Recently, there was a huge rendang controversy caused by Master Chef UK judges who said that chicken rendang should have crispy skin, which enraged the entire country of Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia and the incident turned into a social media warfare.

As a Malaysia food blogger, I wanted to tell you that chicken rendang, or any rendang, for example: beef rendang, lamb rendang should never have crispy skin. And the rendang sauce should be on the skin!

Here I have just the perfect chicken rendang recipe for you. Rendang originated from Indonesia but they are very popular and well loved by many in Malaysia.

Chicken rendang is slow cooked and stewed in the rendang sauce and my chicken rendang recipe yields flavorful and tender chicken, with complex structure of flavors, with the intense aroma of the exotic spices.

I love making chicken rendang at home. While it takes some time to prep and make the dish, the end result is so rewarding.

When I sink my teeth into the chicken, the taste immediately transports me back to Malaysia, my home country. Enjoy!

How Many Calories Per Serving?

This recipe is only 383 calories per serving.

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Yield: 4 people

Chicken Rendang

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Chicken Rendang – amazing Malaysian-Indonesian chicken stew with spices and coconut milk. Deeply flavorful. The best rendang recipe ever!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. boneless and skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into cubes
• 1/3 cup cooking oil
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 cloves
• 3 star anise
• 3 cardamom pods
• 1 lemongrass, white part only, pounded and cut into strips
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup water
• 5 kaffir lime leaves (bruised)
• 5 tablespoons toasted grated coconut, kerisik
• 1 tablespoon sugar or to taste
• salt to taste

Spice Paste:

• 6 shallots
• 1- inch galangal
• 3 stalks lemongrass (white part only)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1- inch piece ginger, peeled
• 10 dried chilies, chili arbol, seeded

Instructions

1. All all the ingredients of the Spice Paste in a food processor. Blend well.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet, add the Spice Paste, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and cardamom pods and stir-fry them until aromatic. Add the chicken and lemongrass, stir to combine well with the spices. Add the coconut milk, water, and simmer on medium heat, stirring frequently until the chicken is almost cooked.
3. Add the kaffir lime leaves, toasted coconut, stir to blend well with the chicken. Lower the heat to low, cover the lid, and slowly simmer for 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender and the liquid has dried up. Add more sugar and salt to taste to taste. Serve immediately.

Notes

To make beef rendang, check out my recipe here.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size

4 people
Amount Per Serving Calories 383Total Fat 40gSaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 109mgSodium 218mgCarbohydrates 20gFiber 4gSugar 7gProtein 40g