Chicken Inasal

Method

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1. Mix the vinegar, calamansi juice, lemongrass, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, salt and pepper.

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2. Turn the chicken through it and refrigerate 3 hours.

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3. Fry the annatto seeds in the vegetable oil for 1 minute, until the oil turns deep orange, then strain the seeds out.

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4. Melt the margarine into the annatto oil with 4 tbsp of the marinade. This is the basting oil.

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5. Heat a charcoal grill until the coals are white, or a griddle pan until it smokes.

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6. Lift the chicken from the marinade and shake off the lemongrass.

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7. Grill 25 minutes, turning every 4 minutes.

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8. Brush generously with the basting oil at every turn.

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9. It is ready when the skin is deep orange and lacquered and the juices run clear.

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10. Rest 5 minutes and serve with lime wedges and any remaining basting oil.

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Chef’s Tips

• Baste at every turn, five or six times.
• Bone in, skin on.
• Strain the annatto seeds out or they catch and taste bitter.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.
• A quarter-teaspoon of ground ginger per tablespoon of fresh is the standard ratio if you are working from the spice rack rather than a fresh root.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.

Pairing Suggestions

• Garlic rice
• Atchara pickle
• Chicken oil for the rice

Storage & Reheating

Marinated raw chicken freezes 2 months. Cooked, it keeps 2 days.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.