Indonesian & Malaysian · Lunch · Dinner
Ayam Bakar (Indonesian Grilled Sweet Soy Chicken)
Ayam bakar
Skinless chicken thighs are simmered in a fragrant shallot, garlic and lemongrass paste, then grilled with a glossy sweet soy glaze until lightly charred. Fresh cucumber, tomato and lime on the side keep it bright.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 65 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 26% · Fat 32% · Protein 42%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 800 g (about 8 thighs)boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 6 small90 gshallots, peeled
- 4 cloves12 ggarlic
- 3 nuts10 gcandlenuts (or macadamia nuts)
- 3 cm piece15 ggalangal, sliced
- 2 cm piece10 gfresh ginger, sliced
- 1 tspground turmeric
- 1 tspground coriander
- 1 stalk20 glemongrass, bruised
- 3 leavesIndonesian bay leaves (daun salam) or bay leaves
- 1 tbsp14 gvegetable oil
- 3 tbsp60 gkecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
- 1 tbsp15 gtamarind paste
- 1 cup240 gwater
- 1 medium200 gcucumber, sliced
- 2 medium240 gtomatoes, sliced
- 165 glime, cut into wedges
Steps
- 1
Blend the shallots, garlic, candlenuts, galangal, ginger, turmeric and coriander with 2 tbsp of the water into a smooth paste.
- 2
Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat and fry the paste with the lemongrass and bay leaves for 4-5 minutes until fragrant and no longer raw-smelling.
- 3
Add the chicken and turn to coat it in the paste.
- 4
Stir in the remaining water, 2 tbsp of the kecap manis and the tamarind paste.
- 5
Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, turning the chicken once.
- 6
Uncover and simmer 5-8 minutes more until the sauce is thick and clings to the chicken; taste and add a splash more water if it seems too salty.
- 7
Remove the chicken and stir the remaining kecap manis into the pan sauce to make a basting glaze; discard the lemongrass and bay leaves.
- 8
Heat a grill, griddle pan or barbecue to medium-high.
- 9
Grill the chicken for 8-10 minutes, turning and brushing with the glaze often, until charred in spots and cooked through to 74 °C / 165 °F.
- 10
Serve with the cucumber, tomato and lime wedges.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use extra-firm tofu or tempeh instead of chicken, and choose a kecap manis labelled vegan, for a plant-based version.
- Swap the kecap manis for one labelled gluten-free, and make sure your tamarind paste has no added gluten-containing ingredients, to keep the dish gluten-free.
- If you can't find galangal, use an extra 2 cm of fresh ginger, though the flavour will be a little less citrusy.
- For a nut-free version, leave out the candlenuts; the paste will be slightly less rich but still works.
Storage
Refrigerate leftover chicken in a covered container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot all the way through. Keep the sliced cucumber and tomato separately and eat them within a day, as they don't keep or freeze well.
Make ahead
You can blend the spice paste up to 2 days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge, or simmer the chicken in the sauce a day ahead, chill it with its glaze, and grill just before serving.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: SoyGlutenTree nuts
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (449 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 398 kcal | 89 kcal |
| Protein | 42.8 g | 9.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 25.7 g | 5.7 g |
| of which sugars | 13.2 g | 2.9 g |
| Fiber | 3.2 g | 0.7 g |
| Fat | 14.1 g | 3.1 g |
| of which saturated | 2.9 g | 0.6 g |
| Sodium | 653 mg | 145 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
