Meat, Grills & Lauk

How Many Calories in Tandoori Chicken?

Yogurt and spice marinated chicken roasted in a tandoor, served at mamak stalls usually alongside naan, and one of the leaner high-protein options you can actually order without feeling bad about it.

290kcal / 1 quarter piece (leg or breast, bone-in)
A quarter piece of tandoori chicken (leg or breast, bone-in, about 200g) comes in at around 290 calories with 34g of protein and 13g of fat. That makes it a solid mamak order if you are watching your calories, especially compared to the roti canai or mee goreng you were probably also eyeing. Note that these are ballpark numbers; hard nutrition data for mamak-style tandoori is thin, so treat 290 kcal as a good estimate rather than a precise lab result.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 quarter piece (leg or breast, bone-in) (200g)AmountPer 100g
Calories290 kcal145 kcal
Protein34 g17 g
Carbs6 g3 g
Fat13 g7 g

Where the calories come from

Chicken meat (roasted, ~160g edible after bone)160g
240 kcal
Skin (partial, thin layer)15g
30 kcal
Yogurt and spice marinade absorbed25g
20 kcal

The real talk

Tandoori chicken is basically marinated chicken roasted at very high heat, so most of the fat you get is from the meat itself and whatever skin stays on, not from oil being poured over it. The yogurt and spice marinade contributes next to nothing calorie-wise, roughly 20 calories of absorbed marinade out of 290 total. The majority of those 290 calories comes from about 160g of actual edible chicken meat (240 kcal) plus a thin layer of skin (30 kcal). If you are someone who used to demolish three pieces of fried chicken at a sitting, bro, a quarter tandoori with the skin is genuinely not a disaster. Fair warning though: these numbers are a ballpark estimate because standardised data for mamak tandoori specifically is pretty much nonexistent. Different stalls use different marinades and some baste with butter toward the end, which will push calories up.

The thing that actually changes the maths is whether you have skin or not, and what you eat it with. Go skinless breast and you drop to roughly 220 calories with more protein per bite. Keep the skin on a leg quarter and you stay closer to 290. Where people quietly blow their budget is the naan that comes with it. One plain naan is around 270 calories on its own, so your 290-calorie tandoori just became a 560-calorie meal before you even touched the mint chutney. Swap the naan for chapati (around 120 calories each) or just ask for extra salad on the side and you keep the whole meal under 450 calories while still feeling like you ate properly.

Tandoori Chicken variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Skinless breast quarter220 kcalBreast piece without skin is significantly leaner, around 25-28g protein at roughly 110 kcal per 100g edible
Standard quarter (leg or breast, some skin)290 kcalTypical mamak serving as described above
Full half chicken560 kcalSome mamak stalls sell half chicken portions, roughly double the quarter

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in Tandoori Chicken?
A standard quarter piece (leg or breast, bone-in, around 200g) has approximately 290 calories, with 34g protein and 13g fat. Go skinless breast and it drops to around 220 calories.
What is tandoori chicken exactly?
It is chicken marinated in yogurt and spices (usually cumin, coriander, chilli, garlic, ginger) then roasted in a tandoor, which is a clay oven that hits very high temperatures. The high heat chars the outside and keeps the inside moist. You will find it at most mamak restaurants, usually served with naan and some sliced onions.
Is tandoori chicken a good choice for weight loss?
Honestly, yes, it is one of the better things on a mamak menu. 34g of protein for 290 calories is a decent deal. The thing to watch is what you eat with it. Pair it with naan and rice and the total meal climbs fast. Eat it with chapati or salad instead and it is a genuinely solid high-protein meal.

Related foods

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.

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

Want to know how many calories you actually need?
Use The Calculator