What Can I Eat Instead of Chicken? A Practical Guide to Chicken Alternatives
It's Wednesday, and you've already cooked chicken breast twice this week. Chicken earns its spot in the rotation for good reason: it's quick, it's high in protein, and nobody at the table pushes back. But that same reliability is exactly what turns into a rut. If you're googling "what can I eat instead of chicken", you're probably not trying to give up meat for good; you just want one night where dinner isn't chicken again.
That's a reasonable ask. There are alternatives to chicken that slot straight into the meals you already cook: no new shopping list, no new technique, just a different protein doing the same job.
What makes a good chicken alternative
Before anything earns a spot in your weekly rotation, it needs to match what chicken already does well:
High protein, comparable gram for gram
Easy to cook with no special kit or method
A texture that holds up in a pan and browns properly, not something that turns to mush
Familiar enough to work in a stir-fry, curry, fajita or pasta bake
Minimal processing
Most things sold as chicken alternatives miss at least one of these. Plant-based mince is often protein-light and a bit sad in a pan. Some meat substitutes are processed enough that "healthy alternative to chicken" no longer applies. Tofu cooks easily but falls short on protein, and needs pressing before it's got any bite. This is where tempeh holds up.
Tempeh: the best alternative to chicken
Tempeh is made from fermented soya beans, pressed into a firm block with a nutty flavour and a proper bite to it. Fermentation is what separates it from tofu: it gives tempeh that firmer, meatier texture that holds its shape in a stir-fry or curry (no draining, no pressing, no crumbling), plus the gut-health benefits that come from a fermented food.
Meet Better Nature Tempeh: the flavour-hungry protein with more good inside. On protein, tempeh is a genuine protein alternative to chicken, not a compromise. Better Nature's Original Tempeh has 22g of protein per 100g, and a 200g pack contains 44g of protein, close to the roughly 45g of protein in a raw 200g chicken breast (USDA FoodData Central). It's also 100% natural (organic soya beans, water and tempeh culture, nothing else), non-GMO, gluten-free, and B Corp certified.
Chicken pulls ahead on protein density once cooked, since cooking concentrates protein as the meat loses water. But tempeh brings something chicken doesn't have at all: fibre.
Chicken vs tempeh: a quick comparison
| Per 100g | Chicken breast, raw | Better Nature Original Tempeh |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 22.7g | 22g |
| Fibre | 0g | 6.6g |
| Fat | 2.6g | 7.9g |
| Ingredients | Chicken | Organic soya beans, water, tempeh culture |
Sources: USDA FoodData Central; Better Nature product nutrition panel.
3 easy chicken swaps for tonight
Tempeh stir-fry. Cube or crumble the tempeh and pan-fry in a splash of oil until golden on a couple of sides. Then treat it exactly like chicken: same veg, same sauce, same rice. Eight to ten minutes, no pre-marinating needed.
Tempeh fajitas. Slice tempeh into strips and fry with peppers and onions, using the same fajita spice mix you'd reach for with chicken. Into a wrap with your usual toppings. Same method, one ingredient swapped.
Tempeh curry. Cube tempeh and add it to your curry sauce the way you'd add diced chicken thigh. It holds its shape and takes on flavour well, so a 10 to 15 minute simmer is enough.
None of these need a new recipe file. They need one ingredient swapped.
Give chicken the night off
You don't need to overhaul your week to try a chicken alternative. Pick one dinner, swap in tempeh, and see how it goes. Better Nature Original Tempeh is stocked in Tesco and Ocado, right where you'd normally reach for chicken.
