Indonesian Ayam Rica-Rica is a fiery, vibrant chicken dish from Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. 🍗🌶️🇮🇩
It’s packed with bold flavors—spicy chilies, zesty lime leaves, aromatic garlic, and a kiss of sweetness—all stir-fried together into a rich, mouthwatering sauce!
🕒 Time: 40 minutes
🍽 Serves: 4
🌟 Ingredients:
For the Chicken:
- 500g bone-in or boneless chicken (cut into medium pieces)
- 2 tbsp oil (for frying)
- Salt and pepper (for seasoning)
For the Rica-Rica Spice Paste:
- 8–10 red chilies (adjust to your spice level)
- 5 bird’s eye chilies (optional, for extra heat)
- 5 cloves garlic
- 5 shallots (or 1 small red onion)
- 1 stalk lemongrass (white part only, smashed)
- 4 kaffir lime leaves (tear slightly)
- 1 tomato (chopped)
- 1 tsp ginger (grated)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp oil (for sautéing)
- Juice of 1 lime
🔪 Instructions:
- Prepare the Spice Paste:
Blend or grind chilies, garlic, shallots, ginger, and tomato into a coarse paste (not too smooth). - Cook the Chicken:
Season chicken lightly with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the chicken pieces until golden brown on all sides (they don’t have to be fully cooked).
Remove and set aside. - Sauté the Spice Paste:
In the same pan, add a bit more oil if needed.
Fry the spice paste along with lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves over medium heat until fragrant and slightly thickened (about 5–7 minutes). - Simmer:
Add the fried chicken back into the pan.
Stir to coat with the spicy paste.
Add a splash of water if the sauce is too dry.
Cover and simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked and deeply infused with flavor. - Finish:
Add sugar, salt, and lime juice to balance the flavor. Stir well. - Serve:
Hot and spicy, with steamed jasmine rice!
🍽️ Best served with:
- Steamed white rice
- Simple cucumber salad or sautéed greens
- Sambal (for extra fire 🔥)
💡 Tips:
- The spice level is meant to be very bold in rica-rica, but you can adjust by reducing the number of chilies or removing the seeds.
- Fresh lime juice right at the end lifts the whole dish beautifully.
- You can also use this rica-rica sauce for seafood like fish or shrimp!
Ayam Rica-Rica is a burst of sunshine on a plate: spicy, aromatic, and bursting with flavor! 🌶️🍗☀️
Would you also like a seafood version like “Ikan Rica-Rica” (spicy fish)? It’s super popular too! 🎣✨
