.5 g3 g net · 1.6 g sugars2% of a day
Fat17 g3.8 g saturated22% of a day
Sodium500 mg22% of a day

Where the energy comes from one serve

  • Net carbs 4%
  • Protein 42%
  • Fat 54%

Very low carb: under 10% of the energy is from carbs.

Vitamins & minerals % of a day, one serve · tap for more

Selenium High50%

28 µg a serve, mostly from boneless chicken (98%). Part of the body's antioxidant enzymes and needed for thyroid hormones. Seafood, eggs, meat and Brazil nuts are rich sources.

Omega-3 High31%

0.5 g a serve, mostly from oil (41%). Omega-3 fats support the heart and brain. Oily fish give EPA and DHA; walnuts, flax, chia and canola give ALA, which the body converts only a little.

Zinc High29%

3.2 mg a serve, mostly from boneless chicken (93%). Needed for immunity, wound healing, taste and growth. Meat, seafood, legumes, seeds and whole grains supply it.

Vitamin B6 High29%

0.5 mg a serve, mostly from boneless chicken (81%). Helps turn food into energy and make brain messengers. Chickpeas, fish, poultry, potatoes and bananas are good sources.

Vitamin B12 High28%

0.7 µg a serve, mostly from boneless chicken (100%). Keeps nerves and blood cells healthy. Found almost only in animal foods and fortified foods (some plant milks, nutritional yeast), so vegans need a reliable source.

Vitamin K High24%

29 µg a serve, mostly from spring onions (36%). Needed for blood clotting and bones. Leafy greens and herbs are very rich in it. If you take warfarin, keep your intake steady and talk to your doctor.

Vitamin C Source14%

13 mg a serve, mostly from tomatoes (45%). An antioxidant needed for collagen, immunity and iron absorption. Long cooking destroys some, so raw herbs, citrus and capsicum help.

Iron Source13%

2.3 mg a serve, mostly from boneless chicken (65%). Carries oxygen in your blood. Iron from plants absorbs better with vitamin C in the same meal — lemon, tomato or capsicum.

Vitamin E Source12%

1.8 mg a serve. An antioxidant that protects cell membranes. Nuts, seeds and plant oils such as olive oil are the main sources.

Potassium Source10%

480 mg a serve, mostly from boneless chicken (62%). Balances sodium to help control blood pressure and keeps muscles and nerves working. Beans, potatoes, leafy greens and fruit are rich sources.

Magnesium Source10%

40 mg a serve, mostly from boneless chicken (70%). Takes part in hundreds of reactions — energy, muscles, nerves, blood sugar and bones. Nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains are good sources.

Show the other 4
Vitamin A8%

68 µg a serve, mostly from boneless chicken (33%). Keeps eyes, skin and the immune system healthy. Orange vegetables and dark greens give beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A.

Folate5%

21 µg a serve, mostly from boneless chicken (38%). Needed to make DNA and new cells — especially important before and in early pregnancy. Legumes and leafy greens are rich sources.

Calcium2%

32 mg a serve, mostly from boneless chicken (39%). Builds bones and teeth and helps muscles and nerves work. Dairy, calcium-set tofu, sardines with their bones and some greens supply it.

Vitamin D1%

0.1 µg a serve, mostly from boneless chicken (100%). Helps you absorb calcium for bones and supports muscles. Few foods have much — oily fish, eggs, UV-exposed mushrooms, fortified milks. Sunlight is the main source.

Estimated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central values; % of a day uses the food-label daily values. How this works

You might also like

Browse all 953 recipes

Recipe and video by Chef Suni; the method summary, nutrition estimate and diet notes are Notbroken’s. General information about food, not dietary advice.