Ayam Lemak Cili Padi 2.0 (updated recipe!)

Short on time but craving for a deliciously spicy meal? Try this quick, easy and authentic Ayam Masak Lemak Cili Padi recipe, tender chicken cooked in a rich and spicy sauce. Perfect for adding excitement to your weeknight dinners!

Ayam Masak Lemak Cili Padi is a traditional Singapore Malay / Malaysian dish that combines tender chicken, rich coconut milk, and the fiery heat of cili padi (bird’s eye chili).

Ayam Masak Lemak Cili Padi offers a tantalising flavour profile that combines creaminess, spiciness, and aromatic notes. The richness of the coconut milk complements the heat of the cili padi, while the tender chicken absorbs all the delightful tastes of the curry-like sauce.

This iconic dish is beloved for its aromatic flavours and delightful spiciness. It is also one of my favourite dishes to make because it is so easy and comes together in 30 minutes.

For anyone wanting to venture into Malay cooking – and if you love all things spicy! – I will always recommend Ayam Masak Lemak Cili Padi as a dish to try making. This dish is easy, requires minimal ingredients, and is quick.

There are lots of ways to make this recipe, and this method requires pan-searing the chicken first. I have an old recipe here, which is great too since it’s cuts a couple of steps and is slightly healthier.

A couple of reasons why I sometimes favour this recipe:

1. It requires a pan-searing process first, which results in firmer skin for the chicken.
2. It requires marinating the chicken first, which locks in lots of flavour and therefore tastier chicken!

Key Ingredients for Ayam Masak Lemak Cili Padi

To prepare Ayam Masak Lemak Cili Padi, you will need the following key ingredients:

• Chicken: Choose bone-in chicken pieces like thighs or drumsticks for maximum flavour.
• Coconut Milk: The creamy coconut milk forms the base of the dish, imparting a rich and luscious texture. I used coconut cream here, it’s my go-to and easy to get from the supermarket.
• Cili Padi (Bird’s Eye Chili): These small but potent chilies provide the dish with its signature heat and a distinct flavour. Add according to your spice tolerance! I like using a combination of red and green chillies for some colour, but it’s optional. If you prefer a more tame spice, then swap it out for red Spur chillies, or other mild chillies.
• Turmeric: Turmeric in the key spice used in this dish. Turmeric is warm and earthy. This is one of my favourite spices ever because of its flavour and the antioxidants boost! I used Turmeric Powder here, but you can use fresh turmeric as well. 1 tsp of turmeric powder is equivalent to 1/2 inch of fresh turmeric.
• Aromatics: This recipe uses onions, garlic, ginger and lemongrass to get you lots of depth and flavour.

How to Make Ayam Lemak Cili Padi

Step 1: Marinade Chicken

Marinade the chicken pieces with turmeric powder and salt. Turmeric stains; use gloves to coat chicken with turmeric, or immediately wash hands after mixing. Allow to marinade for 30 minutes, overnight is best.

Step 2: Blend the spice Ingredients

Blend or process the base ingredients to a paste. Chop the aromatics to smaller chunks for easier processing. Remove the outer tough layer of the lemongrass, and use just the bottom half. For more information, see this post.

Step 3: Pan Fry Chicken

Add oil to your pot, and heat over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the marinated chicken. Allow to sear on one side, before flipping to the other side. This should just take about 4 to 5 minutes on each side.

Step 4: Stir in Blended Ingredients

Add the blended aromatics, and stir to combine with the chicken.

Step 5: Add Liquid

Add water (or chicken stock! I use this whenever I have extra in the fridge) and season with salt. Stir to combine, and allow the liquid to come up to a boil. I used 2 cups of liquid here, because I prefer a soupy consistency, but feel free to adjust the amount if you prefer a thicker gravy.

Allow chicken to braise and cook. This should not take too long, since we’ve parcooked the chicken.

Step 6: Add Coconut Milk

Lower the heat, and gently pour in coconut milk. Make sure to lower the heat to prevent the gravy from curdling. Stir in the coconut milk until incorporated.

Optional, to add makrut lime leaves for even more fragrance. Tear or bruise the lime leaves before adding it in. Once the sauce starts boiling again, the dish is done.

Turn off the heat, and squeeze in lime juice for a final touch.

How to Serve Ayam Masak Lemak Cili Padi

Ayam Masak Lemak Cili Padi is typically enjoyed with steamed rice. You can also serve it with traditional accompaniments such as cucumber slices, sambal belacan (shrimp paste chili), and a side of vegetable stir-fry.

More recipes:

If you like this Malay dish, check these out next:

• Ayam Masak Merah | Chicken in a spicy tomato stew
• Turmeric Chicken Stir Fry
• Opor Ayam | Indonesian white chicken curry
• Sayur Lemak Lodeh | Malay vegetable curry
• Sambal Goreng | Tofu and tempeh spicy stirfry

Ayam Lemak Cili Padi 2.0 |

Recipe by Sha

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: Recipes

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Ingredients

• 500g bone-in chicken pieces

• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 tablespoons cooking oil

• 5-6 cili padi (bird’s eye chilies)

• 1 onion

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 stalk lemongrass

• 1-inch ginger

• 1 cup water

• 1 cup coconut milk/coconut cream

• Salt to taste

• 4-5 makrut lime leaves

• 1-2 tsps lime juice

Directions

• Coat chicken with turmeric powder and salt. Marinade for 30 minutes or overnight is best.
• Add cili padis, onions, garlic, lemongrass and ginger in a blender or food processor. Blend to a paste.
• Heat the cooking oil in a pot over medium heat.
• Add the marinated chicken, and pan sear on both sides.
• Add the blended paste, and stir to combine with the chicken until fragrant.
• Pour in water and season with salt. Stir to combine. Allow the liquid to come up to a boil. Allow chicken to braise until fully cooked.
• Lower the heat, and pour in the coconut cream. Tear in makrut lime leaves. Gentle stir to combine.
• Once liquid comes back to a boil again, turn off the heat. Squeeze in lime juice.
• Serve Ayam Masak Lemak Cili Padi immediately with rice!

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