Ayam Penyet | Indonesian Fried Chicken With Sambal
Serves 4
15 mins prep
80 mins cook
95 mins total
Skip the takeout and make your own Ayam Penyet (Indonesian Fried Chicken) at home! This dish typically includes the crispy fried chicken, sambal (spicy sauce), white rice, and accompaniments like fried tofu, fried tempeh, and vegetables.
Chicken
Batter
Sambal
Other Ingredients
In a blender or food processor, add onions, garlic, ginger and 1 cup of water. Blend until you get a smooth paste.
Add the chicken to a pot. Transfer the blended paste into a pot and add lemongrass, bay leaves and all the seasonings listed. Pour in enough water to cover the chicken (see notes).
Turn the heat on high and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, turn the heat down to medium low and let it cook uncovered for 1 hour.
Once the chicken has finished cooking, let it cool down a bit and remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. Be gentle because the chicken will be very tender.
Fried Chicken
Make the batter by mixing flour, cornstarch and the remaining broth from the pot. Season with salt and sugar. Mix well.
In a pot or pan, pour in neutral oil for shallow frying (the amount should be at least half of the thickness of the chicken). Heat it up to medium low heat and check if the oil is hot enough before frying (see notes).
Dip each chicken piece in the batter until it's well coated, gently tap off the excess and immediately add it into the hot oil. Fry for 3-4 minutes before flipping it gently to the other side. Continue frying for another 3-4 minutes or until golden brown on all sides before removing from the oil onto a wire rack. Remove any excess batter crumbs or chicken pieces in the hot oil once they turn golden brown before frying the next pieces of chicken.
Sambal (Spicy Sauce)
Simmer the ingredients in a pot for at least 10 minutes. The amount of water should be enough to cover the ingredients.
Remove the ingredients from the water and let it cool down slightly before transferring everything (except the tomato) to a food processor or blender.
Pulse it 5-6 times before adding the tomato. Pulse for another 8-10 times (see notes).
In a pot or pan, add enough oil to cover the surface and heat it up over medium heat. Once hot enough, transfer the spicy paste to the pan. Stir often. Cook it until the sambal is drier (about 10 minutes) then season with salt, sugar, chicken bouillon and lemon juice. Adjust to taste.
Serving
Smash the fried chicken with the flat side of a knife, pestle or even a rolling pin.
On a plate, add the white rice, fried chicken, sambal and veggies. Enjoy!
