A rich and aromatic delicious chicken rendang cooked in coconut milk and a blend of fragrant spices until tender and deeply flavourful, resulting in a perfect balance of heat, sweetness, and savoury depth.
I absolutely love rendang. I look forward to this dish especially during Hari Raya in Malaysia. I’ve had my share of chicken, pork and beef rendang and while I’ve made the latter two, I had yet to conquer the former. So this year, I made it my mission to try a recipe which I felt worked for us and thankfully found one!
I had scoured some recipes online and also looked back at my beef rendang recipe to see what would work nicely. I tried cooking a first batch (which I wasn’t too pleased with) and proceeded to tweak the recipe. The result was this flavourful rendang which I made twice in the span of two weeks and which had great feedback from friends and family. Pictured above are some of the ingredients which are needed to be blended together. I am really not liking the blue chopping board from IKEA – just a side note – don’t get chopping boards from there.
This is the blended paste consisting of shallots, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, chillis (fresh and dried), candlenuts and some meat curry powder. I personally love the taste of lemongrass to come thru in my rendang. Also I do tend to de-seed the chillies I add in but trust me the rendang still has a nice kick to it at the end. This paste requires patience to cook down. The oil has to be hot when it goes in and it has to be cooked for about 10 minutes before adding in the chicken.
Here are some of the other ingredients which complete the rendang. I really miss the days I could go out into the garden and cut some turmeric and lime leaves and use them to cook. It felt like a sin buying this leaf from the market!
I used to make the kerisik from scratch when making my beef rendang in the early days but now cook smarter and use store bought packets which I also love. Just be sure to empty the contents into a bowl and give it a good stir before adding into the chicken mix. Asam keping or dried tamarind slices, seen here next to the kerisik, are easily obtainable from the supermarket. It lends a tinge of sourness to the overall dish.
Some recipes call for 250ml coconut milk, however I just use one carton which is 200ml. I really loved the design work on Kara‘s packets of coconut milk in conjunction with Raya
When I was a beginner cook, I would never have dreamt of making rendang. However I’ve come to realise that it takes a bit of planning and prep work but the process is relatively smooth. Here are the steps summarised:
- Blend the spice paste
- Fry off spice paste
- Add the protein followed by the asam keping, coconut milk and turmeric and lime leaf shreds
- Allow to cook
- Add in kerisik and seasoning and allow to finish cooking and rest.
Once you get toward the end of the cooking and once you’ve added the kerisik, the liquid will cook down and you will end up with a thick, rich gravy like spread surrounding the chicken pieces. Do a quick taste test. Remember it’s always better to undersalt and add more from there.
We enjoy rendang with lemang the most. We also have it with nasi lemak. You can also check out my beef rendang recipe which I hope to make again soon and do let me know if you’ve tried making this chicken rendang!
Full recipe below and do read the tips section especially if you’re a beginner cook. Good luck!
Did you try this recipe?
Please do let me know if you've tried it, by leaving a comment or tagging me on IG @thesuddencook.
Chicken Rendang
Ingredients
- 1 kg Chicken - washed and drained well I use all chicken thighs cut small. You could use a whole chicken chopped into smaller pieces. We generally prefer smaller pieces in our rendang.
Add all ingredients below into a blender and blend with some water :
- 10 shallots
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 small part ginger
- 4 fresh red chillies
- 3 lemongrass Use the end white parts only
- 8 dried chillies Soaked in hot water first
- 4 candlenuts Can also sub with macademia nuts
- 2 tbsp meat curry powder
Note: I remove some of the seeds from the chillies. If you're ok with the spice level, then there is no need to.
Others:
- 60 ml Oil
- 100ml packet store bought kerisik Pour contents of packet into a bowl and give it a mix first before adding into the rendang.
- 1 turmeric leaf Slice into thin strips
- 5 lime leaves Slice into thin strips
- 3 asam keping/dried tamarind pieces Can easily be found in supermarkets in the spice section
- 200 ml coconut milk
Seasoning:
- 1/2 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
- 1.5 tsp salt
Instructions
- Heat oil in a wok or heavy based pan. When oil is hot (be sure it's hot!), add in the blended spice paste. We will cook this down by stirring on and off for at least 10 minutes. Add a bit of water in the process. After 10 minutes or so, you will see the paste pulling from the oil and the chicken is ready to go in.
- Add the chicken into the wok and give it a good stir. Add in the asam keping/dried tamarind slices and the coconut milk as well as the finely sliced turmeric and lime leaves. Note: Leave some of the the turmeric and lime leaves later for garnishing.
- Give it all a good mix. Add a bit water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes covered. Stirring on and off.
- Remove lid, mix and add sugar, salt and kerisik. Give it a good stir. Continue to cook (uncovered) for another 10-15 minutes as the liquid evaporates and the rendang becomes drier. Switch off flame and let it rest for a bit.
- Give it a taste test and adjust seasoning according to your preference. Be careful not to oversalt!
Notes
- Be sure to cook the blended paste well before adding in the chicken. Don't rush! The paste needs to cook well before the chicken is added.
- If you prefer it spicier, you can choose not to de-seed the chillies.
- Ingredients like candlenutes/buah keras or asam keping/dried tamarind slices - can be stored in the freezer for prolonged use. Candlenuts have a high oil content, which helps to thicken the spice paste and create a richer, more velvety texture in the rendang. Asam keping is added to lend some sourness that complements the rich, spicy flavours of the dish.
- Remove the mid-vein (centre part) of the turmeric and lime leaves when slicing finely. Have extra for garnishing. I personally love the addition of lime leaves.
- When blending the ingredients add some water to help the blades run smoothly.
