Rice Meals · Thailand

How Many Calories in Khao Mok Gai?

Also known as ข้าวหมกไก่, Khao Mok Kai, Thai Chicken Biryani, Thai Muslim Chicken Rice.

Thai Muslim biryani: rice cooked in chicken stock with turmeric, ghee and whole spices, with a bone in chicken thigh buried in it, served with crispy fried shallots, cucumber, a sweet and sour green chili sauce and a small bowl of clear chicken soup. 50 to 70 baht at halal stalls.

534kcal / 1 plate
A 350g plate of khao mok gai is about 534 calories, the figure listed by hdmall. The spiced rice is about 330 of that, the chicken thigh with skin around 190, and the sauce and shallots the rest. It is around 200 calories lighter than a Malaysian nasi briyani with chicken because the Thai version uses less ghee and a single chicken piece.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 plate (350g)AmountPer 100g
Calories534 kcal153 kcal
Protein28 g8 g
Carbs66 g19 g
Fat17 g5 g

Where the calories come from

Turmeric rice cooked with ghee and stock220g
330 kcal
Chicken thigh, bone in, with skin130g
190 kcal
Sweet green chili sauce25g
20 kcal
Fried shallots, cucumber, clear soup60g
35 kcal

The real talk

Thai khao mok is built lighter than the briyani it descends from. The rice is cooked with turmeric, a spoon of ghee or butter and stock, then steamed, so 220g of it is about 330 calories against 400 or more for oily Indian style rice. The chicken is one bone in thigh, about 130g raw, cooked in the rice, so it does not get fried. That thigh with skin is about 190 calories and 20g of protein.

The green sauce (nam jim khao mok) is sugar, vinegar, green chili, mint and coriander blended. A small dish is about 25g and 20 calories, almost all sugar. The fried shallots on top are 5g and 20 calories. And the bowl of clear soup on the side is about 15 calories and worth drinking. None of these move the plate much; the rice is two thirds of the total.

Portions vary more than most Thai plates. A stall that serves a small thigh and a modest scoop of rice is around 420. A restaurant plate with a big leg quarter and a heaped rice mound is 680 or more. Khao mok nuea (beef) is a bit higher because the beef is braised in fat, and khao mok pae (goat) higher still at around 620 for the standard plate.

How the portions compare

420 kcal
Small stall plate
534 kcal
Standard plate
680 kcal
Restaurant plate with leg quarter and extra rice

Khao Mok Gai variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Khao mok gai534 kcalChicken thigh, the standard
Khao mok nuea (beef)580 kcalBraised beef chunks
Khao mok pae (goat)620 kcalGoat on the bone, richer rice
Khao mok gai tod (fried chicken)650 kcalFried thigh instead of steamed

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

Is khao mok gai healthy?
It is a reasonable one plate meal at 534 calories with 28g of protein. The rice is two thirds of the calories, so asking for less rice is the single most useful change.
Khao mok gai vs khao man gai, which has fewer calories?
Khao mok gai at 534 is a little lower than khao man gai at 596 for a 300g plate, mainly because khao man gai rice is cooked in chicken fat.
How many calories in khao mok gai without the rice?
The chicken thigh with skin, sauce and shallots is about 230 calories. The rice on its own is about 330.

Related foods

See all Rice Meals calories, ranked ›

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

Calorie figure based on hdmall.co.th khao mok gai 1 plate = 534 kcal. Macros estimated from the ingredients.

How many calories do you actually need?

Free TDEE calculator. Thirty seconds, no sign up.

Use the calculator