It brings me so much joy to share authentic ethnic cuisine with the internet. I love honoring and celebrating culture, while also opening the door to fellow foodies to learn something new. Today I want to share another great opportunity to learn: ayam kalasan. Ayam kalasan Indonesian fried chicken is one of my favorite fried chicken recipes and all around fried chicken dish! I visited Indonesia several times after college and understand some of the dialects as well! This recipe brings me back to the beautiful country!
The flavors in this dish are bright, sweet, and aromatic. Galangal, (sometimes called Thai ginger), garlic, coconut and lemongrass create this irresistible Indonesian flavor profile. You can serve these delicious drumsticks with a side of rice and a little sambal sauce. Some steamed veggies make a nice addition as well!
Why You'll Love This Javanese Fried Chicken
- Flavor Filled - This dish is an absolute flavor bomb. It has tons of sweet, spicy, aromatic notes that diners will love.
- Freezer Friendly - Don’t let cooking for one deter you from making beautiful food. This dish freezes well, and can be easily reheated in the air fryer!
Ingredients for Ayam Kalasan Fried Chicken
- Chicken - People traditionally prepare ayam kalasan using drumsticks and sometimes chicken thighs. . Aim for 2-3 pounds. Sorry folks, it's not the time to use chicken breasts! You'll get dry chicken.
- Coconut Water - Coconut water is a key ingredient in ayam kalasan, not coconut milk. It adds in flavor and nutrition. You will need 24 oz + 2 tbsp.
- Lemongrass - Clean and trim 2 small stalks of lemongrass to prepare for this dish.
- Shallots - Shallots add such a beautiful, delicately pungent flavor. You will need 3 small shallots for this Indonesian fried chicken.
- Garlic - You want to have a good amount of garlic flavor in the mix for this dish, so pick up 4 cloves.
- Galangal - Galangal is sometimes called Thai ginger. While it is a relative of ginger, it is actually its own spice. If you are not able to get your hands on some galangal, you can replace it with ginger. You will need 1 inch, fresh.
- Coriander - You will need 1 ½ tbsp ground coriander for your spice paste.
- Soy Sauce - It only takes ¼ tsp soy sauce to season your ayam kalasan.
- Bay Leaves - Dried bay leaves work great to bring out the savory undertones in this dish. You should add 5 to your pot.
- Coconut Sugar - Coconut sugar is the perfect complement to the natural sweetness and spiciness of your ingredients. You will need ½ cup. If you don’t have any coconut sugar, brown sugar will work.
- Salt & Pepper - Of course you should season your chicken before you cook it, and just a little salt and pepper will do the trick.
- Vegetable Oil - You will need 1 tbsp of oil for when you saute your paste, but you will also need around 3 cups to deep fry your chicken. Vegetable oil works nicely, but you can substitute another oil with a high smoke point, such as peanut oil.
How to Make Ayam Kalasan
- In a food processor, combine lemongrass, shallot, garlic, galangal, coriander and 2 tbsp coconut water. Process until you form a textured but smooth paste. Chunks are okay, but the finer the better.
- Over medium-high heat, sauté paste in 1 tbsp oil, for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant.
- To the pot, mix in coconut water, soy sauce, bay leaves and coconut sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
- Sprinkle chicken drums with salt and pepper then submerge in pot and boil, lid off, for 20-25 minutes.
- When done, remove from the pot and let dry a bit.
- In a large pot, bring frying oil to approximately 375F. This takes about five minutes over medium-high heat. Fry for 3-4 minutes or until brown and crispy. (Wet chicken will make oil pop, so make sure drums aren’t drippy with liquid from boiling. Transfer to a paper towel to remove excess oil and enjoy warm. Serve with jasmine rice.
Step-by-Step Instructions
First, prepare your spice paste! Add your lemongrass, shallots, garlic, galangal, coriander, and 2 tbsp of your coconut water to a food processor or high-powered blender. Process your ingredients until they form a paste. The paste should have some texture, and it is okay if there are some chunks, but you want to get the paste relatively fine.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Sauté your paste for 2-3 minutes, or until fragrant.
Next, add your soy sauce, bay leaves, coconut sugar, and the rest of your coconut water to the pot. Stir to dissolve your sugar, and simmer your mixture for 2-3 minutes.
Season your drumsticks with a little salt and pepper. Then, add them to your pot. They should be fully submerged in your liquid. Boil your chicken for 20-25 minutes uncovered.
Next, remove your chicken from the pot of liquid and allow the excess liquid to drain, so that your chicken is no longer dripping.
Meanwhile, grab a second large pot and add your frying oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. This should bring the oil to around 375 F. Next, fry your chicken! Since the chicken was wet, you want to be careful with this step. Excess liquid can cause the oil to pop, so be sure your chicken is not dripping when you add it to the pot. Fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes, or until it gets brown and crispy. Yes, you can use an air fryer, but there's something about deep frying that can't be beat! Remove the chicken from the oil and set it on a paper towel-lined plate to drain off the excess oil.
Enjoy warm as is or with a side of jasmine rice and sambal, some folks like to eat it with kecap manis which is sweet soy sauce.
Cook's Tips
- If you have a pressure cooker, you can use that rather than boiling your chicken over the stovetop.
- Leftover fried chicken will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- You can freeze your ayam kalasan for up to 3 months in an airtight container. To reheat, pop it in the air fryer at 375 for 5 minutes, or microwave it in 30-second intervals.
FAQ:
Ayam means chicken. Ayam kalasan, also called ayam goreng kalasan, literally means fried chicken, however as the name of a dish, it refers to chicken fried in a specific spice blend.
Ayam goreng is traditionally served with rice and sambal sauce. You can also enjoy it with a sour soup sayur asum a tamarind soup, which is a recipe for another day!
Ayam goreng kalasan comes from Indonesia and Malaysia. It is chicken that gets coated in a spice blend and deep fried in oil
Looking for more delicious Asian dinners, try these:
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Ayam Kalasan Indonesian Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs Chicken Drum Sticks
- 24 oz Coconut Water + 2 tbsp
- 2 small Lemongrass Stalks trimmed
- 3 Small Shallots
- 4 Cloves Garlic
- 1 inch Galangal fresh
- 1.5 tbsp Ground Coriander
- ¼ tsp Soy Sauce
- 5 Dried Bay Leaves
- ½ cup Coconut Sugar or brown Sugar
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- About 3 cups Vegetable Oil may sub any oil with a high smoke point for frying + 1 tbsp
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine lemon grass, shallot, garlic, galangal, coriander and 2 tbsp coconut water. Process until a textured but smooth paste is formed. Chunks are ok but the finer the better.
- Over medium high heat, sauté paste in 1 tbs oil, for 2-3 minutes or until the fragrant.
- To the pot mix in coconut water, soy sauce, bay leaves and coconut sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
- Sprinkle chicken drums with salt and pepper then submerge in pot and boil, lid off, for 20-25 minutes.
- When done remove from the pot and let dry a bit.
- In a large pot, bring frying oil to approximately 375F. This takes about five minutes over medium high heat.
- Fry for 3-4 minutes or until brown and crispy. (Wet chicken will make oil pop, so make sure drums aren’t drippy with liquid from boiling). Use an internal meat thermometer to check for doneness 165F
- Transfer to paper towel to remove excess oil and enjoy warm. Serve with rice and sambal. So good!
Notes
Can be kept in an air tight container, in the fridge, up to 4 days.
May be frozen for up to 3 months and reheated by either air frier at 375F for 5 minutes or microwaved in 30 second intervals.
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