Chicken rendang(rendang ayam)

How to make chicken rendang(rendang ayam).

A slow-cooked chicken curry with step by step instructions and images for you to follow.

This Malaysian aromatic chicken curry is memorable for its fragrance and lingering nostalgic taste.

Cooking rendang chicken at home.

The process of making chicken rendang takes a couple of hours (1 or 2 hours max).

The reason for this Malaysian chicken curry to have such deep intense flavors and colors is because of the ingredients that are used to make the rendang spice paste and the additional ingredients that are added while the chicken curry is cooked.

Where to find the ingredients to make chicken rendang curry.

Fare warning, like every complex curry recipe, the list of ingredients is long.

To find these ingredients, you might have to hit the Asian or Thai grocery stores.

If you don’t find the fresh ingredients, then you will have to opt for the bottled versions.

Galangal, kaffir leaves, lemongrass stalks, and freshly grated coconut are hard to find.

These are the key ingredients that make the rendang spice paste unique so please do make sure to gather the ingredients first before you begin making the curry rendang.

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Beginner’s tips on making chicken rendang.

• Gather all the ingredients needed to make the slow-cooked chicken curry.
  
• You must have galangal, lemongrass, kaffir leaves and scraped coconut.
  
• Use bone-in chicken for a better flavor and make sure to make deep cuts that reach the bone, especially on the drum sticks.
  
• Clean and cut the galangal and ginger into smaller pieces to blend them in a food processor.
  
• Cut the thinner part of the lemongrass and use the stalk, cut into smaller pieces for easy to blend.
  
• Dry Red chilies give this curry its deep color, the more you use the deeper the color gets but the dry red chili will also elevate the heat, so use as per your need.
  

Why is my rendang curry yellow(pale) instead of the dark rich brown color?
There can be a few reasons for this.

• There may not be enough red chilli, but as mentioned above you need to be careful as more red chillies mean more heat to the curry. However, the coconut milk will help reduce the heat.
• Adding more turmeric powder or turmeric roots than reccomended.
• Cooking or stir-frying the spice paste until they turn dark but at the same time make sure you don’t burn the rendang spice paste.
• Dry roasting the scraped coconut until it turns a pale golden color.
• Adding more thick coconut milk and not cooking until you have a rendang curry that is almost dry.
  
  

More International slow cooked chicken recipes!

Indian Chettinad chicken.

Indian chicken korma masala curry.

Chicken pasanda curry.

Baked lemon chicken and mushroom in coconut milk.

Storing

• Try to use ziplock or foil containers as the rendang curry paste may stane your new storage containers. Freeze and use as needed.

Freezing

• let the chicken rendang cool completely.
• Separate them into portions if you need to and store them in recommended containers and refrigerate.
• Freezing the chicken rendang will allow you to store and preserve this curry for months.
  

Heating

• Remove the meat container and leave it out to reach room temperature (30-40 minutes).
• Add the curry into a cooking pan with 1/4 cup water and slow simmer the curry until water evaporates and the chicken parts are heated through.
• I would not recommend using a microwave to reheat the curry.
  

• Stop food wastage – there will be less food wastage if you portion and freeze as mentioned above and use only as needed.
  

How to make chicken rendang curry.

Please make sure to read the recipe instructions carefully to avoid mistakes.

Ingredients

Ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.

Rendang spice paste

15 small red shallots peeled

2″piece galangal

1-2 stalks of lemongrass

1″inch piece regular ginger

5-7 dried chillies(substitute with 2 and 1/2 tablespoons already ground red chilies flakes)

5 cloves of garlic

Salt to taste(start with 1 teaspoon)

1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder

Making the rendang gravy

4 tablespoons of oil

2-3 Star anise

4-5 Cardamom

1/4 cup scraped coconut

Cinnamon(2-3 inch piece)

700g bone-in chicken(thighs, legs, breast parts can be combined)

1 and 1/2 cup of thick coconut milk(not cream of coconut)

4-5 kaffir lime leaves(can add as whole or sliced)

The first one would be to make the rendang spice paste. This set of rendang ingredients need to be blended in a food processor.
For this purpose, make sure to slice the galangal and ginger into smaller pieces.

Add the red shallots(15, sliced), galangal(2″), ginger(1″), dried red chillies(5-7), lemongrass(1-2 stalks slightly bruised), garlic(5 cloves), turmeric(1/2 a tsp) into a blender.

Add water(about 1/4 cup) into the blender to ease the grinding process of the rendang paste ingredients.

If you find the onions or the ginger slices getting stuck as you blend, shut off the blender and use a small spoon to bring the solid pieces to the top to blend again.

Once blended, scrape the spices into a bowl and set aside.

Any residue from the leftover spices in the blender can be collected by adding a few tablespoons of water and stirring.
Add this to the rendang spice bowl.

The second set of ingredients would include 3 spices, kaffir leaves, and scraped coconut.

If you are wondering why my kaffir leaves look dried out in the images it’s because finding Kaffir leaves in Sri Lanka can be hard.

Whenever I get my hands on some fresh ones, I microwave them dry, store them in zip lock bags and refrigerate. These last for months.

You can also ask someone who is visiting Thailand to get you a bag of fresh kaffir leaves and microwave them dry immediately.

How to toast the scraped coconut for the rendang curry.

Add the scraped coconut into a medium-sized frying pan and toast gently over low-medium fire until they are brown.

Avoid burning the scraped coconut by constantly moving them around and maintaining low heat.

Now that you have all the components ready to make the chicken rendang curry.
It’s time to assemble.

Cooking the rendang chicken.

Use a large wide-mouthed pan or a wok.

Pour in oil and add cardamom(5), star anise(2-3), cinnamon(2-3 inch piece), and the rendang spice paste.

Cook the spices with the paste over a very low fire for 1-3 minutes or until they release their aroma(read beginner’s tips).

Add the chicken parts mix in with the spices and cook for a few minutes(3-5 minutes).
Add the coconut milk(1 and 1/2 cup), water(1 cup), taste and season with salt.

Slow cook the chicken curry over low-medium heat for (40 to 1 hour).

As the Rendang curry thickens, add the toasted coconut and the kaffir leaves. Stir for a couple of seconds.

Continue to slow cook the rendang chicken curry.

The 1st phase of cooking chicken rendang

You will notice the coconut curry gravy receding and gradually coating the chicken parts.

You will need to stir the rendang chicken occasionally to avoid the heavier spices sticking to the bottom.

Check for seasoning and season with salt if you need to.

The 2nd phase of cooking rendang.

The rendang curry is thick and tends to stick to the pan with oil dots emerging in the curry as well.

Lower the fire as much as you can and then gently combine so the spices coat the chicken parts.
Remove from fire and serve warm.

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It’s free and on the blog, for you to try anytime.

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