How many calories in machboos?
Last updated: · Prepared by: QuickCalo Team
Short answer
One plate of machboos (about 500 g) has about 750 kcal and 48 g of protein; 100 g has about 150 kcal. What changes the calories most is the oil or ghee and the size of the rice portion. One plate of spiced rice cooked in chicken broth with dried lime and a roasted chicken leg was calculated.
Machboos is the everyday celebratory rice of Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar: basmati rice cooked in chicken, meat or fish broth with onion, tomato, dried black lime and a warm spice blend, served with a tomato sauce called daqoos.
It is close to kabsa; the dried lime and the spice blend give it its own character. The rice absorbs broth and fat, so the portion and the oil decide most of the calories.
| Serving | Grams | Calories (kcal) | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Fat (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 plate | 500 | 750 | 48 | 84 | 23 |
| 100 g | 100 | 150 | 9.6 | 16.8 | 4.5 |
What changes the calories in Machboos?
- Rice: portions are usually generous.
- Oil or ghee: in the onions and rice.
- Protein: lamb is richer than chicken or fish.
How to enjoy Machboos a little lighter
- Take less rice and more chicken.
- Choose fish or skinless chicken.
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 3190 g, cooked weight 3000 g.
Six plates of spiced rice cooked in chicken broth with dried lime and roasted chicken legs (USDA values). Spices and dried lime 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 | 200 | 80 | 2.2 | USDA FDC 170000 |
| tomato | 150 | 27 | 1.3 | USDA FDC 170457 |
| 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 Machboos 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 machboos weigh?
On this page, one plate of machboos is taken as about 500 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 machboos?
One plate of machboos has about 48 g of protein; 100 g has 9.6 g.
What is the difference between machboos and kabsa?
They are very similar; machboos is the Gulf version cooked with dried lime and its own spice blend, kabsa the Saudi one.
Similar foods
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central — SR Legacy (2018) and FNDDS 2021–2023 datasets; accessed 16 October 2026
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