Chicken Inasal

the charcoal-grilled chicken of Bacolod: jointed chicken steeped in calamansi, cane vinegar, lemongrass, and ginger, then grilled over coals under a basting of annatto oil until the skin turns deep orange

Origin: Philippines

From the journey of Lime.

Inasal is simply the Hiligaynon word for something grilled, but in the Philippines it means one dish and one place: the chicken of Bacolod, the sugar city of Negros Occidental, where whole streets of open-fronted grill houses do nothing else. It is distinguished from every other grilled chicken in the archipelago by two things. The first is the marinade, which is built upon calamansi, the small mandarin-kumquat hybrid that the Philippines calls its lime and uses as its universal acid, worked together with cane vinegar, crushed lemongrass, ginger, garlic, and a little sugar; the acid tenderises the bird and perfumes it right through the flesh. The second is annatto, the seed of the achiote tree, steeped in oil or melted fat and brushed on repeatedly during the grilling, which gives the skin the deep orange-red colour by which inasal is recognised at fifty paces and adds a faint, earthy, peppery note. The chicken is eaten with the hands, over a mound of rice, with a saucer of sinamak spiced vinegar or of soy sauce and calamansi at each place, and the basting oil is poured over the rice, which is the best part of the meal and is never wasted.

Ingredients

Chicken

1.5 kg chicken, jointed into 8 pieces, or 8 chicken thighs and drumsticks

Marinade

120 ml calamansi juice (about 25 calamansi), or 80 ml lime juice with 40 ml orange juice
80 ml cane vinegar or coconut vinegar
3 stalk lemongrass, bruised and finely chopped
40 g fresh ginger, peeled and grated
8 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
2 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Annatto Oil

3 tbsp annatto (achiote) seeds
120 ml neutral oil, or melted pork fat
50 g unsalted butter or margarine
1 tbsp calamansi or lime juice (for the basting oil)

To Serve

8 whole calamansi or 2 limes, halved, to serve
100 ml spiced coconut vinegar (sinamak) or soy sauce, to serve

Method

Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large non-reactive bowl, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve. Add the chicken, turn to coat thoroughly, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.
Make the annatto oil: warm the seeds gently in the oil over the lowest possible heat for 5 minutes, until the oil turns a deep orange-red, then take off the heat, leave for 10 minutes, and strain out the seeds. Stir in the butter until melted and add the tablespoon of calamansi juice.
Lift the chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip off, and leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile bring a charcoal grill to a medium heat with the coals raked to one side, so there is a hotter and a cooler zone.
Grill the chicken over the cooler side, skin side up, for 12 to 15 minutes, brushing generously with the annatto oil every few minutes and turning once. Move it over the coals for the last 5 to 8 minutes, basting and turning often, until the skin is deep orange, blistered in places, and the juices run clear.
Rest the chicken for 5 minutes, brush once more with the remaining annatto oil, and serve over steamed rice with halved calamansi and a saucer of spiced vinegar or soy sauce at each place.

Notes

Calamansi is sold frozen and bottled by Filipino grocers and is worth seeking out, since its mandarin perfume behind the acid is what distinguishes the marinade; the blend of lime and orange juice given above is the nearest ordinary substitute. Inasal can be cooked under a very hot grill or in a 220°C oven followed by 5 minutes under the grill, though the charcoal smoke is much missed. In Bacolod the chicken is sold by the cut and each has its own name: paa (leg), pecho (breast), pak-pak (wing), and the celebrated corazon and baticolon, skewers of hearts and gizzards grilled by the same method. Sinamak, the spiced coconut vinegar of the Visayas steeped with chilli, garlic, ginger, and peppercorns, is the proper dip; ordinary vinegar with a crushed chilli and a clove of garlic will stand in.

The Gastrographer

Name: Chicken Inasal
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 5 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Philippines
Ingredients: 1.5 kg chicken, jointed into 8 pieces, or 8 chicken thighs and drumsticks; 120 ml calamansi juice (about 25 calamansi), or 80 ml lime juice with 40 ml orange juice; 80 ml cane vinegar or coconut vinegar; 3 stalk lemongrass, bruised and finely chopped; 40 g fresh ginger, peeled and grated; 8 clove garlic, crushed; 2 tbsp soft brown sugar; 2 tsp fine sea salt; 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 3 tbsp annatto (achiote) seeds; 120 ml neutral oil, or melted pork fat; 50 g unsalted butter or margarine; 1 tbsp calamansi or lime juice (for the basting oil); 8 whole calamansi or 2 limes, halved, to serve; 100 ml spiced coconut vinegar (sinamak) or soy sauce, to serve

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control