Authentic Chicken Rendang From Indonesia
This is the authentic chicken rendang recipe that has been used in many generations in my family. Chicken rendang is a very delicious traditional Indonesian food made chicken cooked with spices and coconut milk. It is a wonderful delight!
Do you know that Rendang has been voted as the most delicious meal in the world by CNN readers? (1)
The vote was gathered from CNN readers all over the world. The most delicious food number one and two are from Indonesia. Number one is rendang and number 2 is nasi goreng (fried rice).
I grew up in Indonesia and I already eat rendang by the time I am alright with spicy food. My mom’s rendang is the first I tried.
Every household has their own version of rendang. It is like a family dish that you must have.
There are many versions of rendang. You can use beef, chicken, pork, beef lung, and eggs. They all go very well with spices for rendang.
In this article I will share how to cook chicken rendang the easiest way in its authentic recipe. The spices used for chicken rendang is basically the same. It is spicy, gingery and flavorful!
What is Rendang?
Rendang is meat dish (can be beef, chicken, or lamb) that is cooked slowly at low temperature with coconut milk and lots of spices and chilis. It is an authentic dish from one of the islands in Indonesia.
The slow cooking process makes the spices and the seasonings seep into the meat and with the coconut milk the meat becomes very tender.
Because of the slow cooking process, it makes the dish durable. It can be kept in the freezer for quite a long time.
Many people sell ready-to-eat rendang in an air-tight container or canned or just simply in a pouch bag because it can stay fresh for quite some time.
Origin of Rendang
Rendang originally comes from Minangkabau, West Sumatra. (2)
The word comes from ‘randang’ which means to cook slowly using coconut milk until the broth is dried up. This flavorful dish has been found hundreds of years ago in every festive traditions in Minangkabau.
The first rendang was found in the 16th century. That was when Minang people like to travel to Malacca Straits and Singapore. The travel took a long time they needed to bring some food that can stand for many days.
Rendang was also found in other countries like Malaysia. Some Malaysian people even claimed it as their original dish, which then was reclaimed by Indonesian people with their historical evidence.
Rendang is so widely popular it reaches the neighboring countries like Singapore and Malaysia.
How is Rendang Different from Curry?
If we really check the spices used in curry and rendang, they are almost the same. They use almost the same spices and coconut milk.
Rendang is a dry version of curry. The broth is slowly cooked to almost dry. Some people like to have a little broth to eat together with rice.
Variations from Rendang Spices
Beef rendang is certainly the most popular and it can be found easily in Indonesia. However, there are many other kinds of beef rendang like the liver (hati) , the lungs (paru), the tripe (babat), and eggs.
I have shared an authentic chicken curry recipe in this blog.
Controversials around Rendang
There was once a debate whether chicken rendang should be crispy or not. Judges on UK Masterchef once criticized a Malaysian contestant that his chicken rendang was not crispy. It sparked a controversy on social media all over Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia where people protested and annoyed at the judges comment. (3)
Chicken rendang should not be crispy. The spices and coconut milk were slowly cooked with low heat to seep into the skin and meat.
Slowly cooked at low temperature for a long time to let the coconut milk and spices seep into the tender meat. So there is no way the chicken can be crispy.
Chicken Rendang Recipe
- 1 whole chicken (cut into 12 pieces)
- 1000 ml coconut milk
Spices A:
- 6 pieces red chilI
- 12 pieces curly chili
- 15 pcs red shallots
- 6 pcs garlic
- 3 pcs candlenuts
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 pcs curcumin
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
Spices B
- 1 pcs ginger (3 cm)
- 1 pcs galangal (3 cm)
- 2-3 pcs bay leaves
- 2-3 pcs lime leaves
- 2-3 pcs lemongrass stalks
Seasonings
- ¾ pcs coconut sugar
- 2-3 tsp salt
- 1 tsp mushroom powder
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN RENDANG
- Wash the chicken pieces cleanly. Drain the water.
- Cut the chilis, shallots, garlic to make it easier to blend.
- Blend all spices well. Pour a little bit of water or coconut oil to make the blending even smoothly.
- Heat some coconut oil in a pan or a big non-stick pot.
- When it is hot enough, pour all the spices in the pan. Stir fry. Put in the ginger, galangal, bay leaves, lime leaves, and lemongrass stalks. Stir fry for a while until it changes colors.
- Put in the chicken pieces. Stir fry for about 5 minutes until all the spices cover the chicken pieces.
- Pour in the coconut milk in parts. Pour half of the coconut milk first. Stir.
- Let it simmer. Pour in the other half of coconut milk. Let it boil and put to low temperature.
- Put in the coconut sugar, salt, and mushroom powder.
- Let it cook at low temperature for 1 – 2 hours or until it is almost dry. Do not forget to check once in a while and stir the chicken.
- If you like more broth, do not let it dry up. I like enough sauce to cover the chicken. In my family, we always like to put some sauce on the rice.
- Taste the broth. Adjust when needed.
- Enjoy!
Storage
The slow cooking process makes the rendang’s shelf life longer than curry. It makes the liquid content in the coconut dry so there is no more broth left.
Store chicken rendang for up to 1 month in the freezer.
It is also a good idea to separate them in boxes by the portions you usually eat. You can vacuum them in small packs if you have vacuum sealer machine at home.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q: Are the spices for Rendang easy to get?
A: Rendang spices are easy to get in Asian grocery store. Nowadays there are ground spices sold everywhere. The flavor will not differ too much from the fresh ones.
Q: Are there variations of Rendang?
A: Rendang spices mix well with chicken, beef, pork, the lungs, tribe, and eggs. The spices are versatile.
Q: Can I make this dish vegetarian or vegan?
A: Yes, you can! Just substitute the chicken with tempeh, tofu, or mushroom.
Q: How should I keep the leftover?
A: Keep the leftover in a closed container in the chiller. If you keep it frozen, it can stay for up to 3 weeks to one month.
Conclusion
Rendang is an authentic Indonesian dish. You can create any kind of rendang with chicken, beef, pork, eggs, the lungs, and the tribe.
With slow cooking process, this dish can have longer shelf like if kept properly.
Try this recipe and you will understand CNN voted rendang the most delicious meal in the world!
If you like this recipe and have tried it at your home, please tag me on my Instagram! I would love to see your creation! 🙂
Check out other Asian food recipes in my blog like Chicken Curry or if you like Asian dessert, try Purple Yam Steamed Cake.
Other authentic Asian dishes:
- Nasi Goreng Kampung – Indonesian Fried Rice
- Bihun Goreng – Fried Vermicelli
- Soto Tangkar
- Soto Betawi
- Sop Buntut Sapi / Indonesian Oxtail Soup
Chicken Rendang
Ingredients
- 1 chicken cut into 12 pieces
- 1200 ml coconut milk
SPICE A
- 6 pieces red chili
- 12 pieces curly chili
- 15 pcs shallots
- 6 pcs garlic
- 3 pcs candlenuts
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 pcs curcumin
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
SPICE B
- 1 pcs ginger 3 cm
- 1 pcs galangal 3 cm
- 2-3 pcs bay leaves
- 2-3 pcs lime leaves
- 2-3 stalk lemongrass
SEASONING
- ¾ pcs palm sugar
- 2-3 tsp salt
- 1 tsp mushroom powder optional
Instructions
- Wash the chicken pieces cleanly. Drain the water.
- Blend all spice A well. Pour a little bit of water or coconut oil to make the blending even smoothly.
- Heat some coconut oil in a pan or a big non-stick pot.
- When it is hot enough, pour spice A in the pan. Stir fry. Put in spice B (ginger, galangal, bay leaves, lime leaves, and lemongrass stalks). Stir fry for a while until it changes color and starts to smell fragrant.
- Put in the chicken pieces. Stir fry for about 5 minutes until all the spices cover the chicken pieces.
- Pour in the coconut milk in parts. Pour half of the coconut milk first. Stir.
- Let it simmer. Pour in the other half of coconut milk. Let it boil and put to low temperature.
- Put in the coconut sugar, salt, and mushroom powder.
- Let it cook at low temperature for 1 – 2 hours or until it is almost dry. Do not forget to check once in a while and stir the chicken.
- If you like more broth, do not let it dry up. I like enough sauce to cover the chicken. In my family, we always like to put some sauce on the rice.