The first time I had Indonesian chicken was at this years International Student event at OSU. I had the privilege of being a judge, and the food from all of the student groups was really great, but one of my favorite things was the chicken made by the Indonesian student group. I have been meaning to recreate it forever, so tonight I finally did!
Halfway through eating the dish, I thought to myself "this would be great with some pineapple," but I didn't have any in the house, so I'll have to save that for the next time.
This is a really easy recipe, and if you eat a lot of chicken in your household and are looking for some ideas, it's exotic without being difficult.
Katcup Manis is a wonderfully sweet and salty condiment made from soy sauce, sugar, and lemongrass. You can find it in Asian Markets. Start with a small amount of chile past, because you will be reducing the sauce and you can always add spice later.
I like chicken thighs, because they have flavor. you can buy boneless, skinless thigh filets, which are just as easy to work with than breasts, but again - with flavor. This sauce will be very sticky; use a nonstick or cast iron pan.
Indonesian Chicken - serves 2
1 Tbsp lard (or oil, but I'm on a lard kick at the moment)
1 Tbsp lard (or oil, but I'm on a lard kick at the moment)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or with skin), cut into thirds
1/2 cup katcup manis
1 cup water
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 tbsp garlic chili paste
1/4 cup chopped parsley
a few scallions or chives (I only had chive blossoms, which are delicious), slivered.
1/2 cup katcup manis
1 cup water
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 tbsp garlic chili paste
1/4 cup chopped parsley
a few scallions or chives (I only had chive blossoms, which are delicious), slivered.
Heat the lard over high heat and place the pieces of chicken in the pan, being careful not to crowd them. Brown for about 1-2 minutes and then flip over each piece and brown for another minute. (If you are using chicken with skin, place it skin side down the first time; browning time will be longer. Brown until the skin is crisp, then turn over and proceed.)
Add the katcup manis, water, lime juice, and chili paste to the pan. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium. Keep at high simmer for 20 minutes. Turn the heat back up to high and allow the sauce to reduce to the thick maple syrup consistency. Turn the heat off. Serve the chicken over hot rice, garnish with the parsley and scallions.
