VoltraCalories in biryani: chicken and mutton, per 100 g and per plate
Biryani has about 158 to 192 kcal per 100 g in lab analyses from Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE [1][2][3]. Kuwait's mutton biryani and a chicken biryani from UAE restaurants both came to 158, and a Bahraini meat biryani to 192.
For example, a 400 g plate comes to about 630–770 kcal (calculated). The recipe, especially the fat in the pot, moves the number more than the choice of chicken or meat.
Calories per 100 g
| Per 100 g | Mutton, Kuwait [1] | Meat, Bahrain [2] | Chicken, UAE [3] |
|---|---|---|---|
| kcal | 158 | 192 | 158 |
| Protein | 6.9 g | 8.1 g | 11.6 g |
| Fat | 4.9 g | 6.4 g | 3.3 g |
| Carbs | 21.5 g | 25.4 g | 20.7 g |
Per 100 g as served, rice and meat together. The Kuwaiti and Bahraini figures are for the edible part, without bones [1][2]. The Kuwaiti biryani was cooked from a household recipe with mutton, potatoes, peas and hydrogenated vegetable oil [1]; the UAE samples came from restaurants and were made with ghee, and their carbohydrate includes 1.0 g of fibre [3]. Bahrain's 2025 tables reprint the Kuwaiti figures. They also list a chicken biryani at 157 kcal per 100 g, marked as taken from Kuwait's tables, but its protein, fat and carbohydrate add up to only about 135 kcal (calculated), so we leave it out [4].
A plate of biryani
Plates vary a lot. Abu Dhabi's photographic food atlas, made to help people estimate portions in food surveys, shows meat biryani in eight portions from 81 g to 711 g, bones included [5]. A UAE study used 261 g, from that atlas, as a standard serving of chicken biryani [3]. Weigh your plate, or use these examples:
| Amount | Chicken | Mutton or meat |
|---|---|---|
| 261 g | ≈ 410 kcal | 410–500 kcal |
| 400 g | ≈ 630 kcal | 630–770 kcal |
| 600 g | ≈ 950 kcal | 950–1,150 kcal |
Calculated from the figures per 100 g above: chicken from the UAE analysis [3], mutton and meat from the Kuwaiti and Bahraini ones [1][2]. Weigh the food without bones: the atlas puts the edible part of its meat biryani portions at 87% [5].
What changes the number
- The fat in the pot. The Kuwaiti recipe used 60 g of fat for a pot that weighed 2,227 g cooked [1]: about 2.7 g of fat, or 24 kcal, in every 100 g (calculated), more than half of the 4.9 g of fat the lab measured.
- Rice and water. The Bahraini meat biryani held less water than the Kuwaiti one, 58.2 g per 100 g against 64.5 g, and more carbohydrate and fat: 25.4 g and 6.4 g against 21.5 g and 4.9 g [1][2]. That is why it came to 192 kcal rather than 158.
- Chicken or meat. It changed the protein more than the calories. The chicken biryani from UAE restaurants had 11.6 g of protein and 3.3 g of fat per 100 g, against 6.9 g and 4.9 g in Kuwait's mutton biryani, for the same 158 kcal [1][3].
- Bones. The figures are for the edible part: the Kuwaiti lab removed the bones before analysis [1]. If you weigh a plate with bones in it, the food you eat weighs less.
Making it lighter
Bahrain's dietary guidelines name biryani among the dishes to cook without added fat, and Oman's guide gives advice on meat and chicken in general:
- Less added fat. Bahrain's guidelines suggest "not adding any fats to traditional dishes such as Majbous, Salona, Biryani, Harees and Madhrooba" [6]. In the Kuwaiti recipe, the fat added to the pot came to about 24 kcal per 100 g (calculated, above).
- Leaner meat. Oman's guide suggests lean cuts, trimming all visible white fat before cooking, and for chicken, breast rather than thigh, with the skin removed before cooking [7].
- A smaller plate. Bahrain's guidelines advise watching the serving size, especially of desserts and mixed dishes [6].
We found no lab analysis of a lighter biryani, so apart from the fat in the pot we can't say how many calories these changes save.
In Voltra
Search biryani or برياني in the Eat tab. Voltra's built-in Gulf dishes include chicken, lamb and fish biryani, and the lamb entry uses the Kuwaiti analysis above, 158 kcal per 100 g. If your plate is different, tap Scan a meal and photograph it, or tap Describe and type it, for example chicken biryani, 400 g. Check the grams, then tap Log.
Frequently asked
How many calories are in a plate of biryani?
It depends on the plate. At 158 to 192 kcal per 100 g, a 400 g plate comes to about 630–770 kcal. A 261 g serving of chicken biryani, the standard serving in a UAE study, is about 410 kcal. Both are calculated.
Chicken or mutton biryani: which has fewer calories?
In these analyses, about the same: chicken biryani from UAE restaurants and Kuwait's mutton biryani both came to 158 kcal per 100 g. The chicken one had more protein, 11.6 g against 6.9 g, and less fat. A Bahraini meat biryani came to 192.
How much protein is in biryani?
About 7 to 12 g per 100 g in these analyses: 6.9 g in Kuwait's mutton biryani, 8.1 g in a Bahraini meat biryani and 11.6 g in UAE chicken biryani. A 400 g plate has about 28 to 46 g (calculated).
Can I eat biryani while losing weight?
Yes, if it fits your daily calories. Weigh your plate, and go easy on oil and ghee: Bahrain's dietary guidelines suggest cooking traditional dishes such as biryani without added fat, and watching the serving size of mixed dishes.
Sources
- Eid N, Al-Awadi F, et al. (1989). National Food Composition Table, I: Kuwaiti Composite Dishes (report 3267). Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research. Table 3, code M2 (Biryani Laham); recipe in Appendix II.
- Musaiger AO (2011). Food Composition Tables for Kingdom of Bahrain. Arab Center for Nutrition. Composite dishes, No. 8 (Biriyani Laham), p. 71.
- Al Dhaheri AS, Henry CJK, Mohamad MN, et al. (2017). Glycaemic index and glycaemic load values of commonly consumed foods in the United Arab Emirates. British Journal of Nutrition 117(8):1110–1117. Tables 2–4: chicken biryani from UAE restaurants; standard serving 261 g.
- Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Bahrain (2025). Bahrain Food Composition Tables, 1st edition. Items 3.2 and 4.1.
- Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (2014). A photographic atlas of food portions for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi: user guide. In Arabic. Item 21, meat biryani, pp. 6 and 17. Archived copy of the official file.
- Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Bahrain. Food Based Dietary Guidelines for the Kingdom of Bahrain. p. 90.
- Ministry of Health, Sultanate of Oman (2026). The Omani Guide for Healthy Eating 2026. Box 8.3, pp. 86–87.
Sources checked on 30 September 2026.
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