Pieces of chicken are cooked in sweet and savory kicap/kecap sauce. The recipe doesn't require deep-frying the chicken and use less oil. They are easy to make and still full of flavor.
Marinate the chicken pieces with salt, pepper, and 1 Tbsp oil (omit oil if you plan to deep fry the chicken) for 15 minutes
To cook the chicken with air fryer:
Air fry them at 400 F (200 C) for 15 minutes and then flip over and air fry another 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. The chicken pieces don't have to be cooked through at this point as we will be braising it later
To broil the chicken in the oven:
Turn on the broiler on low. If you don't have the broiler function, preheat oven at 425 F (218 C) fan mode if there's one in your oven. Spray the baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with a non-stick spray or brush with some oil. Place the marinated chicken on the tray and let them broil until they are golden brown but not burnt or if you are baking, bake for about 20-25 minutes until they are golden brown. You can flip over half-way too so they brown more evenly. The chicken pieces don't have to be cooked through at this point as we will be braising it later
If you prefer to deep fry the chicken:
Preheat about 3 inches of oil. Fry the chicken in batches until they are golden brown. The chicken won't be fully
Cooking the chicken with the kicap sauce:
Mix all ingredients for seasonings in the bowl and set aside. Preheat a large wok or skillet. Add the rest of the cooking oil. Saute shallots, garlic, ginger, and chili (if using) until aromatics, about 1 minute. Add the chicken pieces followed by the seasonings and stir fry for another minute. Add the water and bring to a boil. Cover with the lid and lower the heat to let the chicken simmer for about 20-30 minutes or until cooked through
Uncover the lid and add the tomato wedges, onion wedges, and green onion stalks. Cook until the onion just turning soft. We still want a bit of "crunch". Remove from the heat and serve immediately