Chicken steamed and roasted in fragrant Balinese spices
Explore the Dish
Ayam betutu is the chicken version of Bali’s famous betutu: a whole chicken or chicken pieces packed with base genep spice paste, wrapped and slow-cooked until tender and infused with flavour. More accessible (and often more affordable) than the duck, it is a brilliant way to taste the betutu tradition.
The dish ranges from gently spiced to ferociously hot — the Gilimanuk style, in particular, is famous for its chilli kick. Served with rice, urab (spiced vegetables) and sambal, it is a complete, satisfying plate.
Because chicken cooks faster than duck, ayam betutu is more readily available without pre-ordering, making it the easier betutu to try on a short trip.
Like bebek betutu, ayam betutu comes from Bali’s ceremonial kitchen, where slow spice-cooking flavoured poultry for feasts. The Gilimanuk style from west Bali made the fiery chicken version nationally famous.
Ayam Betutu Men Tempeh
📍 Gilimanuk / branches
The famous Gilimanuk-style betutu — fiery, tender and iconic, with branches around Bali.
Traditional Balinese warungs
📍 Denpasar / Ubud
Reliable, well-spiced ayam betutu plates with rice and vegetables.
Balinese restaurants
📍 Seminyak / Ubud
Comfortable sit-down betutu, often milder for tourists.
| Venue Type | IDR | USD (approx.) | INR (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Street cart / warung | 22,000–50,000 IDR | $1.4–$3.1 | ₹120–₹280 |
| Local warung (sit-down) | 60,000–90,000 IDR | $3.8–$5.6 | ₹335–₹500 |
| Mid-range restaurant | 100,000–160,000 IDR | $6.2–$10.0 | ₹555–₹890 |
| Hotel / tourist restaurant | 175,000–300,000 IDR | $10.9–$18.8 | ₹970–₹1665 |
A chicken dish with no vegetarian version. Choose nasi campur vegetarian or tempeh dishes instead.
Not vegetarianJain note: Balinese cooking uses garlic, shallots and shrimp paste (terasi) widely. Jain travellers should ask for dishes without onion, garlic and terasi — easiest at vegetarian warungs in Ubud.
A whole chicken or chicken pieces rubbed with Balinese spice paste and slow-cooked until tender and deeply flavoured.
It can be — especially the famous Gilimanuk style. Ask for “tidak terlalu pedas” for a milder plate.
Usually not — chicken cooks faster than duck, so it is more readily available than bebek betutu.
As a chicken dish it has no pork, but always confirm with the specific warung or restaurant.
Same spice paste and method — ayam betutu uses chicken, bebek betutu uses duck.
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