This experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of dietary nutrient density on haematic parameters, oxidative status and mitochondrial complex activity in the heart and liver of broilers under low ambient temperature. Eight-day-old male ROSS-308 chickens were randomly divided into two treatments fed with normal (control) and high metabolizable energy (ME) and crude protein density (H) diets. A high nutrient density diet increased body weight gain and reduced the feed conversation ratio during the first 3 weeks. Increased ascites-related mortality (weeks 4 to 6), right ventricle/total ventricle (week 6), blood haemoglobin (weeks 2 and 4) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin (week 2) were observed in treatment H. Levels of malonaldehyde and protein carbonylation were increased at week 4, and activities of glutathione peroxidase at week 4 and CuZn superoxide dismutase and catalase at week 6 were decreased in the heart; only malonaldehyde (week 6) was increased in the liver in treatment H. Relative mRNA expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1 (heart) was increased and heme oxygenase-1 (heart and liver) was decreased at week 4 in broilers fed with high ME and protein diet. Activities of mitochondrial complex III and IV (week 6) in the heart, and complex I (week 6) and complex III and IV (week 4) in the liver were decreased in treatment H. In conclusion, high levels of dietary ME and protein resulted in oxidative stress and high incidence of ascites in broilers under low ambient temperature. Heart dysfunction was primarily attributed to ascites development, in which oxidative injury and inhibition of mitochondrial complex activity were involved.