When I called for fried chicken recipes from around the world, I was brought out of my comfort zone with ayam goreng kuning or yellow fried chicken which was introduced to me by Mildra from Bando in Indonesia. This delicious chicken is perfectly crispy on the outside without even needing breading and juicy on the inside. 

Ayam Goreng Kuning is a fried chicken dish from Java Island, and it is yellow because of the yellow marinade. The yellow paste needs to be created with a mortar and pestle, which is physically hard work. You have to grind galangal, ginger, turmeric, and other ingredients to make the paste. Galangal is a root similar to ginger and turmeric, and it is also sometimes referred to as Thai ginger. The turmeric in this paste makes the chicken yellow, and the spices seem to marinate all the way into the bone.

Mildra shared this recipe because it was one of his favorite dishes growing up, and it was always a good day for him when he would come home from school and find ayam goreng kuning waiting for him on the table. As Mildra said, “this dish makes you want to eat the chicken again and again and again.” 

This dish was intimidating to make since it required many steps and was an entirely new way of cooking for me. I even boiled the chicken in coconut water first before frying the chicken. I loved the beautiful yellow color of the chicken, but making the paste was hard work. The yellow stain from the turmeric dyed nearly everything in my kitchen, including my hands. I was surprised that the chicken was so soft even after cooking it and the outside of the chicken was incredibly crispy. This interesting dish is super flavorful, and eating it was very enjoyable. While I only made the yellow fried chicken, it is typically served with warm rice, sambal, and raw vegetables. So feel free to make the rest of the meal to go with your ayam goreng kuning.