Fried chicken is always the right answer, and here are 12 places to find the best Indonesian smashed chicken, ayam penyet in Singapore.
Ayam penyet is a East Javanese fried chicken dish. To prepare it, the meat is marinated in a blend of herbs and spices, battered, boiled, and deep-fried. Once cooked, the chicken is smashed – penyet in the local language – with a mallet to soften the meat and separate it from the bone. Chicken thigh is the most commonly used cut, and it is accompanied by fried tofu, fried tempeh, raw vegetables such as cucumber, and sambal belachan.
Ayam penyet in Singapore is dominated by several restaurant chains – Ayam Penyet Ria, D’Penyetz, Ayam Penyet President, Dapur Penyet, and Uncle Penyet, which make the dish their focus. Indonesian restaurants here also offer the fried chicken, including Pondok Jawa Timur at Far East Plaza and Zoul’s Corner’s outlets in Tampines, West Coast, and Bedok.
Then there are hawker stalls with ayam penyet on the menu. Impian Wahyu in Jalan Besar perks it up with a punchy, homemade chilli sauce. At Amoy Street Food Centre, Rayyan’s Waroeng Upnormal presents a jumbo ayam penyet and Balinese-Japanese fusion food. Warong Hjh Kamisah has the smashed chicken among other dishes from the Javanese city of Solo. La Porpo’s ayam penyet and other styles of ayam goreng comes recommended by MasterChef Singapore judge and Artichoke chef, Bjorn Chen. Discover them below.
(Hero and featured images credits: Zoul’s Corner)
Where to eat the best ayam penyet in Singapore
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Ayam Penyet President
Like Ayam Penyet Ria (see below), Ayam Penyet President has staked its restaurant’s reputation on serving Indonesian smashed chicken. Founded in 2009 in Lucky Plaza, the chain has expanded across the island, including outlets at Vivocity, Hillion Mall, Lucky Plaza, Northpoint, Kallang Wave Mall, and White Sands. The chicken is topped with grated coconut and spices and comes with tofu, tempeh, crispy bits, and sambal belachan.
S$9.50+
Halal-certified
(Image credit: Ayam Penyet President)
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Ayam Penyet Ria
Ayam Penyet Ria opened here in 2004 and was one of the pioneers who popularised the dish in Singapore. To make the dish, the family-owned restaurant chain boils fresh chicken in a blend of herbs and spices, fries it, and smashes it with a wooden mallet. Find it at Lucky Plaza, Jurong Point, Rivervale Mall, Woods Square, Nex, and Bugis Street.
S$9.50+
Halal-certified
(Image credit: Ayam Penyet Ria)
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Bebek Goreng Pak Ndut
Bebek Goreng Pak Ndut’s signature is the Indonesian-style smashed duck, but the restaurant’s ayam penyet is also a crowd favourite. Fresh chicken is first marinated for 24 hours in a spice mix before it is deep-fried and pounded. It is served with tofu, tempeh, salad, and your choice of chilli, with four options available. Find them at Lucky Plaza, Westgate, and Singpost Centre.
S$9.90
Halal-certified
(Image credit: @eatsabel / Instagram)
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D'Penyetz
Founded in 2009, D’Penyetz is arguably the most successful ayam penyet restaurant chain today, with locations in Australia, Myanmar, Brunei, Indonesia, and Singapore. The signature smashed fried chicken comes with a choice of chilli that goes from level 1 (mild) to level 8 (Super Kick Spicy), as well as an option for either thigh of breast meat. Diners can also opt for the leaner kampong smashed chicken.
S$9.50
Halal-certified
(Image credit: D’Penyetz)
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Dapur Penyet
Opened in 2005, Dapur is another one of the early entrants to Singapore’s ayam penyet scene. The chicken comes with a choice of sambal – either balado, belacan, rica, hijau, or bawang – to pair with the juicy meat. Find them at Tiong Bahru Plaza, Centrepoint, Funan, City Plaza, and Jewel.
S$10.50
Halal-certified
(Image credit: Dapur Penyet Singapore / Facebook)
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Impian Wahyu
Impian Wahyu is an Indonesian food hawker stall named after cofounder Wahyu Ning, while her partner Abang Batman’s contribution is the numerous Bat Symbols plastered around the eatery. Among their dishes is ayam penyet, which should be slathered in the couple’s homemade fiery sambal belachan.
S$7
Monday – Saturday, 9am – 8pm
Sunday, 9am – 5pm
(Image credit: @eat.wat.today / Instagram)
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La Porpo
La Porpo comes with a big reputation: MasterChef Singapore judge and Artichoke chef Bjorn Shen proclaimed them as having the best ayam goreng in Singapore. Run by a husband-and-wife team, the stall sells different styles of fried chicken including ayam penyet, which they offer with rice infused with pandan or butterfly pea flower, and a green chilli and anchovy sauce they call Sambal Loca.
From S$6
Sunday – Friday, 9am – 8pm
Closed on Saturday
(Image credit: @tellmewhere.sg / Instagram)
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Pondok Jawa Timur
Pondok Jawa Timur debuted in 2006 as an eatery canteen at the Singapore Indonesian Embassy. Due to strong demand, the founder turned it into a proper restaurant at Far East Plaza where it has stood for years. Among its eastern Javanese dishes is the ayam penyet, which is served without rice, but go for lunch on weekdays between 11am to 3pm and the dish is available as a set (S$11.90++) with rice and a drink.
S$8.90++
Halal-certified
Monday – Thursday, 11am – 8pm
Friday – Sunday, 11am – 9pm
(Image credit: Pondok Jawa Timur – Indonesian Cuisine / Facebook)
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Rayyan’s Waroeng Upnormal: Le Original
If you like your ayam penyet upsized, head to Rayyan’s. The Amoy Street hawker stall has a jumbo version that requires two hands to eat, yet still offers the dish’s hallmarks of a crispy skin and juicy meat. A regular portion is also available, as well as the Balinese-Japanese gyudon.
From S$5.50
Monday – Friday, 9am – 2.30pm
Closed on Saturday & Sunday
(Image credit: @hojiakdelights / Instagram)
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Uncle Penyet
Uncle Penyet was set up in 2005 to serve Indonesian fusion food, which it demonstrates with its ayam penyet. It comes with the usual trappings of tofu, sambal belachan, and vegetables, as well as a twist in the form of curry gravy. Uncle Penyet has multiple outlets across Singapore including in Alkaff Vista, Pasir Ris Hawker Centre, Thomson Plaza, and NUS.
S$9.50
Halal-certified
(Image credit: Uncle Penyet)
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Warong Hjh Kamisah
Inside Sims Vista Market & Food Centre is Warong Hjh Kamisah, a hawker stall that sells food from Solo, a city in Java. Its rendition of ayam penyet comes with kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) with raw onions and chilli.
S$5.50
Monday – Thursday, 6am – 1.30pm
Saturday & Sunday, 6am – 10.30am
(Image credit: @phoebepapa / Instagram)
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Zoul's Corner
Zoul’s Corner began as a nasi padang stall before the founder’s son took over and made ayam penyet its focus. Besides the original version, the eatery serves variations including boneless ayam penyet, with nasi goreng, and a combo meal with fried prawns and calamari rings. Find them in Tampines, West Coast, and Bedok.
S$8.50
(Image credit: Zoul’s Corner)
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Jethro enjoys wine, biking, and climbing, and he's terrible at all three. In between them, he drinks commercial lagers, and eats dumplings and ice cream.
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