Ayam Rica Rica | Spicy Indonesian Chicken

How to make Ayam Rica Rica, an easy, spicy Indonesian braised chicken dish.

Today we’re making Rica-Rica Chicken, or Ayam Rica Rica, a spicy Indonesian braised chicken dish. Originating from the city of Manado in North Sulawesi, rica means spicy, in Indonesia, so this dish is all about being spicy!

Besides having a super fun name, this fragrant dish is easy to make! My recipe is not the spiciest out there – great for spice beginners.

Key Ingredients for Ayam Rica Rica

Rica-rica (or rica) refers to that mixture of spices used as a base of the dish. The ingredients are mashed together in a pestle and mortar – or blended in a food processor.

The base ingredients are easy to find:

• Chillies: I used red chillies. These are low to medium heat chillies. I used spur chillies but other alternatives can be Serrano or Fresno. If you have green chillies, add some in as well for nice pops of colour.

• Thai Bird’s Eye Chillies: These are what adds the spicy bite to the dish!

• Shallots

• Garlic

• Ginger

That’s it! The ginger is optional, I like to add it since a bit of ginger goes great with chicken.

Additional ingredients

Lemongrass and Kaffir Lime Leaves (or makrut lime leaves) are ingredients that add fragrance to the dish. Add these whole instead of blended with the base paste so that you can easily fish them out before scooping the Rica sauce on the noodles.

Bruise the lemongrass and lime leaves before adding it to the dish. Simply tear the lime leaves before adding, and hit the lemongrass with the back of the knife before adding. See my post on “how to prepare lemongrass for cooking” for more details on this.

How to adjust the Spice Levels for Ayam Rica Rica?

Adjust red chillies and Thai Bird’s Eye Chillies according to spice tolerance. Spice lovers can go for a 10:10 ratio.

Can I use tomatoes? As mentioned, my recipe is not the spiciest out there due to the addition of tomatoes. Typically it is not used, so for those with higher spice tolerance, feel free to skip this ingredient!

Pre pan-frying the Chicken

Marinating the chicken with salt and turmeric powder, and then pan-frying it is an optional step. Doing this will change the skin texture of the chicken. It also helps to solidify it slightly, so you don’t have that soggy braised chicken skin.

I’ll be honest though – most days I skip it! I would simply add the chicken right after sautéing the base paste. The dish still came out yummy.

More Recipes Like This

• Pad Phet Gai | Thai Spicy Chicken Stir Fry
• Ayam Masak Merah | Chicken Tomato Stew
• Opor Ayam | Indonesian White Curry
• Beef Rendang

Ayam Rica Rica (spicy Indonesian braised chicken)

Recipe by Sha

5.0 from 2 votes

Course: Eats, Recipes

Servings

Adjust servings

+

–

2-3

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• Chicken

• 500 g chicken, bone in and skin on

• Optional quick seasoning for chicken:

• 1 tsp salt (5 g)

• 1 tsp turmeric powder (3 g)

• Base Paste, to blend:

• 10 red chillies (fresh)

• 5 Thai bird’s eye chillies (adjust to spice level)

• 2 medium onions or 8 shallots

• 4 cloves garlic

• 1 inch (2.5 cm) ginger (optional)

• ½ cup water, for easier blending

• Aromatics & Seasoning

• 2 lemongrass stalks, bruised

• 4 –5 makrut lime leaves

• 1 tomato, chopped

• 1 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar (12–15 g)

• 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)

• Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tbsp / 30 ml)

Directions

• Season chicken (optional)
• Season chicken with salt and turmeric. Set aside while preparing other ingredients.
• Blend spice paste
• Blend all Base Paste ingredients until smooth.
• Sear chicken
• Heat 2–3 tbsp (30–45 ml) oil in a pan over medium heat.
• Sear chicken for 4–5 minutes until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
• Cook spice paste
• In the same pan, add blended paste.
• Cook over medium heat for 5–7 minutes until fragrant, thickened, and slightly darker. Stir often to prevent burning.
• Add Back Chicken
• Add lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and tomato. Cook 2–3 minutes until tomato softens.
• Add palm sugar and salt, then return chicken to the pan and coat well.
• Add a splash of water if needed (2–4 tbsp / 30–60 ml).
• Cover and simmer on low to medium-low heat for 18–22 minutes, stirring halfway, until chicken is tender and cooked through.
• Finish
• Turn off heat. Stir in lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
• Serve hot immediately with steamed rice. Optional toppings: fried shallots, extra lime wedges, or fresh herbs.

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