Chicken Rendang, or Rendang Ayam is a lip-smacking Indonesian dry curry that's loaded with tender chicken simmered with a spice paste and coconut milk until there's almost no sauce left. At this point, the remaining sauce is caramelize around the chicken along with roasted coconut to create an ultra-flavorful coating around each piece of chicken.
Course
Entree
Cuisine
Southeast Asian
Level
Intermediate
Main Ingredient
Poultry
Diet
Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free
Prep Time5minutes
Cook Time55minutes
Total Time1hour
Servings6servings
Calories462kcal
Ingredients
for spice paste
100gramsshallots(20 Asian shallots peeled and chopped)
30gramsgalangal(1 1/2 inch piece peeled, sliced)
30gramslemongrass(~ 2 stalks, light part only, thinly sliced)
925gramsbone-in skin-on chicken legs(chopped into pieces)
1cupcoconut milk(poured from the top of an unshaken can)
20gramscoconut sugar(2 tablespoons)
5kaffir lime leaves(sliced into very thin threads)
3/4cupgrated unsweetened coconut 50 grams
Instructions
Put the shallots, galangal, lemongrass, ginger, chili flakes, salt and turmeric in a small food processor or blender and puree, adding a bare minimum of water as necessary to keep the paste spinning.
Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed pan over medium heat and add the chicken, skin-side down and then add the garlic in the gaps between the chicken. Thoroughly brown the skin-side of the chicken and then transfer to a bowl.
Add the spice paste to the pan you used to brown the chicken. Fry the spice paste until the paste is very thick, caramelized and fragrant. Stir-constantly to ensure even caramelization and to prevent the paste from burning to the pan.
Return the chicken to the pan and add the coconut milk and coconut sugar. Adjust the heat down to maintain a gentle simmer and cook the chicken until it is tender, about 30 minutes. Be sure to stir the rendang regularly, especially towards the end as it will burn.
If at this point you feel like there's too much oil, you can use a spoon to skim some off as it floats to the top.
While the chicken cooks, add the grated coconut to a dry frying pan, and roast, stirring constantly until the coconut has browned and is very fragrant. Transfer the coconut to a bowl and set aside until the chicken is done.
Once the chicken is tender and there is very little sauce remaining, turn up the heat to medium and add the toasted coconut and kaffir lime leaves.
Stir-fry the rendang until the sauce has caramelized into a thick coating around the chicken (about 10 more minutes). Serve the Chicken Rendang with rice.
Nutrition Facts
Chicken Rendang (Rendang Ayam)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 462Calories from Fat 342
% Daily Value*
Fat 38g58%
Saturated Fat 24g120%
Cholesterol 81mg27%
Sodium 545mg23%
Potassium 519mg15%
Carbohydrates 15g5%
Fiber 3g12%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 17g34%
Vitamin A 1265IU25%
Vitamin C 3.5mg4%
Calcium 48mg5%
Iron 3.6mg20%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.