🍗 Ayam bakar (Indonesian grilled chicken)

Name: Ayam bakar (Indonesian grilled chicken)
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Indonesia · Java
Ingredients: 1 kg chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks); 6 shallots and 4 garlic cloves; 2 tbsp tamarind pulp soaked in 100 ml warm water, strained; 4 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce); 1 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp ground turmeric; 2 bay leaves (or salam leaves), 1 stalk lemongrass, bruised; 2 tbsp vegetable oil, salt, 300 ml water

Origin: Indonesia · Java

462kcal

per serving · 250 g

185kcal

per 100 g

52 gProtein21 g / 100 g

21 gFat8.5 g / 100 g

15 gCarbs6 g / 100 g

Ayam bakar is Indonesian grilled chicken: the pieces are first simmered in a paste of garlic and shallots with tamarind and kecap manis, the thick sweet soy sauce, then grilled over charcoal while being brushed with the reduced marinade. The result is sticky, glossy and charred at the edges — sweet, sour and smoky at once. It is served with rice, chili sauce and fresh cucumber.

Diets

✓

No porkfor halal, the meat must be halal-slaughtered

✓

Dairy-freeno milk, cheese, butter or yogurt in a typical recipe

✓

Low-carb6 g carbs per 100 g

✓

High protein21 g protein per 100 g — 45% of the calories

Not vegetarianbecause of: chicken

Not veganbecause of: chicken

Contains glutenbecause of: sweet soy sauce

Allergens

Contains (in a typical recipe):

⚠ Gluten ⚠ Soy

What it is made of

chickensweet soy saucetamarindgarlicshallot

Recipe

4 servings60 min

Ingredients

1 kg chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks)
6 shallots and 4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp tamarind pulp soaked in 100 ml warm water, strained
4 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
1 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 bay leaves (or salam leaves), 1 stalk lemongrass, bruised
2 tbsp vegetable oil, salt, 300 ml water

Method

Blend the shallots and garlic to a paste and fry it in the oil for 3–4 minutes until fragrant.
Add the spices, leaves, lemongrass and chicken and stir to coat, then add the tamarind water, half the kecap manis, salt and the water.
Simmer uncovered for 25–30 minutes, turning the chicken, until it is cooked through and the sauce is thick.
Mix the remaining kecap manis with a few spoons of the sauce. Grill the chicken over charcoal or under a hot grill for 8–10 minutes, brushing with the glaze and turning until charred in places.

How to make it lighter

Use skinless thighs or breast — most of the fat in grilled chicken sits in the skin.
Kecap manis is mostly sugar: brush on a thin glaze instead of pouring extra sauce over the rice.
Pair it with a small scoop of rice and a big plate of cucumber, cabbage and long beans.

History

Ayam bakar is sold at warungs and street grills all over Indonesia, and many regions have their own version, from the sweet soy-glazed Javanese style to the fiery ayam taliwang of Lombok.

Count it in one photo

Point your camera at the table — Me Nutrition recognises Ayam bakar (Indonesian grilled chicken) and every other dish, with calories and macros for each. Ate only half? Slide it.

Download on the App Store

Similar dishes

Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →