Chicken & Meat
Practical Boxed Ayam Rica Kemangi (Spicy Basil Chicken), Fragrant & Spicy Even After Hours
Prep
25 min
Cook
45 min
Servings
10
Level
Medium
A go-to catering menu item that's easy to make in large batches without sacrificing flavor. The rich rica spice paste and fragrant basil keep this chicken delicious even after it's gone cold in a lunch box. Perfect for office boxed-meal orders or everyday office events.
🧂 Ingredients
🍽️ Servings: 10
Adjust the servings and the ingredient amounts & nutrition below update automatically.
- 1500 grams boneless chicken thigh, cut into 3 cm cubes
- 150 grams curly red chilies
- 50 grams red bird's eye chilies
- 150 grams shallots
- 50 grams garlic
- 3 whole red tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 2 inch piece ginger, smashed
- 3 bunches Thai basil leaves, picked from the stems
- 6 leaves kaffir lime leaves
- 3 stalks lemongrass, smashed
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp powdered chicken bouillon
- 2 whole limes, juiced
- 150 ml cooking oil for sautéing
- 300 ml water
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👩🍳 Instructions
- 1 Coat the chicken pieces with lime juice and 1/2 tsp salt, let sit for 15 minutes to remove any gamey smell, then drain.
- 2 Blend the curly red chilies, bird's eye chilies, shallots, garlic, and ginger using a blender or mortar and pestle until smooth.
- 3 Heat the oil in a large pan (a wide, deep skillet) over medium heat, then sauté the ground spice paste together with the lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves for 8-10 minutes until cooked through, fragrant, and the color turns a deep reddish hue.
- 4 Add the chopped tomatoes, stir well, and cook for 3 minutes until the tomatoes soften and slightly break down.
- 5 Add the chicken, stir well over medium heat for 5 minutes until the chicken turns white on all sides.
- 6 Pour in the water, sugar, remaining salt, and bouillon powder. Cook over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes until the chicken is tender and the sauce thickens and clings to the meat.
- 7 Taste and adjust the salty-sweet-spicy balance to your liking. Turn off the heat once the sauce has reduced and turned glossy with oil.
- 8 Add the basil leaves, stir briefly for 1-2 minutes until wilted but still bright green, then remove from heat.
- 9 Portion into catering lunch boxes while still warm along with steamed white rice, letting a bit of steam escape before closing the box lid to prevent excess moisture.
💡 Tips
• Add the basil at the very end and don't cook it too long so it stays bright green when the box is opened.
• For catering purposes, cook the sauce a bit thicker than usual, since it will absorb more liquid as it sits for a few hours.
• Use a large pan or wide pot so the chicken cooks evenly when making a big batch.
• The spice paste can be made a day ahead and stored in the fridge to speed up production for catering.
📊 Nutrition Facts / serving
310
Calories (kcal)
28 g
Protein
18 g
Fat
9 g
Carbs
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