How many calories in chicken kabsa?
Last updated: · Prepared by: QuickCalo Team
Short answer
One plate of chicken kabsa (about 515 g) has about 765 kcal and 48 g of protein; 100 g has about 149 kcal. What changes the calories most is the amount of rice, the oil or ghee and the chicken skin. One plate of spiced rice with a roasted chicken leg, carrot and raisins was calculated.
Kabsa is the national dish of Saudi Arabia and popular across the Gulf: long-grain rice cooked in chicken broth with tomato and kabsa spices, served under pieces of chicken with nuts or raisins and a spicy tomato sauce.
The rice absorbs broth and fat as it cooks, so the size of the plate drives most of the calories. At gatherings kabsa is served on large shared platters, which makes portions hard to judge.
| Serving | Grams | Calories (kcal) | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Fat (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 plate | 515 | 765 | 48 | 90 | 23 |
| 100 g | 100 | 149 | 9.3 | 17.4 | 4.4 |
What changes the calories in Chicken kabsa?
- Rice: a large portion adds up quickly.
- Oil or ghee: added to the rice and chicken.
- Chicken skin and nuts: add fat.
How to enjoy Chicken kabsa a little lighter
- Take less rice and more chicken with salad.
- Remove the chicken skin.
How were these values calculated?
No official record matches this dish directly, so the values come from a recipe calculation: the nutrients of each ingredient were taken from USDA FoodData Central, added up and divided by the cooked weight. Raw total 3350 g, cooked weight 3100 g.
Six plates: long-grain rice cooked in spiced tomato broth with roasted chicken legs with skin (USDA values), carrot and raisins. Kabsa spices are not counted.
| Ingredient | Grams | Calories (kcal) | Protein (g) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| roasted chicken leg with skin | 1000 | 1840 | 240.3 | USDA FDC 173617 |
| white rice (raw) | 600 | 2190 | 42.8 | USDA FDC 168877 |
| sunflower oil | 40 | 354 | 0 | USDA FDC 171025 |
| onion | 150 | 60 | 1.7 | USDA FDC 170000 |
| tomato | 200 | 36 | 1.8 | USDA FDC 170457 |
| tomato paste | 30 | 25 | 1.3 | USDA FDC 170459 |
| carrot | 100 | 41 | 0.9 | USDA FDC 170393 |
| dried currants | 30 | 87 | 1 | USDA FDC 171724 |
| water | 1200 | under 5 | 0 | USDA FDC 173647 |
Spices (under 5 g in total per recipe) are not counted.
Serving weights:
- 1 plate: one of 6 equal portions of the recipe
Calories per 100 g are rounded to a whole number and macros to one decimal; serving calories to the nearest 5 and protein to a whole gram.
Can you count the calories in Chicken kabsa from a photo?
Yes: in QuickCalo, snap a photo of your plate or type what you ate, and get the calories and protein in seconds.
Frequently asked questions
How much does one plate of chicken kabsa weigh?
On this page, one plate of chicken kabsa is taken as about 515 g (one of 6 equal portions of the recipe). The real weight depends on the recipe, the size and how it is served.
How much protein is in chicken kabsa?
One plate of chicken kabsa has about 48 g of protein; 100 g has 9.3 g.
What is the difference between kabsa and mandi?
Kabsa is cooked with tomato and spices in a pot; mandi meat is cooked in a sealed pit or oven and has a smoky flavour.
Similar foods
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central — SR Legacy (2018) and FNDDS 2021–2023 datasets; accessed 16 October 2026
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