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Indonesian Soy-Braised Chicken (Semur Ayam)

Indonesian Soy-Braised Chicken (Semur Ayam)

By Hisham Ali HassanAugust 13, 2025

  • Makes
    4-6 servings
  • Cook Time
    1 hour

In Jakarta, chef Degan Septoadji taught us to prepare semur ayam, a simple, home-style chicken braise. The flavor base is a white spice paste called bumbu dasar putih, made by blitzing aromatics in a blender. The savory-sweet stew gets complexity from kecap manis, or Indonesian sweet soy sauce, as well as oyster sauce and regular soy sauce. If you are unable to find kecap manis, make an approximation by whisking 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 tablespoon each molasses and packed light brown sugar. Makrut lime leaves bring wonderful aroma to the dish; look for them in Asian markets. If you can’t find them, simply leave them out. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Tip

Don’t forget to uncover the pan about halfway through cooking, once the potatoes are just shy of tender. This allows the braising liquid to reduce, which concentrates the flavor and thickens the consistency.

Ingredients
  • 4

    medium shallots, peeled and roughly chopped

  • 4

    medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

  • 2

    inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

  • 2

    stalks lemon grass, trimmed to the lower 6 inches, chopped

  • ¼

    cup roasted cashews or macadamia nuts

  • ¼

    teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • 1

    tablespoon neutral oil

  • 1¾-2

    pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and halved crosswise

  • 3

    tablespoons kecap manis (see headnote)

  • 1

    tablespoon oyster sauce

  • 1

    tablespoon soy sauce

  • 4

    makrut lime leaves (optional; see headnote)

  • 12

    ounces Yukon Gold potatoes, not peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks

  • 8

    ounces ripe tomatoes, cored and chopped

  • 1

    teaspoon lime juice, plus lime wedges to serve

  • Scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal, to serve

  • 1

    Fresno chili, stemmed and sliced into thin rings, to serve

Step 1

In a blender, combine the shallots, garlic, ginger, lemon grass, cashews, nutmeg, ¼ cup water and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Process until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping the blender as needed.

Step 2

In a 12-inch skillet over medium, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the puree and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken, then cook, stirring, until and the mixture starts to brown at the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 3

Stir in the kecap manis, oyster sauce and soy sauce and 1½ cups water, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the potatoes, makrut leaves (if using), ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, then cover, reduce to medium and cook until the potatoes are just shy of tender, about 10 minutes.

Step 4

Uncover and cook, stirring, until a skewer inserted into both the chicken and potatoes meets no resistance, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cook, stirring, just until the tomatoes have softened, about 2 minutes. Remove and discard the lime leaves. Off heat, stir in the lime juice, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with scallions and the Fresno chili, and with lime wedges on the side.

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