Meat, Grills & Lauk

How Many Calories in Ayam Goreng?

Malay-style fried chicken, marinated in turmeric and spices, coated in batter and deep fried skin-on until golden and crispy.

390kcal / 1 piece (thigh or drumstick, bone-in)
One piece of ayam goreng (thigh or drumstick, bone-in, around 160g) will cost you roughly 390 calories, with 28g protein, 12g carbs and 25g fat. That is a pretty decent protein hit, but the skin and the deep frying are doing a lot of heavy lifting on the fat side.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 piece (thigh or drumstick, bone-in) (160g)AmountPer 100g
Calories390 kcal244 kcal
Protein28 g18 g
Carbs12 g8 g
Fat25 g16 g

Where the calories come from

Chicken meat (thigh/drumstick, cooked, skin on)110g
220 kcal
Spiced flour/batter coating20g
70 kcal
Oil absorbed during deep frying9g
85 kcal
Marinade (turmeric, garlic, lemongrass, spices)15g
15 kcal

The real talk

Ayam goreng is basically Malay fried chicken. You marinate a piece of chicken in turmeric, garlic, lemongrass and whatever spices your mak or the nasi campur auntie likes, then you coat it and drop it in hot oil. The skin crisps up, the batter turns golden, and it smells like something you should definitely not be eating on a deficit. At 390 calories per piece, it is not exactly diet food, but it is also not crazy. The 25g of fat is the main issue, and most of that comes from two things: the skin (do not underestimate it) and the oil absorbed during frying. The batter adds another layer. To be straight with you, these numbers are a ballpark estimate because solid lab data for Malaysian home-style ayam goreng is basically nonexistent. Different stalls, different batters, different oil temperatures, different drain times. Take the 390 as a reasonable middle ground, not gospel.

What actually moves the needle is the variant and the piece size. Ayam goreng kunyit (no thick batter, just a turmeric marinade) drops to around 280 calories because there is less coating to absorb oil. The full berempah version with that thick lemongrass-galangal-coriander batter climbs to about 420 calories. If you pull the skin off before eating, you are probably saving 40 to 60 calories right there. Two pieces at a nasi campur stall and you are looking at close to 800 calories before the rice even touches the plate. Pair it with kangkung or a plain sayur instead of another lauk, and the whole meal lands somewhere reasonable.

Ayam Goreng variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Ayam goreng kunyit (turmeric only, no batter)280 kcalThin turmeric marinade, no thick coating; less batter means less oil absorbed
Ayam goreng mamak (light spiced coating)350 kcalModerate spiced coating, typical mamak stall style
Ayam goreng tepung (flour-battered)380 kcalPlain flour batter, less spice complexity than berempah
Ayam goreng berempah (thick spiced batter)420 kcalThickest coating of lemongrass, galangal, coriander batter; absorbs most oil

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in Ayam Goreng?
One piece of ayam goreng (thigh or drumstick, bone-in, around 160g) is approximately 390 calories. The berempah version with thick batter is closer to 420 calories, while kunyit style without batter comes in around 280 calories.
What exactly is ayam goreng?
Ayam goreng is Malay fried chicken. The chicken is marinated in turmeric, garlic, lemongrass and spices, then either coated in spiced batter or left with just the marinade, and deep fried skin-on. You will find it at nasi campur stalls, mamak shops and basically every warung in the country.
Is ayam goreng a good source of protein?
One piece gives you 28g of protein, which is solid. The catch is the 25g of fat that comes with it, mostly from the skin and the oil absorbed during frying. If you are watching calories, kunyit style without thick batter is the smarter pick.

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See all Meat, Grills & Lauk calories, ranked →

Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical hawker or kopitiam serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

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