Chicken curry calories
A bowl of home chicken curry with 125 g of chicken has about 315 calories. A 200 ml katori is about 255. The share of chicken matters most: a katori of mostly pieces has more than one of mostly gravy. Restaurant or dhaba chicken curry, cooked with more oil, runs about 280 to 305.
Home chicken curry is chicken cooked in a masala of fried onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and whole spices, with a little curd. Every region has its own, from Punjabi tari wala chicken to Bengali kosha mangsho-style curries and Kerala versions with coconut.
Chicken is about two thirds of the calories in this recipe and the oil most of the rest. The share of chicken to gravy in your katori makes a big difference.
Typical values for a home kitchen, for the portion named next to each number. Other sites often show bigger numbers because they count a bigger serving or a restaurant recipe. Your own katori, roti and oil change the number; Slate adjusts for them.
How many calories are in chicken curry?
| Portion | Cals | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ¾ cup (150 ml), NIN's measure about 150 g | 195 | 18 g | 5 g | 11 g |
| 1 katori (200 ml) about 200 g | 255 | 24 g | 6 g | 15 g |
| 1 katori (250 ml) about 250 g | 320 | 30 g | 8 g | 19 g |
| 1 bowl (125 g chicken) about 245 g | 315 | 29 g | 8 g | 19 g |
| 100 g about 100 g | 130 | 12 g | 3 g | 8 g |
How does home chicken curry compare with outside?
Restaurant and dhaba chicken curries are usually cooked with more oil, often with a layer of it on top, and some add cream or butter.
No lab has measured one, so the range below assumes 1.5 to 2 times the oil of this home recipe for the same katori.
| Version | Cals | Fat |
|---|---|---|
| Home | 255 | 15 g |
| Restaurant or dhaba | 280 to 305 | 18 to 21 g |
What changes the calories in chicken curry?
- The share of chicken matters most. A katori that's mostly pieces has more than one that's mostly gravy.
- Each teaspoon of oil adds about 40 calories to the pot. Skimming oil off the top takes some away.
- Chicken with skin, or thighs and legs, have more fat than skinless breast.
- Coconut-based curries add more: 60 g of coconut milk is about 140 calories.
How were these numbers worked out?
The recipe is the chicken curry in The Art & Science of Cooking (via the Indian Nutrient Databank): 250 g of boneless chicken with 100 g each of onion and tomato, ginger, garlic, curd and spices, cooked in a tablespoon of oil, counted as eaten, for 2 bowls. IFCT 2017 supplies the values, and its chicken breast carries 9 g of fat per 100 g against USDA's 3 g, so these figures sit at the higher end. The ingredients added together weigh about 489 g, so the pot is 130 calories per 100 g and a bowl with 125 g of chicken is 315. The two checks pull apart, ICMR-NIN's chicken curry 24% above the 150 ml row and USDA's survey chicken curry 17% below per 100 g, so the page shows a range. No Indian restaurant chicken curry has been analysed; the range uses 1.5 to 2 times this recipe's oil. Every dish on Slate is worked out the same way: how Slate counts calories.
| Ingredient | Raw | Values from |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken, breast, skinless Boneless weight | 250 g | IFCT 2017 N003 |
| Onion, big | 100 g | IFCT 2017 G017 |
| Tomato, ripe, hybrid | 100 g | IFCT 2017 D075 |
| Ginger, fresh | 10 g | IFCT 2017 G014 |
| Garlic | 2.2 g | IFCT 2017 G011 |
| Curd (dahi), whole milk 2 teaspoons | 10 g | USDA FDC 171284 |
| Coriander seeds (dhania) | 0.45 g | IFCT 2017 G024 |
| Cumin seeds | 0.5 g | IFCT 2017 G025 |
| Turmeric powder | 0.75 g | IFCT 2017 G033 |
| Red chilli powder | 0.7 g | USDA FDC 171319 |
| Groundnut oil 1 tablespoon | 13.6 g | IFCT 2017 T005 |
Published figures differ with the oil and the share of chicken. ICMR-NIN counts ¾ cup of chicken curry at 240 calories, above this page's 195, while USDA's survey puts 100 g at 107, below this page's 130. A 200 ml katori of chicken curry can be anywhere from about 215 to 320.
Sources
- ICMR-NIN, Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. Chicken breast skinless (N003), onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, spices, oil; values read from github.com/nodef/ifct2017
- Vijayakumar et al., Indian Nutrient Databank (INDB), Current Developments in Nutrition, 2024. The Art & Science of Cooking recipe ASC240, chicken curry
- ICMR-NIN, Dietary Guidelines for Indians: A Manual (2011). Annexure 8: chicken curry 240 kcal per 3/4 cup
- USDA FoodData Central, FNDDS Chicken curry (2706437). 107 kcal per 100 g
- USDA FoodData Central, Chicken, broilers or fryers, meat only, raw (171052). 119 kcal, 3.1 g fat per 100 g, for comparison
- USDA FoodData Central, Yogurt, plain, whole milk (171284). Curd
Questions people ask
How many calories are in 1 bowl of chicken curry?
About 315 for a home bowl with 125 g of chicken, and about 255 for a 200 ml katori.
How many calories are in 100 g of chicken curry?
About 130 for this home curry. Values from other sources run from about 107 to 160, depending on oil and how much is chicken.
How much protein is in chicken curry?
About 29 g in a bowl with 125 g of chicken, and about 24 g in a 200 ml katori.
How many calories are in chicken curry and rice?
Add about 160 for a 200 ml katori of plain rice to the curry: about 255 for a 200 ml katori.
Which has more calories, chicken curry or butter chicken?
Restaurant butter chicken, usually, because of the butter and cream. Made at home from textbook recipes the two are close: about 255 per 200 ml katori here and about 260 for butter chicken.