Chicken inasal
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Cook:
- plus 4 hrs marinating
- A challenge
- Serves 2
Ingredients
- 2 poussin, spatchcocked
- 60ml achuete oil (see tip below)
- 1 banana leaf, to serve
- 1 spring onion, sliced, to serve
For the marinade
- 1 garlic bulb, roughly chopped
- 30g ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 red onion, roughly chopped
- 2 lemongrass stalks, roughly chopped
- 8 black peppercorns
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 lemon, juiced (or 100ml calamansi juice to replace both the lemon and lime juice)
- 1 tbsp soft brown sugar
- 200ml cane vinegar
- 2 bay leaves
For the basting butter
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 100g salted butter, softened
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp soft dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp achuete oil (see tip, below)
For the sinamak
- 1 bird's-eye chilli, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ginger, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp finely chopped shallot or red onion
- 40ml cane vinegar
- 2 peppercorns
For the sawsawan (sauces)
- soy vinegar, to serve
- achuete oil, to serve
- atchara, to serve (see 'goes well with' below)
Method
- STEP 1
Score the legs of the poussins and remove the wishbones. Make the marinade by combining all the ingredients in a bowl, add the poussin, cover and chill. Leave to marinate for at least 4 hrs.
- STEP 2
To make the basting butter, mix the garlic with the softened butter. Add the lemon juice, soft dark brown sugar and achuete oil for colour. Mix well.
- STEP 3
Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and heat a griddle pan over a medium high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry. Season and coat with the achuete oil. Put upside-down on the griddle for 5 mins until the skin is crisp and golden, then flip over and transfer to the oven for 20-30 mins until cooked, checking and basting occasionally with butter. Leave to rest for 5-10 mins before serving.
- STEP 4
While the poussins are grilling, make the sinamak by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.
- STEP 5
Cut the banana leaf into two 25 x 12cm rectangles using scissors. Run them under water, then toast in a dry pan, lightly blow torch or grill until toasted (this releases the natural oils and makes the leaf shiny). To serve, put the toasted banana leaf on a plate, top with a poussin, a spoonful of the atchara, a sprinkling of spring onions and serve the sauces and sinamak alongside.
