I found a bottle of Sambal Chili, one of my favorite chili condiments, at the Chinese grocery store near me! It’s made in Malaysia so I trusted it, and it was good!
There was chicken thighs in my fridge and now I have this, I wanted to make chicken Malay style just so I can eat it with the sambal. Ayam kunyit–Chicken Turmeric–came to mind. This is a popular dish but it is usually deep fried. I broiled instead.
Instead of ground spices, I decided to use fresh, that is, fresh from my freezer. I grated some turmeric, pressed some garlic, added some oil and salt and made a marinade.
I also prefer to use thighs with skin and bone but because I didn’t want a thick piece of chicken, I cut each thigh into two or three pieces, scoring each piece for quick cooking and so that I could rub the marinade well into the chicken. With some of the pieces, I deboned the thigh but left the skin because I love crispy chicken skin.
Ayam Kunyit, Turmeric Chicken
Serves 2
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cookimg time: 20-25 minutes
4 chicken thigh, bone in and with skin
2 tablespoons grated turmeric
2 cloves garlic, pressed
3 teaspoons sea salt
1 tablespoon peanut oil
Trim chicken. Cut each chicken thigh into two or three pieces. Score thick parts of the chicken. If keeping bone in, score around the bone separating part of meat from bone.
In a bowl blend turmeric, garlic and salt. Add oil and mix well. Rub marinade into chicken, between the scored cracks and under the skin. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate refrigerated for 2 or 3 hours.
Place chicken pieces skin side down on baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Broil on high with oven door slightly ajar for 8-10 minutes until top of chicken is golden brown. Flip chicken over, and broil for 8-10 minutes until chicken is golden brown and skin is lightly crisp.
Serve with rice and Sambal Belachan.
Glossary of Ingredients
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Turmeric
