Ayam Sambal Matah Bali - Pan Fried Chicken with Balinese Salsa

5.0 from 11 reviews

Author: Anita Jacobson

Categories: Main Dish Sauce

Cuisines: Indonesian

Ingredients: Chicken Vegetables

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 8 mins

Total Time: 38 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• Sambal matah
• 2 lemongrass, peeled to get only the tender white part, thinly sliced
• 150 gram shallots, peeled and washed with drinking water, thinly sliced
• 10-15 bird-eye chilies, seeds removed (optional) and thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon terasi/shrimp paste, or 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 lime, juice and zest
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil/olive oil
• Pan-fried chicken
• a pair of boneless skinless chicken breast
• salt
• pepper
• all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

• Sambal matah
  1. Toast terasi: Place terasi/shrimp paste in a microwave-safe bowl, and cover the bowl with a microwave-safe plate. Cook in the microwave for 30 seconds to toast until the shrimp paste turns a lighter shade, very fragrant, and looks crumbly. Let it cool slightly, then use the back of a spoon to crush into a fine powder.
  2. Assemble sambal matah: Combine lemongrass slices, shallot slices, bird-eye chili slices, shrimp paste powder, salt, lime juice, and optionally, lime zest in a mixing bowl.
  3. Heat oil: Cook coconut/olive oil in a pan until shimmering, then pour over sambal matah. Use a spoon to mix all the ingredients. Give it a taste test, and add more salt if needed. You can even add sugar if you think the sambal needs it, though I don’t usually add any to mine.
• Pan-fried chicken
  1. Cut each peach of chicken breast into two halves so they are thinner and will cook faster and more evenly. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, then give a light dusting of all-purpose flour.
  2. Heat oil and/or butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat, and fry chicken breasts until golden brown and crispy, about 2-3 minutes per side.
  3. Rest for 10 minutes after frying to redistribute its juice and making sure the breasts are tender and juicy, then cut into thin strips.
• To serve
  1. Mix chicken strips and sambal matah right before serving. We usually serve this with steamed white rice, but you can add them you a bowl of salad mix for a filling salad meal too.