🌶️🍗 Grilled Chicken with Spicy Rujak Sauce
Juicy grilled chicken coated in a fragrant Indonesian-style spice paste made with chilies, shallots, garlic, turmeric, ginger, and lemongrass.
This bold and aromatic chicken dish is packed with layers of savory, spicy, earthy, and citrusy flavors. The chicken is gently cooked with a fragrant spice paste before being grilled until beautifully charred, allowing the sauce to cling to every piece.
Serve it with steamed rice and fresh vegetables for a satisfying meal with plenty of Indonesian-inspired flavor.
⏱️ Recipe Information
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Marinating Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40–50 minutes
Total Time: About 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 6–8
Difficulty: Medium
Method: Stovetop + Grilled
🛒 Ingredients
🍗 For the Chicken
- 1 kg chicken, cut into 6–8 pieces
- 5 cloves garlic
- 8 shallots
- 10–15 red chilies, adjusted to taste
- 5 bird’s eye chilies
- 3 candlenuts
- 2 cm fresh turmeric, peeled
- 2 cm fresh ginger, peeled
- 1 stalk lemongrass, bruised
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sugar, optional
- 1 cup (240 ml) water or chicken stock
Optional Finishing Ingredients
- Fresh lime wedges
- Fried shallots
- Chopped cilantro or coriander
- Sliced fresh chilies
- Cucumber
- Steamed rice
👩🍳 Instructions
1. Prepare the Spice Paste
Peel the garlic, shallots, turmeric, and ginger.
Place the garlic, shallots, red chilies, bird’s eye chilies, candlenuts, turmeric, and ginger in a food processor or mortar.
Blend or pound until you have a relatively smooth, aromatic paste.
A little texture is perfectly fine.
2. Prepare the Lemongrass
Trim away the tough outer layers of the lemongrass.
Bruise the stalk using the side of a knife or the back of a heavy spoon.
This releases the fragrant oils while allowing you to remove the stalk easily later.
3. Sauté the Spice Paste
Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add the spice paste.
Cook for approximately 5–8 minutes, stirring frequently.
The paste should become fragrant and slightly darker, and the raw smell of the garlic and shallots should disappear.
Don’t rush this step—it develops much of the dish’s flavor.
4. Add the Lemongrass and Seasonings
Add the bruised lemongrass.
Season with salt, black pepper, and the optional sugar.
Stir well.
5. Add the Chicken
Place the chicken pieces into the pan.
Turn them several times so they become thoroughly coated in the aromatic spice paste.
Allow the chicken to cook in the paste for approximately 5 minutes, turning occasionally.
6. Add the Liquid
Pour in the water or chicken stock.
Stir gently to combine.
Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for approximately 25–30 minutes, turning the chicken occasionally.
The chicken should become tender and thoroughly cooked while absorbing the flavors of the spice paste.
7. Reduce the Sauce
Remove the lid.
Increase the heat slightly and continue cooking for approximately 5–10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
The liquid should reduce into a thick, flavorful paste that clings to the chicken.
Remove the lemongrass stalk.
Taste and adjust the salt or chili level as needed.
8. Prepare the Grill
Preheat an outdoor grill, charcoal grill, or grill pan to medium-high heat.
Lightly oil the grates if necessary to prevent sticking.
9. Grill the Chicken
Remove the chicken pieces from the thick spice paste.
Reserve some of the paste for brushing.
Place the chicken on the hot grill.
Grill for approximately 3–5 minutes per side, turning as needed, until the outside develops attractive charred edges.
Brush with the reserved spice paste during the final few minutes of grilling.
Watch carefully because the spice paste can darken quickly.
The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) at the thickest part.
10. Rest the Chicken
Transfer the grilled chicken to a serving platter.
Allow it to rest for approximately 5 minutes.
This helps the juices redistribute and keeps the meat tender.
11. Garnish and Serve
Finish with fresh lime wedges, fried shallots, sliced chilies, or fresh herbs.
Serve hot with steamed rice and fresh cucumber or other vegetables.
⭐ Chef’s Tips
Adjust the chilies: The amount of chili can be changed depending on your preferred heat level. Removing some seeds and membranes can also make the sauce milder.
Cook the spice paste properly: Don’t rush the sautéing stage. Cooking the paste until fragrant removes the raw flavor and develops a deeper taste.
Use fresh turmeric when possible: It provides a brighter color and more aromatic flavor.
Bruise the lemongrass: This releases its oils without requiring it to be finely chopped.
Don’t grill raw chicken directly from the marinade: Cooking it first ensures the chicken is properly cooked while grilling adds the smoky char.
Watch the grill closely: The spice paste contains natural sugars and can burn quickly over very high heat.
🌶️ Easy Variations
Extra-Spicy Rujak Chicken
Increase the bird’s eye chilies for a much hotter version.
Mild Rujak Chicken
Use fewer red chilies and omit the bird’s eye chilies.
Coconut Rujak Chicken
Add ½ cup coconut milk during the simmering stage for a richer, creamier sauce.
Charcoal-Grilled Chicken
Use a charcoal grill for a deeper smoky flavor that pairs beautifully with the aromatic spice paste.
Rujak Chicken Skewers
Cut the chicken into smaller pieces, coat with the spice paste, thread onto skewers, and grill until lightly charred and cooked through.
🍚 Serving Suggestions
Serve this spicy grilled chicken with:
- Steamed jasmine or basmati rice
- Coconut rice
- Cucumber slices
- Fresh lime
- Indonesian-style sambal
- Fried shallots
- Steamed vegetables
- Fresh herbs
- Pickled vegetables
A cool cucumber salad makes a particularly refreshing contrast to the spicy chicken.
🧊 Storage
Allow leftovers to cool before transferring them to an airtight container.
Refrigerate for up to 3–4 days.
Keep the chicken refrigerated until ready to reheat.
🔥 Reheating
Reheat gently in a covered skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of water.
You can also reheat the chicken in a 350°F (175°C) oven until warmed through.
For a freshly grilled texture, finish reheated chicken under a hot grill or broiler for 1–2 minutes.
❄️ Freezing
The cooked chicken can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Cool completely before placing it in an airtight freezer-safe container.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
🌶️🍗 Final Result
This Grilled Chicken with Spicy Rujak Sauce is bold, aromatic, and packed with flavor.
The chicken becomes tender as it cooks in the fragrant chili, shallot, garlic, turmeric, ginger, and lemongrass paste, then develops irresistible smoky, charred edges on the grill.
Spicy, savory, aromatic, and beautifully charred—this is a chicken dinner made for serious flavor lovers! 🌶️🍗🔥