Air Fryer Ayam Goreng Berempah (Malaysian Chicken, 40g Protein)

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Ayam goreng berempah is the Malaysian spiced fried chicken you find at nasi lemak stalls, the one with the craggy turmeric and coriander crust and a handful of crisp curry leaves on top. Made in the air fryer with boneless thighs, each serving comes in at 40 grams of protein for about 350 calories. No deep frying, no oil to deal with afterward, and the spice paste does almost all the work.

The name just means “spiced fried chicken”, and that is exactly what it is: chicken marinated in a wet paste of shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and ground spices, then fried until the paste itself turns into the crust. Traditional versions use bone-in pieces dropped into a wok of oil. I make it this way on weeknights because it fits the protein numbers better and the cleanup is a plate and a chopping board.

If you liked my ayam masak merah, this is the drier, crunchier cousin from the same spice cupboard. It also goes very well next to a bowl of my Hainanese chicken rice if you want a properly Singaporean plate.

Why this works

The crust here is not a batter. It is the marinade paste plus a light dusting of rice flour and cornstarch, and that mix matters. Rice flour has no gluten, so it dries out and shatters instead of going bready, and the cornstarch fills the gaps and helps everything cling to the meat. In a deep fryer the paste would slide off into the oil; in the air fryer it stays put and bakes onto the chicken like a shell.

Thighs are the right cut for this. An air fryer is dry, circulating heat, and it will turn a spice-crusted chicken breast chalky before the outside gets any color. Thighs carry enough fat to stay juicy through 18 minutes at 400F, and boneless skinless thighs still land at roughly 20 grams of protein per 100 grams raw, so the numbers hold up. Toasting the coriander, cumin and fennel whole before grinding is the other step I would not skip. It takes two minutes and the difference between toasted and untoasted coriander is the difference between fragrant and dusty.

Ingredient notes

Lemongrass: use only the bottom 4 inches or so of each stalk, the pale tender part, and slice it thin before it goes in the blender or it will leave woody threads in the paste. If you cannot find fresh, 2 teaspoons of lemongrass paste from a tube is fine.

Galangal: this is what gives the paste that slightly medicinal, piney edge. Asian grocers sell it fresh or frozen. If you cannot get it, just double the ginger. The dish will still be good, just a little rounder.

Curry leaves: the fresh ones from an Indian or Southeast Asian grocer are worth hunting down, and they freeze well in a zip bag. Dried curry leaves have almost no flavor, so if fresh are not an option, leave them out rather than substitute.

Rice flour: regular rice flour, not glutinous (sweet) rice flour. Bob’s Red Mill is easy to find in US supermarkets. In a pinch, all cornstarch works but the crust comes out a touch glassier and less crisp.

Chili powder: I mean the pure ground dried chili sold in Asian stores, or Kashmiri chili powder, not American chili powder blends with cumin and oregano already in them. Paprika plus a pinch of cayenne gets you close.

Air Fryer Ayam Goreng Berempah (Malaysian Spiced Chicken)

Boneless chicken thighs marinated in a lemongrass, turmeric and toasted coriander paste, dusted with rice flour and air fried until the paste bakes into a craggy crust. Topped with crisp curry leaves. 40g of protein per serving with no deep frying.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 350

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 1.75 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs about 800g, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 2 to 3 pieces each
• 4 shallots about 60g, peeled and roughly chopped, or half a small red onion
• 4 cloves garlic peeled
• 1 inch fresh ginger peeled and sliced
• 1 inch fresh galangal peeled and sliced; or another inch of ginger
• 2 stalks lemongrass bottom 4 inches only, outer layer removed, sliced thin
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp chili powder pure ground chili or Kashmiri chili powder; adjust to taste
• 1.5 tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp water to loosen the paste
• 3 tbsp rice flour not glutinous rice flour
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp neutral oil or a generous spray
• 2 sprigs fresh curry leaves about 20 leaves, optional but recommended
• 1 lime cut into wedges, to serve

Method

 

1. Toast the whole spices. Put the coriander, cumin and fennel seeds in a dry small pan over medium heat and shake for 2 minutes, until they smell nutty and a shade darker. Tip onto a plate to cool, then grind fine in a spice grinder or mortar.
2. Make the paste. Blend the shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal, lemongrass, ground toasted spices, turmeric, chili powder, salt, sugar and water to a thick, fairly smooth paste. Scrape down the sides a couple of times. Add another tablespoon of water only if the blender will not catch.
3. Marinate. Toss the chicken pieces with the paste in a bowl until every piece is coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight. Longer is better.
4. Coat. Just before cooking, sprinkle the rice flour and cornstarch over the marinated chicken and toss again so the paste turns tacky and slightly dry on the surface. Do not rinse off the marinade; the flour binds to it.
5. Preheat the air fryer to 400F (200C) for 3 minutes. Lightly oil the basket or rack. Arrange half the chicken in a single layer with space between the pieces, then drizzle or spray with a little of the oil.
6. Air fry for 9 minutes, flip each piece, tuck the curry leaves in the gaps, and cook another 8 to 9 minutes until the crust is deep golden with darker edges and the thickest piece reads at least 170F (77C) on a thermometer. Thighs are more forgiving than breast, so a few degrees over is fine.
7. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the second batch. Pile the crisp curry leaves on top and serve hot with lime wedges, rice and sambal.

Tips and storage

Do not crowd the basket. The chicken needs air moving around every piece or the crust steams instead of drying out. In a standard 5 to 6 quart air fryer that means two batches for this quantity. Keep the first batch warm on a rack in a low oven, or just eat in shifts, which is what happens in my kitchen.

The marinade is better the longer it sits. Thirty minutes is the minimum, overnight is best, and the paste keeps in the fridge for a week if you want to make a double quantity and marinate chicken twice. It also works on drumsticks and bone-in thighs; add 6 to 8 minutes and check the thickest piece reads 175F.

For meal prep, this holds up better than most fried chicken because the crust was never oily to begin with. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in the air fryer at 375F for 4 to 5 minutes and it comes back nearly as crisp as day one. The microwave will make it soft, though the flavor is still there. Serve with steamed rice, sliced cucumber and a spoon of sambal, or shred it over salad greens with a squeeze of lime for a lower carb plate. If you want to keep going with air fryer chicken, my air fryer chicken katsu uses the same no-oil idea with a panko crust.