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Chicken Rendang – a rich and aromatic Malaysian-Indonesian chicken stew simmered with spices and creamy coconut milk. Bold, flavorful, and absolutely irresistible—the only rendang recipe you’ll ever need!
Not too long ago, a rendang controversy erupted when MasterChef UK judges claimed that chicken rendang should have crispy skin. This statement enraged people across Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, sparking a full-on social media storm.
As a Malaysian food blogger, let me set the record straight—chicken rendang, or any rendang for that matter (beef, lamb, you name it), should never have crispy skin. The sauce is meant to coat the meat, infusing it with all those incredible flavors. Rendang with crispy skin? Absolutely not!
Easy Chicken Rendang Recipe
I’ve got the perfect chicken rendang recipe for you! While rendang originated in Indonesia, it’s incredibly popular and loved in Malaysia too. Chicken rendang is slow-cooked and simmered in a rich, flavorful sauce. My recipe makes tender chicken, packed with bold, rich flavors and the irresistible aroma of exotic spices.
I love making this easy chicken rendang recipe at home, especially served with Nasi Lemak. While it takes a bit of prep and patience, the result is absolutely worth it. Every bite of this chicken takes me straight back to Malaysia, my home country. It’s a dish close to my heart, and I hope you’ll love it as much as I do. Enjoy!
Be sure to check out my step-by-step video and tips below to nail this recipe perfectly!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Ingredients For Chicken Rendang
- Chicken thighs
- Cardamom pods
- Cinnamon stick
- Coconut milk
- Cooking oil
- Kaffir lime leaves
- Lemongrass
- Toasted grated coconut
- Star anise
- Water
- Cloves
- Sugar
- Salt
Ingredients For Spice Paste
- Dried chilies
- Lemongrass
- Galangal
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Shallots
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full details on each ingredient.
Recipe Variations
- Beef Rendang: You can easily swap the chicken for beef. Try using cuts like chuck or brisket—beef takes a bit longer to cook, but it gets super tender and soaks up all those amazing flavors.
- Lamb Rendang: If you’re into lamb, go for shoulder (bone-in or boneless). It’s perfect for slow cooking and gets super tender, soaking up all that delicious, aromatic sauce.
How To Make Chicken Rendang
Alright, for the Spice Paste, just toss all the ingredients into a food processor and blend it until everything’s nice and smooth.
Heat up some oil in a skillet, then toss in the Spice Paste, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and cardamom pods. Stir it all around until it smells amazing. Next, add the chicken and lemongrass, and give everything a good mix so the spices coat the chicken nicely.
Now, pour in the coconut milk and water, then let it simmer on medium heat. Stir it every so often until the chicken’s almost fully cooked.
Throw in the kaffir lime leaves and toasted coconut, and give it a good stir to mix everything in with the chicken. Then, turn the heat down to low, cover it up, and let it simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken’s nice and tender and the liquid’s mostly dried up. Taste it and add a little more sugar or salt if you need to. Serve it right away and enjoy!
Secrets To Perfect Chicken Rendang Every Time
- I always make sure to blend the spice paste until it’s nice and smooth. The smoother the paste, the better it mixes with the chicken and ensures every bite is full of flavor.
- I’m never skipping toasted grated coconut—it adds this rich, nutty depth to the rendang that really makes a difference. It’s totally worth the extra step!
- Patience is key! I let the rendang simmer on low heat so the chicken gets nice and tender, soaking up all the spices. The longer it cooks, the better the flavor!
- I like to give my kaffir lime leaves a little tap with the back of my knife before adding them. It helps release all that incredible fragrance and flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, soaking the dried chilies is key! Just use warm or room-temperature water and let them soak for about 15–20 minutes until they soften up. This makes it way easier to blend into a smooth paste.
Coconut milk is what gives the rendang its rich, creamy sauce, but you can use coconut cream. Just dilute it with a little water to get the same consistency.
If your rendang is too watery, it’s probably because it hasn’t simmered long enough. Just let it cook on low heat to let the liquid reduce and thicken up.
Yes! Rendang actually tastes even better the next day once all those flavors have had time to really come together. Just pop it in the fridge, and when you’re ready to enjoy it again, simply reheat!
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3–4 days. If you want to keep it longer, just freeze it for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to dig in again, make sure to thaw it completely before reheating!
This recipe is only 383 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Chicken Rendang
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Chicken Rendang
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
- Put all the ingredients of the Spice Paste in a food processor. Blend well.
- 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.
- 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.
Video
Notes
- I always make sure to blend the spice paste until it’s nice and smooth. The smoother the paste, the better it mixes with the chicken and ensures every bite is full of flavor.
- I’m never skipping toasted grated coconut—it adds this rich, nutty depth to the rendang that really makes a difference. It’s totally worth the extra step!
- Patience is key! I let the rendang simmer on low heat so the chicken gets nice and tender, soaking up all the spices. The longer it cooks, the better the flavor!
- I like to give my kaffir lime leaves a little tap with the back of my knife before adding them. It helps release all that incredible fragrance and flavor.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
wonderful dish full of flavour !
I made this recipe but doubled up all the ingredients – after simmering for 15 mins with the lid on I realised that the sauce wasn’t going to dry up – even after another 45 mins with the lid off and the heat turned up a bit there was still a lot of liquid sauce. Tasted really good anyway!
Where did I go wrong?
Sounds like your chicken is watery? In this case, you can transfer the chicken out and reduce the liquid before putting the chicken back.
No tamarind in the chicken version? Curious to know why…..
It’s not necessary but you can add.
I cant find whole dried arbol chillies in my supermarket …they have arbol chilli flakes
Can I use those and how much ?
Hmmm, it’s hard to say since I haven’t tried. I would start with 2 tablespoons and adjust per your taste.
Wow chicken rendang like cow rendang the same with indonesian rendang from west sumatera indonesia. I like it.
I have a few questions about the spices.
Should I grind the cinnamon before using or add the whole stick? Also, regarding the cardamom, do I remove the pod and grind the seeds, or add the pod whole? Do you leave cloves and star anise whole?
If you leave them whole, do I have to fish them out before serving?
If I don’t have galangal, can I double the ginger in lieu of using galangal?
Thanks!
Whole stick of cinnamon. Cardamom, whole. You can leave the star anise whole. Don’t fish them out.
Ginger is not a substitute for galangal. It will change the taste.
I just cooked the recipe and followed it to the tee. However the dish came out looking like a Thai green curry. Lol.
You must have done something wrong. There is no way it would become Thai green curry. Number 1, there is no ingredients in the recipe that would turn it green.
Just tried this recipe tonight. It was awesome! I had actually reduced the number of dried chillies because we don’t eat much chilli but cooked it on simmer for almost an hour to get the deep red colour. I also added some lime leaves to the paste. Smelled heavenly! Thanks for the recipe
Thanks for trying this chicken rendang.
This recipe looks absolutely delicious. Will try it and tell you how it goes!