Ayam Rica Rica (Spicy Indonesian Chicken)

This fiery curry from Manado, Indonesia tops the spice charts with its powerful sauce. But it’s not all heat, it serves juicy chicken in a fragrant, flavourful sauce. It’s not for the faint of heart, but well worth it!

If you’re a lover of spice then this Ayam Rica Rica could well be your next challenge! I love spice, but not for the sake of it. I like hot and fiery food, but it has to deliver on flavour too. This spicy chicken curry does just that, a sweet, sour and fragrant sauce that let’s you know it’s got some chilli in it!

Indonesian food has given me the most pleasure over the years, and also delivered some of the most insanely spicy dishes I’ve ever tasted. Ayam Rica Rica is up there and definitely a dish that makes its presence felt. Juicy chicken in a fragrant sauce that grows in heat, leaving that addictive mouth burn.

I first enjoyed Rica Rica when I lived in Sydney in a tiny local restaurant. The fire that dish produced was legendary – my version is as close as I dare get – I would say as solid eight on the chilli scale. You can dial up or down your recipe depending on how hot you like it. I’ve given some helpful hints on how to do that further down.

What’s Ahead?

Why it works?

It’s memorable! – Ayam Rica Rica will make its presence felt and leave you with that burning mouth for a little while. It’s addictively packed with spice and flavour which is why I can’t stop eating it!

What is Ayam Rica Rica?

Ayam (chicken) is cooked in a sauce made predominantly of chillies (Rica). The dish hails from Manado, Sulawesi, in the Northern reaches of Indonesia. There are countless recipes for this dish, changing from restaurant to restaurant, house to house, but the main elements are typically chillies (lots of them) with fragrant elements such as tomatoes, ginger, lemongrass, garlic, pandan and makrut (kaffir) limes and leaves.

Stuff You’ll Need

As south east Asian curries go, this recipe is actually pretty light on ingredients. Here are the key flavours that create the authentic rica rica experience!

• Chicken – I typically buy chicken leg/thigh portions and separate the thighs from the legs. I remove the skin too. Bone-in makes for a tastier sauce, but feel free to use skinless chicken thigh fillets.
• Chillies – I use a combination of milder small red chillies and hot Thai red chillies – this gives all the colour and heat I need. There’s a few suggestions below if you want to adjust the heat levels.
• Tomatoes – not essential, but they add colour and a little sweetness to cut through the spice.
• Aromatics – Onion, turmeric, garlic, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and ginger add a tonne of fragrance to enhance the flavour.

Step by Step

This recipe is so easy. There are only a few simple steps to make the magic happen.

1. Step 1 – Sprinkle ground turmeric and salt over the chicken, stir and set aside.
2. Step 2 – Make the paste by blending together the onion, ginger, garlic, chillies, tomatoes and some of the lime leaves.
3. Step 3 – Heat some oil in a pan until hot then pour in the chilli paste. Fry for a few minutes before adding the chicken to the pan along with the lemongrass and remaining lime leaves.
4. Step 4 – Pour in some water and simmer gently for 30 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove from the heat and squeeze in the juice of a lime and serve.

Adjust the spice

My version is pretty spicy (around an eight), but leaves room to make spicier or naturally, less spicy. To reduce the heat, you can do one or more of the following:

1. Add fewer chillies.
2. Remove the seeds from all the chillies.
3. Use only the milder red chillies, the Thai chillies are the hottest, so use less of those or substitute with the milder variety.
4. Replace the hot chillies with a red bell pepper.

Serving & Storage Suggestions

• Serving – This dish is perfect alongside fluffy jasmine rice. I also like to serve some cooling elements like cucumber and fresh tomato. I’ll either add a few slices to the plate or make a simple chopped salad of cucumber, tomato, cilantro and a little lime juice.
• Storage – Store ayam rica rica in the fridge, well covered for 4-5 days, or in the freezer for 3+ months in airtight containers. Be sure to reheat until piping hot.
• A fragrant variation – Some recipes include Thai basil (holy basil) leaves in the sauce to add even more fragrance. This is a great variation on the recipe. If you’d like to try this variation, add only the leaves of a medium bunch at the end of cooking, when you add the lime juice and stir well.

Ready to get cooking?

This one’s hot guys! In every sense of the word. I’ve waited a while to post my recipe as I often receive comments about my favourites being too spicy. I’m unapologetic about this recipe – ever since I tried it, almost 20 years back, I’ve been enjoying it and often push even my own chilli endurance levels. But I’ll reiterate, Ayam Rica Rica is not an endurance sport, it’s got the best flavour too. I’m so glad I finally got to share this, and hope you enjoy the recipe too.

More Indonesian & Malaysian recipes

If you enjoyed Ayam Rica Rica, I’m sure you’ll love some more of my favourite Indonesian & Malaysian recipes.

• Ayam Serundeng (Chicken with Crispy Coconut)
• Beef Rendang
• Malaysian Fish Curry – (Kari Ikan)
  
• Indonesian Chicken Wings
  
• Ayam Goreng (Malaysian Fried Chicken)
  
• Satay Chicken Curry
  
• Sambal Udang (Sambal Prawns)
  
• Sambal Sauce
  
• Malaysian Curry Laksa with Prawns
  
• Babi Pongteh (Malaysian Pork Stew)
  
• Malaysian Chicken Curry (Kari Ayam)

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