A Penang Nyonya spiced fried chicken marinated in a complex rempah and coconut milk, then double-fried for exceptional crunch and aromatic depth. Lore says it once fed ship cabin crews, hence the name.
Inchi Kabin, also spelled inchee or enche kabin, is a Penang Nyonya fried chicken. The chicken is marinated in a complex rempah of shallots, lemongrass, turmeric, galangal and a mix of ground coriander, fennel and cumin, with coconut milk, then double-fried for exceptional crunch. The name is said to come from its history feeding ship cabin crews. The dish fuses Western or Chinese deep-frying with a Malay-style multi-spice rempah marinade, a Penang-Nyonya specialty distinct from plain fried chicken.
An audibly crisp, deeply golden crust over juicy, fragrantly spiced chicken, the rempah of coriander and turmeric running through the meat. Eaten with a squeeze of lime and a chili dip, it is aromatic, crunchy and moreish.
The chicken is marinated for hours in a wet rempah of ground spices and coconut milk, so the flavour penetrates rather than coating the surface. It is then dredged lightly in a rice-or-tapioca flour and fried once to cook through, rested, then fried again at higher heat to build the glassy, crackling crust. The double-fry is the defining technique: the first sets the meat, the second builds the crunch.
Variations
A wing version uses only chicken wings. Some cooks add a splash of rice wine to the marinade.
On the Palate
Where Inchi Kabin sits in the Malaysian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
6 steps · 40 min
- 110 min
Pound 6 shallots, 2 stalks lemongrass, 2cm galangal, 2cm turmeric and 4 dried chillies to a paste; mix in 1 tbsp ground coriander, 1 tsp fennel, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt and 100ml coconut milk.
- 25 min
Coat 1 jointed chicken (about 1.2kg) in the marinade and refrigerate 2 hours.
- 34 min
Drain the chicken, dredge lightly in 50g rice flour mixed with 1 tsp tapioca flour.
- 49 min
Fry in oil at 160C for 8 minutes until cooked through; drain and rest 10 minutes.
Watch outFirst fry at a gentle 160度 just to cook the chicken through — this pass sets the meat but won't crisp it yet.
- 55 min
Raise the oil to 190C and fry the chicken again for 3-4 minutes until deep golden and very crisp.
Watch outSecond fry hot at 190度 only 3–4 minutes to build the glassy crackling crust — that's where the crunch comes from.
- 62 min
Drain, serve hot with lime wedges and a chili-soy dip.
