6 High-Protein Dinners With 44g or More for Training Days

Chicken thigh skewers marinated in Thai green curry paste and coconut milk, grilled and served with jasmine rice and a cucumber salad. At 55g of protein a serving this is the highest number on the list.

Thigh rather than breast is the right call for skewers, because it stays juicy over direct heat and carries the curry paste better. Thread the pieces loosely rather than packed tight so the heat gets between them and the edges char. The rice is not an afterthought here: on a training day the 650 calories are doing a job, and the cucumber salad keeps the whole plate from feeling heavy.

Turkey mince meatballs studded with feta, served over lemony mixed grains with a courgette yogurt. Between the turkey, the feta, the grains and the yogurt it reaches 50g of protein for 550 calories.

Turkey mince is leaner than beef and can go dry, which is exactly what the feta is there to prevent, melting slightly inside each meatball. Do not overwork the mixture or the meatballs tighten up and turn rubbery. The mixed grains underneath are what make this a training-day dinner rather than just a high-protein one.

Sausages, lentils and crispy kale in one skillet: 48g of protein and 850 calories, the biggest dinner here by a wide margin. On a heavy training day that is a feature.

The lentils cook in stock and the sausage fat, which is where most of the flavour comes from, so this tastes considerably richer than the ingredient list suggests. Brown the sausages properly and leave the fond in the pan before the lentils go in. Kale crisped at the edges under the grill gives the whole thing some texture, which a skillet of lentils badly needs.

Grilled sirloin in teriyaki marinade over a sesame brown rice salad with kale, coming to 45g of protein for 650 calories. Steak and rice is the oldest training dinner there is and it has not been improved on.

Brown rice rather than white gives you a bit more fibre and holds the dressing better once it has cooled slightly. Slice the sirloin against the grain and at an angle so each piece stays tender. Teriyaki burns easily because of the sugar in it, so glaze the beef towards the end of cooking rather than at the start.

Chicken and red split lentils in a spiced curry with spinach and basmati rice, reaching 45g of protein for 550 calories. Two protein sources in one pot again, which is the most reliable way to get a number this high.

This one uses cooked chicken, so it is a genuinely good destination for the remains of a roast. The lentils want more liquid than you think because they drink it as they collapse, so keep an eye on the pan and top it up. Spinach goes in at the very end, stirred through until it just wilts.

Lamb shank braised slowly with white wine and vegetables, finished with a sharp lemon, garlic and parsley gremolata: 44g of protein for 560 calories.

This takes well over two hours, so it belongs to a Sunday rather than a Tuesday, and almost all of that time is the oven's rather than yours. The gremolata is not a garnish you can skip, because after a long braise the dish needs something raw and sharp cutting through it. Shank is a cheap cut that turns into something far better than its price with enough time.