Real numbers · sources cited

Calories in chicken mandi: 600–850 — drier than kabsa, and it shows

Like machboos/kabsa, mandi has no USDA entry — the survey database simply doesn't cover Gulf rice dishes. But mandi's method matters: the rice steams in the tandoor UNDER the smoked meat, catching drippings rather than being cooked in added fat. Same components, honestly counted, land a touch lighter:

The component math (typical 430 g plate)

Component	Typical	Basis (per 100 g)	kcal
Mandi rice (steamed + drippings)	280 g	Rice, white, cooked as ingredient — FDC 2710788: 130 kcal, 2.5 P / 29.0 C	≈364
Smoked chicken quarter, skin on	140 g	Chicken thigh, rotisserie, skin eaten — FDC 2706035: 226 kcal, 22.5 P / 15.1 F	≈316
Skin removed instead	(alternative)	Skin not eaten — FDC 2706036: 193 kcal, 24.1 P / 10.7 F	≈270
Drippings/ghee in the rice	~0.5–1 tbsp	≈120 kcal/tbsp	60–120
Sahawiq (green chili sauce)	2 tbsp	minor	≈15

Total ≈ 755 kcal with skin; the honest range is 600–850. Skinless with modest rice reaches 600; a majlis heap with lamb instead of chicken (fattier) climbs past 850.

Mandi vs kabsa, honestly: the difference is real but small — mandi's steamed rice saves roughly 60–120 kcal versus rice cooked in fat, if portions match. Portion size still dominates: plates span 350–600 g, a ±40% swing no name-based number can see.

Protein check

~42 g protein with the skin-on quarter — mandi is one of the strongest protein plates in Gulf cuisine. The white-rice load keeps the estimated glucose impact in the high band for most people (estimate from composition, not a measurement); meat-first ordering and a side salad soften the curve.

Scan the actual plate — in Arabic

Proba is fully localized in Arabic, itemizes Gulf plates with editable grams, and cites the USDA line behind every number on the receipt. Same plate, same answer, every time — the five-scan test settles arguments at the table.

Scan your mandi — free, 3 scans/day

Method & limitations: how Proba counts. USDA search for "mandi" returning no survey entries verified 2026-07-28; cited component entries link to FoodData Central.