How Many Calories in Bubur Ayam?

Warm rice congee with shredded chicken, fried shallots, and spring onion, a light but surprisingly filling bowl at 330 calories.

330kcal / 1 bowl

Bubur Ayam comes in at 330 calories per bowl (400g), making it one of the more diet-friendly options you can order at the mamak. That number is for the full standard version with shredded chicken breast, fried shallots, spring onion, and a sesame oil and soy sauce drizzle. You're getting 22g of protein and 42g of carbs, so it's genuinely filling without wrecking your calorie budget for the day.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 bowl (400g)	Amount	Per 100g
Calories	330 kcal	83 kcal
Protein	22 g	6 g
Carbs	42 g	11 g
Fat	7 g	2 g

Where the calories come from

Rice congee base250g

135 kcal

Shredded chicken breast75g

110 kcal

Fried shallots8g

40 kcal

Sesame/ginger oil drizzle5g

45 kcal

The real talk

330 calories for a full bowl of chicken congee is genuinely not bad lah. Think about it, you're getting a warm, filling 400g bowl with real protein from the chicken and enough carbs to feel human again. The congee base itself is only 135 calories because it's mostly water that the rice soaked up during cooking. The shredded chicken breast at 75g adds 110 calories and that's where your 22g of protein comes from. The sneaky calories are the fried shallots (40 cal) and that sesame oil drizzle (45 cal), which sounds small but together that's 85 calories for stuff that sits on top. This is a solid breakfast or sick-day meal for someone trying to lose weight.

What actually changes the maths is how heavy-handed the stall is with the oil and shallots. Some places pour on the sesame oil like it's free, easily doubling that 45 calorie estimate to 90 or more. Add a side of keropok and you're suddenly at 430 calories before you even touch your teh tarik. The big win here is swapping to plain congee with extra chicken, so 135 calories base plus 110 calories of chicken gets you to 245 calories with solid protein and none of the fried bits. If you add an egg instead of keropok, you're at around 400 calories with even more protein. Bro that's a legit high-volume, decent-protein meal for someone trying to be in a deficit.

Bubur Ayam variants, ranked by calories

Variant	Calories	Notes
Plain congee (no toppings)	180 kcal	Just rice porridge, no chicken or fried shallots
Standard bubur ayam	330 kcal	Shredded chicken, fried shallots, spring onion, sesame oil and soy sauce drizzle
With egg (telur rebus)	400 kcal	Add one boiled or poached egg
With keropok/crackers	430 kcal	Extra fried crackers on the side, common at mamak stalls

How to eat it lighter

Skip the keropok and crackers on the side, that's an easy 100 calories you don't really taste anyway.
Ask for less oil drizzle or no sesame oil. That 5g drizzle accounts for 45 calories, which is a lot for something you barely notice.
Double up on the shredded chicken instead of adding an egg if you want more protein without ballooning the calories too much.
Go easy on the fried shallots. They're delicious but 8g is already 40 calories and some stalls pile them on way more generously than that.
Eat it without soy sauce if you're also watching sodium, especially if you're retaining water and wondering why the scale won't move.

Common questions

How many calories in Bubur Ayam?

A standard bowl of Bubur Ayam is 330 calories for a 400g serving with shredded chicken, fried shallots, and spring onion. Plain congee with no toppings drops to about 180 calories, while adding a boiled egg brings it to around 400 calories.

Is Bubur Ayam good for weight loss?

Honestly, yes, it's one of the better options out there. 330 calories for a full bowl is pretty reasonable, and the 22g of protein from the chicken keeps you full. Just watch out for extra oil drizzles, keropok on the side, or a super generous ladle of those fried shallots.

Why does congee feel so filling even though it's mostly rice?

Rice congee is cooked with way more water than normal rice, so the volume is much higher per calorie. That 250g of congee base is mostly water absorbed into the rice during cooking, which means your stomach gets a proper workout filling up without a huge calorie hit. Add some chicken on top and you're sorted.

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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.

New to all this? Read how I went from 128kg to 86kg without cutting rice →