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Indonesian

Ayam bakar

Non-vegetarian

Chicken simmered in a spice paste with sweet soy until infused, then grilled over coals and basted until sticky and charred — served with rice and sambal.

Ayam bakar is an Indonesian grilled dish, ready in about 1 hour 15 minutes and made with chicken pieces, skin-on and kecap manis (sweet soy sauce). It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Close-up of Indonesian ayam bakar served with rice and fresh vegetables, highlighting traditional flavors.
Photo: Mufid Majnun / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
20 min
Cook
55 min
Total
1 h 15 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
716

Ingredients

4 servings

For the spice paste

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Blend the shallots (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), chillies, ginger, galangal (opens in a new tab), turmeric (opens in a new tab) and coriander seed to a paste. Fry it in the oil with the lemongrass (opens in a new tab) and lime leaves until fragrant.

  2. Step 2

    Add the chicken, kecap manis (opens in a new tab), palm sugar (opens in a new tab), tamarind, salt and water. Simmer, turning, until the chicken is cooked and the sauce is thick and sticky.

    • 35 min
    • medium-low heat

    Food safety: Cook chicken until no pink remains and the juices run clear (74 °C in the thickest part).

    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Grill the chicken over hot coals or under a hot grill, basting with the reduced sauce, until charred and glossy.

    Food cooking over a grill
    How it looks · Photo: Malte Luk on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Serve with rice, sambal and cucumber (opens in a new tab).

    • 2 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Java, Indonesia · Well documentedAlso popular in MalaysiaMore food from Indonesia
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Grills & kebabs · Main courses
Cooking method
Simmered, Grilled
Taste
sweet & savoury, smoky, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet
Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Chicken pieces, skin-on · Kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) · Shallot · Garlic · Fresh red chilli · Fresh ginger
Techniques
Grilling · Broiling · Charcoal grilling · Simmering · Reduction

Allergens

  • Contains: Wheatfrom kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
  • Contains: Glutenfrom kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
  • Contains: Soyfrom kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

716 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 450 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 28%
  • Carbohydrate 15%
  • Fat 57%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy716 kcal159 kcal
Protein49 g10.9 g
Carbohydrate26.7 g5.9 g
Net carbohydrate23.9 g5.3 g
Sugars14.1 g3.1 g
Added sugars12.8 g2.9 g
Fibre2.8 g0.6 g
Fat45.4 g10.1 g
Saturated fat11.4 g2.5 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol188 mg42 mg
Sodium1080 mg240 mg
Salt equivalent2.7 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
787 mg
Calcium
83 mg
Iron
4.2 mg
Magnesium
81 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
105 µg
Vitamin C
16 mg
Vitamin D
0.5 µg
Vitamin B12
0.8 µg
Folate (DFE)
41 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: long-grain white rice, chilli sauce (sriracha-style), cucumber.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): makrut lime leaves.
  • Galangal: Fresh ginger used as a stand-in: no galangal entry in FDC SR Legacy, and galangal is a closely related rhizome used in similar small amounts.
  • Kecap manis (sweet soy sauce): Hoisin sauce (FDC 172886) used as a stand-in for this thick palm-sugar-sweetened soy sauce; sugar and sodium differ by brand.
  • Jaggery / palm sugar: Brown sugar (FDC 168833) used as a stand-in for unrefined cane jaggery and palm sugar.
  • Tamarind paste: Raw tamarind pulp (FDC 167763). Commercial concentrates vary in water content.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Pre-cooking in the spice sauce means the grill is just for colour and smoke, so the chicken stays juicy.

Common mistakes

  • Grilling too long: the sugary sauce burns quickly.

Serve with

  • Serve with lalapan — raw cabbage, cucumber and basil — and sambal terasi.

Storage

  • Keep the simmered chicken up to 2 days in the fridge and grill when needed.

Reheating

  • Grill or bake at 200 °C until hot.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 2, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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