How much protein is in chicken rice?

A typical plate of Hainanese chicken rice has roughly 25g of protein, almost all of it from the chicken. Roasted chicken rice is similar at around 26g. Ask for extra chicken and you can push it past 35g.

Which hawker dish has the most protein?

Nasi padang with two meat dishes, bak kut teh, sambal stingray and chicken briyani all land around 28-32g per plate. Fish soup with rice and a well-picked yong tau foo are close behind at 25-26g.

How much protein is in one egg?

About 6g for one large egg, whether it's half-boiled, fried or hard-boiled. Cooking doesn't change the protein content. The white alone has roughly 4g.

Is tau kwa a good source of protein?

Yes. Firm tofu (tau kwa) has about 12g of protein per 100g, and tempeh is higher again at around 19g per 100g. Both are cheap, widely available and complete proteins.

How do I get enough protein without eating too many calories?

Sort by protein per 100 calories rather than protein per serving. Nasi padang has 32g of protein but around 700 calories, which is 4.6g per 100 kcal. Prawns give you 24g for about 100 calories — 24g per 100 kcal, five times leaner. Same protein, a fifth of the calories.

What is protein density?

Grams of protein per 100 calories. It tells you how much protein you get for the calories you spend. Anything above 10g per 100 kcal is lean — most seafood, egg white, chicken breast, plain yoghurt. Below 5g per 100 kcal means you're paying a lot of calories for the protein, which is most fried hawker dishes.

How accurate are these protein numbers?

Treat them as close estimates. Hawker portions vary enormously between stalls, and packaged foods vary between brands. For anything with a nutrition label, the label beats this table.

Free reference

How much protein is in that?

116 Singapore foods, from chicken rice to ikan bilis — protein, calories, and protein per 100 calories, so you can hit your target without eating your way past it.

116 foods

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Protein content of common Singapore foods
Food	Serving	Protein	Calories	Per 100 kcal
Collagen peptidesIncomplete protein — don't count it toward a muscle target	10g scoop	9g	36	25g
Whey isolate	30g scoop	27g	110	24.5g
Prawns	100g cooked	24g	100	24g
Egg white	1 white	4g	17	23.5g
Soy protein isolate	30g scoop	27g	115	23.5g
Canned tuna in water	100g drained	26g	115	22.6g
Crab meat	100g	19g	90	21.1g
Pea protein powder	30g scoop	24g	115	20.9g
Whey concentrate	30g scoop	24g	120	20g
Chicken breast	100g cooked	31g	165	18.8g
Squid / sotong	100g cooked	18g	100	18g
Cockles (see hum)	100g	14g	80	17.5g
Threadfin (ikan kurau)	100g cooked	22g	130	16.9g
Batang (Spanish mackerel)	100g cooked	23g	140	16.4g
Beef, lean	100g cooked	29g	180	16.1g
Chicken liver	100g cooked	25g	170	14.7g
Chicken thigh (skinless)	100g cooked	26g	180	14.4g
Dory / basa filletLower than most white fish — check the pack	100g cooked	13g	90	14.4g
Ikan bilis (dried)Very salty — a topping, not a portion	100g	45g	330	13.6g
Mushrooms	100g	3g	22	13.6g
Pork loin	100g cooked	27g	200	13.5g
Spinach	100g	3g	23	13g
Greek yoghurt	150g pot	15g	120	12.5g
Duck	100g cooked	24g	200	12g
Salmon	100g cooked	25g	210	11.9g
Canned sardines in tomato	100g	20g	180	11.1g
Fish ball	5 pieces	10g	90	11.1g
Chicken drumstick	1 drumstick	14g	130	10.8g
Mussels	100g	18g	170	10.6g
Beef, minced	100g cooked	26g	250	10.4g
Mutton	100g cooked	25g	250	10g
Pork, minced	100g cooked	26g	260	10g
Fish cake	2 slices	7g	70	10g
Beancurd skin (dried tau kee)	100g dried	45g	460	9.8g
Tempeh	100g	19g	195	9.7g
Edamame	100g shelled	11g	120	9.2g
Silken tofu	100g	5g	55	9.1g
Chicken wing	1 wing	9g	100	9g
Soy milk (unsweetened)	250ml	7g	80	8.8g
Half-boiled egg	1 egg	6g	70	8.6g
Broccoli	100g	3g	35	8.6g
Egg (large)	1 egg	6g	72	8.3g
Tau kwa (firm tofu)	100g	12g	145	8.3g
Soybeans (dried)	100g dry	36g	440	8.2g
Kai lan	100g	2g	25	8g
Sambal stingray	1 portion	30g	380	7.9g
Protein bar (typical)Varies wildly by brand — read the label	1 bar	15g	200	7.5g
Fish soup with sliced fish	1 bowl with rice	26g	350	7.4g
Bak kwa	1 slice (30g)	8g	110	7.3g
Lentils (dried)	100g dry	25g	350	7.1g
Dhal (cooked lentils)	1 bowl (200g)	16g	230	7g
Kidney beans	100g cooked	9g	130	6.9g
Otah	1 piece	4g	60	6.7g
Yong tau foo (mixed)Depends entirely on what you pick — tau kwa and fish paste beat fried flour items	7 pieces + soup	25g	380	6.6g
Cheddar cheese	1 slice (20g)	5g	80	6.3g
Bak kut teh	1 bowl with ribs	28g	450	6.2g
Yoghurt (regular)	150g pot	7g	120	5.8g
Chickpeas	100g cooked	9g	165	5.5g
Milk powder	30g	8g	150	5.3g
Pumpkin seeds	30g	9g	170	5.3g
Satay (chicken)	10 sticks	25g	480	5.2g
Fish soup with fried fish	1 bowl with rice	24g	480	5g
Prawn mee (soup)	1 bowl	20g	400	5g
Milk (fresh)	250ml	8g	160	5g
Tau pok	1 piece	3g	60	5g
Bread (wholemeal)	1 slice	4g	80	5g
Economic rice (2 meat, 1 veg)Swings hugely with which two dishes you pick	1 plate	28g	600	4.7g
Fishball noodles	1 bowl	18g	380	4.7g
Nasi padang (2 meat, 1 veg)	1 plate	32g	700	4.6g
Peanuts	100g	26g	570	4.6g
Wanton noodles	1 plate	19g	420	4.5g
Curry chicken with rice	1 plate	28g	640	4.4g
Popiah	1 roll	8g	180	4.4g
Thosai with dhal	1 plain thosai	8g	180	4.4g
Bak chor mee	1 bowl	22g	510	4.3g
Char siew rice	1 plate	26g	600	4.3g
Duck rice	1 plate	24g	560	4.3g
Tau huay	1 bowl	6g	140	4.3g
Ban mian with egg	1 bowl	20g	475	4.2g
Chicken rice (Hainanese)	1 plate	25g	600	4.2g
Luncheon meatHigh salt and fat for the protein you get	100g	13g	310	4.2g
Peanut butter	2 tbsp (32g)	8g	190	4.2g
Chapati	1 piece	5g	120	4.2g
Chicken rice (roasted)	1 plate	26g	640	4.1g
Bread (white)	1 slice	3g	75	4g
Nasi lemak (with chicken wing)	1 plate	25g	640	3.9g
Kaya toast set	toast + 2 half-boiled eggs	16g	430	3.7g
Yellow noodles (cooked)	100g	5g	140	3.6g
Pork belly	100g cooked	18g	520	3.5g
Sweet corn	100g	3g	86	3.5g
Chicken briyani	1 plate	30g	880	3.4g
Almonds	30g	6g	175	3.4g
Chia seeds	30g	5g	145	3.4g
Kway chap (egg + meat)	1 set	20g	600	3.3g
Oats (rolled)	40g dry	5g	150	3.3g
Roti prata with egg	1 piece	9g	290	3.1g
Hokkien mee	1 plate	18g	600	3g
Laksa	1 bowl	18g	600	3g
Oyster omelette	1 plate	15g	500	3g
Char siew bao	1 bun	7g	230	3g
Cashews	30g	5g	165	3g
Lor mee	1 bowl	17g	590	2.9g
Milo with milk	1 cup	5g	180	2.8g
Mee rebus	1 plate	14g	560	2.5g
Roti prata (plain)	2 pieces	10g	400	2.5g
Mee goreng	1 plate	15g	660	2.3g
Mee siam	1 plate	11g	480	2.3g
Brown rice (cooked)	1 bowl (200g)	5g	220	2.3g
Char kway teow	1 plate	16g	740	2.2g
White carrot cake (fried)	1 plate	10g	500	2g
Chee cheong fun	1 plate	5g	250	2g
White rice (cooked)	1 bowl (200g)	5g	260	1.9g
Rojak	1 plate	8g	450	1.8g
Kopi with condensed milk	1 cup	2g	110	1.8g
Bee hoon (cooked)	100g	2g	110	1.8g
Bubble tea with milk	500ml	5g	350	1.4g

The column that actually matters

Chasing protein alone is how people accidentally eat 3,000 calories. Nasi padang gives you 32g of protein for ~700 calories. Prawns give you 24g for ~100. Nearly the same protein, a fifth of the calories.

That's what protein per 100 kcal measures, and why it's the default sort. Rough reading:

10g+Lean. Fill up here — seafood, egg white, chicken breast, plain yoghurt, tofu.
5–10gFine. Most meat, eggs, dhal, milk, protein powder.
under 5gExpensive in calories. Most fried hawker plates, nuts, rice and noodles. Not banned — just know what you're spending.

Every figure is one typical serving, not per 100g — nobody orders 100g of laksa. Hawker portions swing hard by stall, so treat all of it as a close estimate. If a packet has a label, the label wins.

Leanest real food in the table: Prawns at 24g of protein per 100 calories. Protein powders score higher still, but collagen tops that list on a technicality — it's an incomplete protein and shouldn't count toward a muscle target.

Common questions

How much protein is in chicken rice?: A typical plate of Hainanese chicken rice has roughly 25g of protein, almost all of it from the chicken. Roasted chicken rice is similar at around 26g. Ask for extra chicken and you can push it past 35g.
Which hawker dish has the most protein?: Nasi padang with two meat dishes, bak kut teh, sambal stingray and chicken briyani all land around 28-32g per plate. Fish soup with rice and a well-picked yong tau foo are close behind at 25-26g.
How much protein is in one egg?: About 6g for one large egg, whether it's half-boiled, fried or hard-boiled. Cooking doesn't change the protein content. The white alone has roughly 4g.
Is tau kwa a good source of protein?: Yes. Firm tofu (tau kwa) has about 12g of protein per 100g, and tempeh is higher again at around 19g per 100g. Both are cheap, widely available and complete proteins.
How do I get enough protein without eating too many calories?: Sort by protein per 100 calories rather than protein per serving. Nasi padang has 32g of protein but around 700 calories, which is 4.6g per 100 kcal. Prawns give you 24g for about 100 calories — 24g per 100 kcal, five times leaner. Same protein, a fifth of the calories.
What is protein density?: Grams of protein per 100 calories. It tells you how much protein you get for the calories you spend. Anything above 10g per 100 kcal is lean — most seafood, egg white, chicken breast, plain yoghurt. Below 5g per 100 kcal means you're paying a lot of calories for the protein, which is most fried hawker dishes.
How accurate are these protein numbers?: Treat them as close estimates. Hawker portions vary enormously between stalls, and packaged foods vary between brands. For anything with a nutrition label, the label beats this table.

Know the number, hit the number

This table tells you what's in the food. The calculator tells you how much you actually need in a day.

Work out my target →Best hawker dishes

Educational only, not medical advice. Values are approximate and vary by stall, brand and portion.