Ayam Masak Kicap Recipe: How to Make Ayam Masak Kicap at Home

Ayam Masak Kicap literally translates to chicken cooked in soy sauce. Due to the simple recipe, this dish is one of the popular college meals among youngsters in Malaysia.

No one wants to make a mess out of an overcrowded, shared pantry. That said, students need a simple and easy recipe that requires minimal ingredients as well as cooking utensils.

This recipe serves to help college students in preparing the easiest yet delicious meal despite the hectic campus life. Pair your meal with some ulams for a balanced meal, and of course, sambal belacan is a must. 

Origin of Ayam Masak Kicap

This dish has a rooted history in Indonesia, where it is often referred to as Ayam Kecap.

However, the Indonesian Javanese version and the Malaysian style of this dish have their distinctive twists. The Malaysian version makes a hot and spicy version that has a generous amount of chilli pepper.

Ayam Masak Kicap Recipe

Recipe by LokaTasteDifficulty: Easy

Servings

1-2

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Calories

315

kcal

This easy recipe is perfect for those who are new to the kitchen, as well as individuals who are running out of time to prepare a nutritious meal.

Ingredients

• 1 large red onion (sliced into rings)

• 2 cloves garlic (finely sliced)

• 5 bird’s eye chilli (reduce or increase according to your spice tolerance)

• 2 chicken breasts (chopped into bite-sized pieces)

• ¾ tbsp. ground turmeric

• 1 star anise

• 3 cloves

• 1 inch cinnamon

• 2 cardamom pods

• Sweet soy sauce

• Salt to taste

• Oil for frying

Directions

• First, marinate the chicken. In a bowl, add in chicken and turmeric and mix well. Let the chicken sit for 30 minutes. Then fry the chicken pieces on high heat for 3 minutes in a wok. Remove the chicken pieces from the heat and set them aside.
• Reserve 1 tbsp of oil from the wok and discard the rest. In the same wok, sauté the chillies (finely sliced), garlic, cloves, star anise, and cardamom pods until fragrant. This step should take about 5 minutes on a medium-low heat. Add in the onion rings and mix well.
• Pour in about half a cup of soy sauce or more if you’d like more gravy for the dish. Add in ¼ cup of water and bring the sauce to a boil. Add some salt to taste.
• Lastly, add the chicken pieces into the pot and letthem simmer for 10 minutes. Serve while hot.

Notes

• The light-frying process in Step 1 merely serves to brown the chicken pieces instead of cooking them. Do not overfry them.

Ways to Enjoy the Dish

This dish is can be eaten during lunch or dinner. A must-have component to the Ayam Masak Kicap is a generous serving of rice and sambal belacan.

Since soy sauce is the main ingredient in this recipe, make sure you use your favourite brand. 

Don’t be fast to assume that this dish is not vegeterian-friendly. Substitute the chicken pieces with eggs and you’ll have a vegeterian version of the dish!

Explore other popular Malaysian delights with Lokataste Recipe and more!