Easy Indonesian Chicken

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Wanted to keep this recipe a secret! But what the heck -- I enjoy Zaar so much, why be miserly?? Years ago I cut the recipe from a newspaper food column, and it hides, yellowed, in an old recipe scrapbook. I make it every now and then and I guarantee that it's a quick, easy, gourmet meal! The original recipe specified rice vinegar, but I use balsamic. EDITED ON JAN 8, 2010: Although I posted the recipe as I use it, it seems the 1 cup water specified caused problems for some cooks, so I've lessened the amount. If you use only 1/2 cup as below, do keep a close eye on the reducing sauce in case it thickens too much. And please -- DO taste the sauce before removing from the heat. Some people like it with more hot pepper, and some may want to tweak the other ingredients. Chicken breast is a little too dry for this recipe, so I stand by the point that thighs, even with skin, are the better option.
- Ready In:
- 45mins
- Serves:
- Units:
ingredients
- 1 1⁄2 - 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (750g - 1 kg)
- 1⁄2 cup water (125ml, and use more if necessary)
- 1 teaspoon sugar (5ml)
- 1⁄2 cup balsamic vinegar (125 ml)
- 1⁄3 cup ketjap manis (sweet Indonesian soy sauce, 100 ml)
- 3 large garlic cloves, fat, chopped and crushed
- 1⁄2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (or use chopped hot pepper to taste)
- 1 cup spring onion, finely chopped (250ml)
- 1⁄2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped (100ml)
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Garnish
- lemon rind or lime rind, in thin strips
directions
- In a fairly large pot, mix the water, sugar, balsamic vinegar, ketjap manis, garlic and chilli pepper sauce.
- Please note that because I use metric measurements I use a little more than 1/3 cup ketjap manis. It's hard to work out precisely. Ketjap manis are normally easily found in good shops, on the shelves with Oriental sauces.
- Ketjap manis is thick and sticky, so if you want to measure it in a cup, best is to spray the cup with non-stick spray. I pour from the bottle and guess the amount by now --.
- Cut each thigh into two pieces, or slice breasts into three or four pieces across the grain.
- We far prefer chicken thighs, which are more juicy and tasty than breast meat. Or use deboned breasts WITH the skin.
- Add to the sauce mixture, and bring to a boil. Simmer open, for about 25 minutes. If any scum rises to the surface, skim it off.
- Increase heat and cook sauce until it reduces and thickens, but don't let it cook down to a glaze: you want some sauce for the rice.
- (It used to be "1 cup water", but reading through the reviews, this was too much for some cooks, although it really is what I use).
- This reduction will only take 5 - 10 minutes or so: judge for yourself.
- Put the chicken and sauce in a heated dish, scatter over the spring onions and parsley, and decorate around the edges with the lime/lemon curls or strips.
- Serve with jasmine or white rice, but couscous is also nice. As for vegetables, a platter of steamed baby veggies such as corn, patty pan squash and carrots look attractive.
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Oh, yum! I love Indonesian food, as we live at the Dutch border where you get it everywhere. This was right up our alley. I used my own homemade gluten free ketjap manis (tamari, beet molasses, pinch of five spice powder) and chicken breasts. They did get a little dry, next time I'll use thighs, and there will be a next time! We had it with steamed sugar peas and thai rice. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe!<br/>Made for the Cook-A-Thon in memory of Gideon.Reply