Soto Ayam Recipe Indonesian Chicken Soup
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read the disclosure policies for details.
Soto Ayam is a classic Indonesian chicken soup. Known for its flavorful broth, fragrant spices, and combination of textures. It’s often served with rice, noodles, boiled eggs, and crispy toppings like fried shallots and shrimp chips. It’s a delicious soup that can be enjoyed as a full meal.
Soto Ayam translates to Soup Chicken in English. The taste of traditional Soto Ayam is a blend of savory chicken broth with earthy turmeric, a hint of citrus from lime leaves, and warmth from ginger.
Soto Soup is part of the 5 national dishes of Indonesia you can make at home.
How to Make Soto Ayam
Soto Ayam is prepared by simmering chicken in a broth infused with a blend of aromatic spices such as turmeric, coriander, and lemongrass. The chicken is then shredded and combined with glass noodles, vegetables, and boiled eggs. It’s served with rice and garnished with crispy fried shallots, fresh herbs, and sambal.
Continue below for the full recipe with ingredients and step-by-step instructions.
Preparing Soto Ayam for a Crowd
Soto Ayam is a perfect meal to serve when you’re hosting a large group. It is a crowd-pleaser. To multiply the recipe for larger groups, simply increase the quantities of all ingredients proportionally based on the desired number of servings.
You can prepare most of the Soto Ayam a day in advance to save time. Make the spice paste, cook and shred the chicken, and prepare the broth ahead of time. You can also cook the rice, noodles, and boil the eggs in advance. Store everything in airtight containers in the fridge, then reheat or assemble when you’re ready to serve.
Customization Options
Soto Ayam can be prepared in various ways to suit your taste. You can personalize your soup by adding more vegetables like carrots or green beans. For an extra kick, add a splash of lime juice or more sambal to spice things up.
Some optional ingredients include diced potatoes that have been fried, or using lontong (rice cakes) instead of regular rice.
Soto Ayam (Indonesian Chicken Soup)
Soto Ayam is a classic Indonesian chicken soup with a rich flavorful broth, and hearty ingredients like chicken, rice, vegetables, and noodles.
Ingredients
Bumbu Spice Mix
- 5 candlenutskemiri
- 2 tablespoons corianderketoembar
- 2 onions
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon gingerjahe
- 2 teaspoons turmerickoenjit
- A small piece of shrimp pasteterasi
- 1 teaspoon galangallaos
- 1 teaspoon sambal oelek
- A splash of neutral oilfor sautéing
Other Ingredients for the Soup
- 500 grams chicken breastor 4 chicken thighs
- 4 Indonesian bay leavesdaun salam
- 6 makrut lime leavesjeruk purut
- 2 stalks lemongrasssereh, bruised and knotted
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 200 grams rice
- 75 grams glass noodles
- 1/4 white cabbagethinly sliced
- 2 leeksthinly sliced
- 4 eggsboiled and halved
- Saltto taste
Garnishes
- Fried shallots
- Bean sproutsabout a small handful per person
- Celeryparsley, or coriander leaves
- Spring onionschopped
- Sambal chili paste
- Shrimp chipskrupuk
Instructions
-
Roast the candlenuts in a pan or oven until golden.
-
Peel and roughly chop the onions and garlic.
-
Blend the roasted candlenuts, onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric, terasi shrimp paste, galangal, sambal oelek, and a splash of oil into a smooth paste using a stick blender or regular blender.
-
In a large pot, bring 1.5 to 2 liters of water to a boil, and add the chicken.
-
Simmer for about 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
-
Remove the chicken from the pot and let it cool. Keep the stock for later.
-
Once cooled, shred the chicken and set it aside.
-
Cook the rice according to the package instructions. Set aside.
-
In a separate pot, cook the glass noodles until soft. Drain and set aside.
-
Boil the eggs in a pot of water for about 10 minutes. Cool them in cold water, peel, and cut in half.
-
In a large pot, heat a bit of oil and sauté the bumbu spice paste until fragrant. This should take about 2-3 minutes.
-
Add a small amount of the chicken stock to loosen the paste, stirring to combine.
-
Add the bruised Indonesian bay leaves, makrut lime leaves, and lemongrass.
-
Pour the remaining chicken stock into the pot with the spice mixture.
-
Add the shredded chicken, 2 bouillon cubes, and salt to taste.
-
Stir in the glass noodles, shredded cabbage, and sliced leeks during the last few minutes of cooking, so they soften but retain some texture.
-
To serve, place a scoop of rice and a handful of bean sprouts in each bowl.
-
Ladle the soto ayam broth with chicken, noodles, and vegetables over the rice.
-
Top each bowl with a halved boiled egg, fried shallots, chopped spring onions, and celery, parsley, or coriander leaves.
-
Serve with shrimp chips (krupuk) and sambal chili paste on the side for extra spice.
Notes
Store leftover Soto Ayam in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat on the stovetop or microwave until warm.
Nutrition
Per serving (1)
- Calories
- 788 kcal
- Carbs
- 57 g
- Protein
- 55 g
- Fat
- 39 g
- Fiber
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 11 g
- Sodium
- 1260 mg
Recipe by Deborah Green
Discover more traditional flavors in the Indonesian main dishes roundup.
