High-Protein Dinners Ranked by Protein per Serving
Five high-protein dinners ranked by protein per serving, from about 45 g down to 28 g, with calories, total time, marinating time and freezer life.
Published · Updated · 9 min read
Quick answer
The 5 high-protein dinners in this roundup each have 25 g or more protein per serving (estimate). Jamaican jerk chicken has the most, about 45 g with 490 calories, but 240 of its 305 minutes are marinating. Chicken adobo has the fewest calories, about 420, and Mediterranean chicken grain bowls take the least time, 40 minutes in total.
- Recipes featured
- 5
- Quickest
- Mediterranean Chicken Grain Bowls (40 mins)
- Average total time
- 1 hr 57 mins
- Average calories
- 516 per serving
- Reading time
- 9 min
- Section
- Recipe roundups
These 5 high-protein dinners each have 25 g or more protein per serving (estimate). Jamaican jerk chicken has the most, about 45 g protein and 490 calories per serving (estimate), and it also gives the most protein for its calories, but 240 of its 305 minutes are marinating time.
Below, the 5 are ranked on protein and compared on calories, total time, servings and fridge and freezer life, using the numbers stored on each recipe. The Italian meatloaf serves 8 and the other four serve 4, so every comparison is per serving. They are the Savour main courses that met the 25 g mark on October 1, 2026, when this roundup was first published. Savour has added more high-protein recipes since, and the high protein recipes page lists every recipe with that tag.
Which high-protein dinners have the most protein per serving?
The table ranks the 5 by protein per serving (estimate), highest first. The fifth column is our own arithmetic on the stored values: protein divided by calories, times 100, rounded to one decimal.
Four of the five are chicken: bone-in leg quarters in the jerk chicken, bone-in thighs in the adobo, boneless thighs in the grain bowls and split wings in the Korean fried chicken. The meatloaf is the only one built on ground beef, mixed with Italian sausage. Three come in under 500 calories per serving (estimate): the adobo, the meatloaf and the jerk chicken.
How long do jerk chicken and chicken adobo marinate?
Jamaican jerk chicken coats scored, bone-in leg quarters in a blended paste of green onions, Scotch bonnet, allspice, thyme, soy sauce and lime, then marinates them in the fridge for at least 4 hours and up to 24. The stored total of 305 minutes counts only the 4-hour minimum.
The pieces roast on a rack at 200°C (400°F) for 25 minutes, are brushed with 3 tbsp of marinade that was set aside before it touched raw chicken, and roast for 15 to 20 minutes more until the thickest part of the thigh reads at least 74°C (165°F). A final 2 to 4 minutes under the broiler chars the edges. The recipe's tips say to wear gloves when cutting or blending the Scotch bonnets.
Chicken adobo marinates for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight, and a tip suggests making it a day ahead. Its bone-in thighs sit in soy sauce, vinegar, a whole head of garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns, then are browned, simmered covered for 25 to 30 minutes and simmered uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes while the sauce reduces by about half. It has the fewest calories of the five, about 420 calories and 38 g protein per serving (estimate), the shortest prep, 10 minutes, and the fewest ingredients, 8 (plus 2 optional or for serving). It is not listed as gluten-free, but one of its variations swaps in tamari or a soy sauce labelled gluten-free.
Which one is ready in under an hour?
Mediterranean chicken grain bowls are the only one of the five that takes less than an hour: Total 40 min (20 prep + 20 cook). Boneless thighs sit in lemon, garlic, oregano and smoked paprika for 10 minutes while the quinoa simmers, then pan-sear for 5 to 6 minutes per side to 74°C (165°F). Each bowl gets quinoa, the sliced chicken, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red cabbage, olives, feta and a Greek yogurt and dill sauce.
At about 520 calories and 35 g protein per serving (estimate), the bowls also carry 6 g fibre, the most of the five. They are the only recipe here with a stated diet, gluten-free: check the labels of packaged ingredients, and note the recipe's own warning that farro and couscous, two of its suggested grain swaps, contain gluten. The trade-off is the ingredient list: 18 ingredients, the most of the five when optional and serving items are left out.
Which one has the most calories?
Korean fried chicken (yangnyeom wings) has the most, about 725 calories and 34 g protein per serving (estimate), and so the lowest protein for its calories. Its stored estimate lists 44 g fat and 45 g carbohydrates per serving, against 30 g fat and 9 g carbohydrates for the jerk chicken.
The split wings are coated in potato starch or cornstarch, flour and baking powder and fried twice: first at 170°C (340°F) for 8 to 10 minutes per batch, in 3 batches, until the thickest part reaches 74°C (165°F), then at 190°C (375°F) for 2 to 3 minutes. They are tossed in a glaze of gochujang, ketchup, honey, soy sauce and butter. It is the only recipe here rated Medium rather than Easy, and it needs a heavy pot, 1.5 to 2 litres of oil and a deep-fry or instant-read thermometer.
The recipe offers an air fryer variation at 200°C (400°F) for 22 to 25 minutes; the stored nutrition estimate is for the recipe as written, not its variations. More from the same cuisine is on the Korean recipes page.
Which one feeds 8 people?
Italian meatloaf with marinara and mozzarella is the only one of the five that serves 8. Compared per serving like the rest, it has about 425 calories and 28 g protein per serving (estimate): last on protein, but the second-fewest calories after the adobo.
The loaf mixes 600 g ground beef and 300 g Italian sausage meat with milk-soaked bread, eggs, parmesan and herbs. It bakes at 190°C (375°F) for 40 minutes, then for 10 minutes under marinara and 5 to 10 minutes more with mozzarella, until an instant-read thermometer in the centre reads 71°C (160°F), and rests for 10 minutes. A tip says to cut the salt to 1/2 tsp if your Italian sausage is very salty or heavily seasoned. For other loaves and beef dinners, see the meatloaf recipes and ground beef recipes pages.
Which high-protein dinner has the most protein for its calories?
Protein per serving alone does not show how many calories come with it, so we divided each recipe's protein by its calories and multiplied by 100. Ranked by that figure: Jamaican jerk chicken 9.2, chicken adobo 9.0, Mediterranean chicken grain bowls 6.7, Italian meatloaf 6.6 and Korean fried chicken 4.7.
The jerk chicken and the adobo are almost level at the top, and both are under 500 calories per serving (estimate). The grain bowls and the meatloaf are almost level in the middle, with the bowls ahead on protein per serving (35 g against 28 g). The wings' figure is about half the jerk chicken's. These ratios are only as exact as the per-serving estimates they come from.
How much of each total time is marinating or resting?
Two of the totals are mostly waiting. This table splits each one into the parts stored on the recipe.
Adding only the stored prep and cook times changes the order: 40 minutes for the grain bowls, 1 hour each for the adobo and the wings, 1 hour 5 minutes for the jerk chicken and 1 hour 20 minutes for the meatloaf, plus its 10-minute rest.
Cooking time is not all hands-on time. The jerk chicken, the adobo and the meatloaf meet Savour's hands-off rule: an oven or braised recipe with 20 minutes of prep or less and 45 minutes or more of cooking. The wings fry in 3 batches and then fry again at a higher temperature, with a thermometer in the oil, and the bowls use a saucepan for the quinoa and a skillet for the chicken.
Some waiting is optional and not in any total: the jerk marinade can run to 24 hours, the adobo marinade to overnight, and the grain-bowl chicken can marinate in the fridge for up to 24 hours instead of 10 minutes. A tip in the wings recipe suggests leaving the seasoned wings uncovered in the fridge for an hour before coating, if you have time.
Which one should you make?
- Most protein: Jamaican jerk chicken, about 45 g per serving (estimate), if you can start the marinade at least 4 hours ahead.
- Most protein for its calories: Jamaican jerk chicken (9.2 in the first table), with chicken adobo close behind (9.0).
- Fewest calories: chicken adobo, about 420 calories per serving (estimate).
- Shortest prep and fewest ingredients: chicken adobo, 10 minutes of prep and 8 ingredients.
- Quickest from start to finish: Mediterranean chicken grain bowls, 40 minutes in total.
- Gluten-free: Mediterranean chicken grain bowls, the only one with a stated diet (check packaged ingredient labels).
- Feeding 8: Italian meatloaf, the only recipe here that serves 8.
- A deep-fried dinner: Korean fried chicken, 60 minutes in total and the only one rated Medium.
Can you make these high-protein dinners ahead or freeze them?
All five have fridge and freezer notes, and each recipe gives its own times.
- Jamaican jerk chicken: the marinade itself keeps for up to 1 week in a sealed jar. Raw chicken frozen in its marinade thaws in the fridge overnight before roasting. Reheat cooked chicken in a 180°C (350°F) oven for 15 to 20 minutes until steaming hot all the way through.
- Chicken adobo: refrigerate within 2 hours with its sauce, thaw overnight in the fridge, and reheat in a covered pan over medium-low heat, with a splash of water if the sauce is thick, until it reaches 74°C (165°F).
- Mediterranean chicken grain bowls: pack the bowls with the yogurt sauce in a separate container. Eat them cold, or warm the chicken and quinoa for 1 to 2 minutes in the microwave before adding the fresh toppings.
- Korean fried chicken: the coating softens in the fridge. Reheat on a rack in a 200°C (400°F) oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or in an air fryer at 180°C (350°F) for 5 to 6 minutes, until 74°C (165°F) in the centre. From frozen, reheat in a 200°C (400°F) oven for about 20 minutes, then toss in warm glaze.
- Italian meatloaf: refrigerate the meatloaf and sauce together within 2 hours, thaw frozen slices overnight in the fridge, and reheat slices with their sauce in a covered dish at 160°C (325°F) for 15 to 20 minutes, or in a covered pan over medium-low heat, until 74°C (165°F).
Chicken adobo and the meatloaf are both in the freezer meals collection, and the adobo and the grain bowls are in the meal prep recipes collection.
What counts as a high-protein dinner on Savour?
A Savour recipe counts as high protein when its stored estimate is 25 g or more protein per serving, and this roundup keeps only those whose course is Main Course. The estimates change with the brands, portion sizes and swaps you use, so read them as a guide. The high protein recipes page lists every recipe with that tag, not only main courses, without comparing them.
Each chicken recipe here cooks to 74°C (165°F), the safe internal temperature for chicken pieces in government food safety guidance. The meatloaf bakes until its centre reaches 71°C (160°F), the safe internal temperature for ground beef. More chicken dinners are on the chicken recipes page.
Where can you find more high-protein dinners?
These are the high-protein main courses on Savour with the most protein per serving (estimate), ranked the same way as the first table and updated with the site, so they can include dinners added after this roundup.
Sources
- Safe cooking temperatures canada.ca
Recipes in this post (5)
Frequently Asked Questions
How much protein does a high-protein dinner have on Savour?
Savour counts a recipe as high protein when it has 25 g or more protein per serving (estimate). The 5 dinners in this roundup run from about 28 g per serving for the Italian meatloaf to about 45 g for the Jamaican jerk chicken (estimates).
Which high-protein dinner has the fewest calories?
Of the 5 dinners in this roundup, chicken adobo has the fewest, about 420 calories and 38 g protein per serving (estimate). The Italian meatloaf is close behind at about 425 calories, with 28 g protein per serving (estimate).
What is the quickest high-protein dinner to make?
In this roundup, Mediterranean chicken grain bowls take 40 minutes in total (20 prep + 20 cook), with the chicken marinating for 10 minutes while the quinoa cooks. The other 4 dinners take 60 minutes or more in total.
Why does Jamaican jerk chicken take over 5 hours?
The jerk chicken recipe's total of 305 minutes includes 240 minutes of marinating in the fridge, the recipe's minimum of 4 hours (it allows up to 24). The prep takes 20 minutes and the cooking 45 minutes.
Which of these high-protein dinners can you freeze?
All 5 dinners in this roundup have a freezer note. Jamaican jerk chicken, chicken adobo and the Italian meatloaf freeze for up to 3 months. The Korean fried chicken wings freeze unglazed for up to 2 months, and the grain bowls' cooked chicken and quinoa for up to 2 months, without the vegetables.
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