I have never been to Bacolod. I almost visited the city earlier this year but the trip was postponed at the last minute. I realize that I am missing a serious culinary experience… Everyone I spoke to about Bacolod waxed poetic about the food; but the one big caveat was that the best food was in private homes, not on the streets or in restaurants. 
The bottom line, I would need a seriously well-connected guide to get me into the back doors of all the old estates in order to eat like royalty (not to mention photograph and write about it). While there are a few people I know from Bacolod, none were in the mood to get fatter alongside me in a multi-day eating and market tour. And I suppose families guard their special recipes like precious heirlooms. There are some faithful Bacolod-based or bred readers of the blog who have graciously offered suggestions of places to see, eat, etc. and I am still hopeful that one day soon I will make the trip. The one specialty that I have had several times in several different places, but never in Bacolod, is their famous Chicken Inasal or Grilled Chicken. What’s the big deal, anyway???
I did a quick search on the internet and ended up at this article by Heny Sison on “Mang Melchor’s Chicken Inasal.†I decided to make the recipe she describes as my “control†and also simultaneously concocted my own recipe based on the versions I had consumed so far. Mang Melchor’s 
version goes something like this… take chicken parts and place it in a big bowl. Add finely chopped ginger, garlic, brown sugar, cane or coconut vinegar, kalamansi (calamondin), rock salt. Marinate the chicken for about an hour (not much longer as the vinegar will have almost completely “cooked†the meat.) Then fire up a charcoal grill and barbecue the chicken over medium-low flames while basting with achuete (annatto seed) oil. To make the achuete oil, heat up several tablespoons of vegetable oil, drop in 2 tablespoons of achuete and turn the fire off after a minute or so. Let the oil absorb the intensely orange red color of the achuete and strain away the solids. Cook until chicken is just done and remove from the heat. Best if eaten within 15 minutes of coming off the grill with a good native vinegar and some crushed chillis. A tip, don’t scrimp on the ingredients, overdoing it is difficult to do. The key is to infuse flavor into the chicken. Good vinegar is imperative. I used native coconut vinegar.
For my version, I incorporated Star Margarine. Yipes, is right. I never ever used Star Margarine when I was growing up. I only used butter. My parents were big anti-margarine crusaders. But those in the Bacolod “Inasal nga Manok know,” whispered that Star Margarine is one of those 
secret ingredients that I just had to try so I took their advice with superb results… So here goes with Marketman’s version… Place your chicken parts in a bowl. Add lots of finely minced ginger, garlic, good native vinegar, calamansi, lots of chopped lemongrass, I used over 8 stalks! (the other secret ingredient), rock salt and lots of cracked black pepper (another key ingredient). Marinate for an hour, stirring to coat chicken pieces evenly. Meanwhile, make the basting sauce with an entire medium tub or more of star margarine that you melt in a small saucepan over a low flame. Add a tablespoon or so of achuete oil if you are one of those who must have the color and even more cracked black pepper. Barbecue over medium to low flames (the photo up top is just for graphic effect, that was a flare-up that had to be put out!) until cooked, basting several times with the star margarine, achuete oil and black pepper mixture. I tried a version where I pre-baked the chicken to ensure that it was cooked inside but that version resulted in a dryish chicken, don’t do it. If you live abroad, I have tried this with a good organic cider vinegar that yielded good results.
How did it turn out? SPECTACULAR. I kid you not. Both versions 
were super sarap but I am partial to the heavy margarine basted, lemongrass scented and high pepper content of the Marketman version. This was special grilled chicken. Excellent with vinegar. I easily ate several pieces in addition to healthy servings of paella. Try it the next time you have a hot grill going! The last two pictures are the margarine versions. The second and third photos are the achuete oil version. Cooked they were nearly indistinguishable visually, but flavor wise, the margarine one did it for me… Many grillers have a tendeny to overcook chicken so watch these closely – you want them juicy inside but possessing a nicely flavored skin and crust. Absolutely YUMMY! Great party food.
100 Responses
So what element of Star Margarine do you think imparts that flavour flourish? Was it the special artificial flavouring or the greasy thick mouth feel or the combination of both? This reminds me of Ruth’s Chris much vaunted steaks that are basted with butter and then dunk in melted butter before serving.
MM, that looks really yummy, I can almost taste it. I’ve never had inasal chicken nor tried this seasoning combination before, the ginger specially. I will have to go to the Philgrocer tomorrow and get me a tub of that Star Margarine. I can’t remember its taste, I know it has a bright yellow color much like butter flavored Crisco.
I tried making chicken inasal but I think somebody forgot to tell me to just marinate for an hour. The result was very sour tasting chicken. I love inasal chicken but especially native chicken. I tried them in Ilo Ilo and in Bacolod and let me tell you, they are delish. It’s funny that you havent been to Bacolod but have been to Barcelona etc! Bacolod is nice. I had a chance to stay at the old house of the Old Victoria’s Milling owner replete with the suicide story. It’s a grand house with a very civilized way of treating the help. I mean with a bell and all. There are actually places to eat in Bacolod. Not everyhome has a great old cook with ancient recipes.
Happy Birthday, MM! Yummy naman the paella and inasal chicken (but dude, it’s got carcinogen written all over it!) I’m sure you peeled off the burnt skin… What a bounty! Love what you wore too!
Star margarine went down like a brick. Back in the ’70’s we used to make grilled cheese sandwiches and use this vile stuff and it wouldn’t melt in the hot pan. Wouldn’t even spread on the bread! I have to wonder if our bodies even absorbed the “nutrients” it had. Star margarin did not melt in your mouth. Did not do anything but be a space that took up room in a store.
I think I’ll create a blog that is anti Star margarine. ;)
hoooo! i’m gonna try it with an authentic ilokano sugarcane vinegar….
Apicio, you have described it exactly right… it’s the bizarre almost space age artificial flavoring AND the mouthfeel. I have never cooked with Star margarine before. But as long as the last basting is sufficiently burned off, then it leaves a less cloying flavor. I suspect if I used this on a dish in North America and had a chef taste it, they would be clueless…heehee. Oggi, the ginger adds a lot to the flavor, but the lemongrass and kalamansi is key too! Rampau, you shouldn’t marinate longer than an hour due to the acidity of the vinegar…you basically will have adobong inasal… Gigi, yup carcinogens…BAD. But the rest of the skin was delicious! Jean, I’m with you on star, but this inasal did taste good… wendell, ilokano vinegar is excellent!
I’ve made this many times with a 1:1 mixture of 7-Up and vinegar, lime instead of calamansi plus all the other stuff except the sugar…used to use Star margarine until we found out that using butter was just as good or maybe better (we ran out of Star and it wasn’t time for our monthly 2+ hr drive for “pinoy” supplies)—–sarap!!
Belated happy birthday, Marketman! That chicken inasal looks good. Did you use sukang paombong or the sukang Bisaya? Kasi diba they taste very different.
Coconut palm vinegar… Good sugar cane vinegar would work well too.
Langhap-Sarap naman! :p I think I’ll try it with Sukang Iloko as well. Star Margarine? Last time I bought that, it was for topping Pan De Sal, because I thought it was the secret, but it just did not turn out well, plus I lost the lid and the whole thing dried out and cracked. Lol, tells ya what it’s made of.
no, don’t diss star – it’s the perfect match for grilled half-ripe saba bananas(“ginanggang”, i found out recently). not butter or any of the butter pretenders – it has to be star, in all its nuclear-yellow tongue-coating glory/ and yes,it melts on the surface of the just-grilled banana, just enough to ensure that a heavy sprinkling of sugar sticks to yum-yummyness!
Thanks for this recipe Marketman! I’ll make it for my grandma who used to live in Bacolod and has not eaten inasal since she moved to Manila (ages ago!)…
MM,thank you so much for this recipe! I must cook this dish this weekend – just on time for a dear friend’s birthday.
Thanks for all the trouble that you go through just to share everything with your readers. Hala,madami na akong utang sa iyo.
Happy Birthday, MM. u. Call me biased but for me, being a true-blue Ilonggo, nothing beats eating chicken inasal at the Manokan Strip at the reclamation area in Bacolod. We have Chicken Deli and Chicken House there, but mas masarap pa rin yung sa reclamation area talaga, probably has something to do with the atmosphere also. Walang sinabi yung mga gaya-gaya dito sa Manila. But then sabi ko nga, biased ako, hahahhaha.
Chicken inasal is far superior to Thai barbicued butterflied chicken.
Dishing? Nah. We were objectively describing. Surprisingly enough, Star Margerine is available here. In fact I have a cook friend who throws in a dollop as he does garlic on many things he cooks and when guests inquire about the ineffable dimension of his dishes he would peek out of the kitchen door holding the tin on the tips of his fingers just like the countless celebs who have pitched and plugged it throughout my youth.
Wow! The chicken you grilled is perfect, just like what you would get here in Bacolod; plump, slightly burnt, and with that unique “atchuetint” accented with Star margarine yellow.
The only “kulang” is that the chicken pieces were not impaled (skewered?) in bamboo sticks. Usual chicken pieces for inasal would be: PAA or the whole leg (drumstick with thigh(, PECHO or half a chicken breast, PECHO-PAK or breast with wing, PAK-PAK or about three chicken wings, ISOL or plump chicken puwet (my favorite cholesterol source!), BOL-O or chicken skin, LI-OG or chicken necks, ATAY or chicken liver, BATICOLON or gizzard; and for the more adventurous palate, TINA-E or intestines and DUGO or cubes of blood. whew…
And do you remember the claim of Star Margarine that it can help you grow taller?
MM,
Rhea is right! Nothing beats the chicken inasal at the Manokan Strip in Reclamation. I dipped mine in sinamak! Yummy! This is my comfort food. My annual visit won’t be complete with a visit to manokan. Namit gid ya!
Addendum:
I meant, my annual visit won’t be complete without a trip to Manokan.
Thanks for the sharing your recipe. Chicken inasal is a regular food in our home. But, instead of baking the chicken, I boil it in water and garlic for a few minutes probably 10 minutes before grilling. Then we baste with atsuete oil while grilling. Have to boil first to cook them through. Nothing is worse than finding out the meat esp. the thighs still have blood. yuck! Bacolod is in my wish list of places to visit!
Nobody told me not to marinate for more than an hour, but the results were still good. I sauteed lots of garlic with the leftover basting sauce and tossed it with my rice. Excellent combination with the inasal. I grilled my chicken without baking or boiling first, and it was not bloody at all. Im not sure if its because i marinated it in vinegar for a long time (maybe it got half cooked) or if its because of the 2 deep horizontal slits i put on my chicken (I used thigh). Either way, i think you can skip the the boiling/baking step. Make sure to be generous with your basting sauce, you may be covered in a cloud of smoke while cooking this, but, the chicken really absorbs that deep smokey flavor and is totally worth it.
these sound like the best recipes online. definitely worth a try. thank you for sharing!
IMO our barbecues are the best of all the Asian barbecues! Sweet, savory, and amazing with rice. You don’t have to be Pinoy to realize this lol
Corinne: How do you work out the marinating and boiling? I like the idea, but then it doesn’t get marinated?
I remember nutribun with star margarine :)
Since I can’t go to Bacolod now, I will try this recipe one of these days.
just remembered..the people in bacolod like to pour some achuete-colored chicken oil (from rendered chicken fat)on top of their rice, and i know some people who mix this oil with their sinamak/toyo/sili sawsawan . i think this is because their chicken barbecue tends to be dry.
Ah Star Margarine…..the secret ingredient to a lot of other yummy goodies! We make our garlic crabs with this. Saute lots of chopped garlic (as in LOTS, especially if you are using the Taiwan variety) in star margarine. Then toss in your crabs, preferrably in halves, add some Sprite (or Diet Sprite) till the crabs are done. Oh and season with salt and pepper. The amount of garlic and star margarine should be enough to coat all your crabs. Can also be used with prawns or shrimp. So simple, so yummy! Remember, any other butter would not work. We’ve tried it. Star margarine tastes the best!
Bacolod is indeed a gastronomic paradise! If you finally get to Bacolod, try to go there and eat at Aida’s in Manokan Country (Reclamation Area). I think the meat is boiled first then grilled that’s why it’s soft on the inside but the skin is still crunchy. To experience the real pleasure of eating inasal though, you have to eat it with your hands, drizzle a little chicken oil in your rice (I can already feel my arteries clogging) and order a second cup of rice. Yum! The talaba (oysters) are also good when on season.
Oooh the photos make me hungry! I miss bacolod inasal. Lee describes it really well.
MM, aside from inasal, bacolod is also known for its desserts! Sugar overload, even cebu’s sweets can’t compare. Calea is where you want to go. Yum!
I’m going home this september to Bacolod. and I can’t wait to feast on chicken inasal from Chicken house. i enjoy the part when you eat with your hands and attack the inasal until buto na lang. and the chicken oil that you pour on your rice.. yum yum.. actually you can have the same thing too at bacolod chicken inasal.
and oh yeah, CALEA!!! only in bacolod you can get a generous serving of warm rum-raisin pudding topped with vanilla icecream & vanilla milkshake for only P90! oh and a peanut-butter crunch crusted icecream pie with fudge dressing on top for P45… and chocolate-&-vanilla semifreddo cake for the same price… and their rich blueberry cheesecake… oh man.
rejoinder…
this is how a Calea icecream pie looks like…
https://mikli.multiply.com/photos/photo/33/23
and their Blueberry cheesecake & other cakes…
https://wyattbelmonte.blogspot.com/2006/05/calea-bacolod-city.html
yumee…
MM what’s the proportion of the vinegar??? I dont want the chicken to be too sour?
Rico, I didnt measure either. But for say 8 large chicken pieces, I would put say 4-6 tablespoons of vinegar and maybe 8 kalamansi. Do not marinate for longer than 60-90 minutes.
One good place that sells inasal in bacolod is ernesto and flordeliza’s at the corner of libertad market. Take out lang because they have few tables in a carinderia setting with a big tv playing cheap action films all the time. Quaint little place where ernesto sips his beer, flordeliza is the cashier, daughters wait, sons gril, and they all scream at each other.
It could be the divergence of varieties or the different methods they follow in harvesting and processing them but the Ecuadorian achiote that I get here are much larger bright red seeds that give forth a much stronger flavour and sheds its colour much more readily than our achiote. This is just what’is needed for making that achiote oil that will give your chicken inasal that lovely colour and that final fillip of exotic aroma.
Hi MM! Sorry I am late for this but a birdie whispered to me that one of the things that gives our chicken inasal that unique taste is “batwan”. Sorry I don’t know what the equivalent term is in Tagalog or Cebuano but if I can take a picture, I’ll email it to you. I also don’t know how true this is but I heard that “batwan” is not available in Manila. Maybe you’ll know.
To Bugsybee, Failing a picture, could you possibly give us some clue to narrow it down a bit please. Is it a plant, an animal or a mineral? Use simile or metaphor, what does it taste like, what does it remind you of, what are its other uses? Maybe it is that quality Star Margarine is trying to usurp. Minds hungry for knowledge want to know.
bugsybee and apicio, yes, I have heard of batwan but I have not seen it in Manila, isn’t it used as a souring agent for soups, as well? I understand that it is occasionally bottled from one of the large haciendas/farms (The Cojuangco one) in your area… will have to find the article or book that I saw it in then write it up…but apicio is right, a good photo would help…Apicio it’s a fruit from a tree, I think… Aha! I found the link, with a photo to boot… here it is https://www.seasite.niu.edu/TAGALog/Tagalog_Default_files/Philippine_Culture/Pagkaing%20Pilipino/philippine_fruits.htm I am fascinated that it is abundant in Bohol but not used there…I have to find me some Batwan soon! It sounds like a failed superhero…
Aha another souring agent for your sinigang monograph. A sutble acidity accompanied nodoubt with another equally subtle aroma that the Cojuangco-Ponce-Enrile noses picked to actually attempt to corner its market and to think that just moments ago it would not have triggered a eureka moment even if it fell from the tree and hit my head. Thanks for the link.
MM so we we use batwan will we lessen the kalamansi and vinegar??? Since the sourness will come from the fruit.
teny, that’s a good point and I suspect the answer is yes. I have never actually cooked with batwan so I am guessing at my answer. I would personally reduce the vinegar a bit as I also like the flavor notes of kalamansi, though maybe locals remove kalamansi altogether and use batwan instead.
MM, punta ka na sa bacolod this October for the Masskara festival!
I’ve tasted the chicken inasal at Manokan but I still prefer the one that my friend used to bring to us from her hometown Januiay, Iloilo. Tastier…..
I tried the recipe today, it was okay… I guess, I have to use more lemongrass next time. Thanks for the recipe though.
PS.
How much sugar do you recommend?
dien, use lots of all flavorings or spices, and I mean LOTS. I don’t put too much sugar as I don’t like it too sweet. But I suspect commercial versions have tons more sugar and salt than I put and possibly, vetsin as well. I also tried this with bottled batuan, the souring fruit from Bacolod and it was good too. Do not overcook the chicken,as it dries out and tastes like cardboard.
Try the chicken inasal of Island Chicken Inasal..its in Scout Borromeo qc
tnx 4 advices abt doing d inasal but mr.marketman mga ilang minuto b para malaman na luto ang inasal yung tender pati loob ng chicken.
polo, depende kasi sa laki ng mga peraso na manok. If the fire is not too strong (better if medium heat lang), about 10-15 minutes of cooking. Try one piece and cut into it to make sure it is cooked inside. Also, use the sides of the barbecue para hindi masunog pero luto pa rin sa loob!
hi marketman! i tried ur recipe grabe ang sarap!…my friend make other recipe with 7up pero wala syang suka we compare ur recipe much better according to ur taga kain who taste test those 2 diff inasals…my wife and her sis were planing to put up a resto which ur main menu is INASAL hope u can advise me abt the recipe of batsoy since were not heve line of illongo blood…=)cheers!
polo, sorry, I haven’t made batsoy or batchoy yet so I don’t have a recipe for you… glad your inasal turned out well!
Hi Marketman! I will be trying ur recipe soon and i have plan of putting inasal business too in our place. Just have a few questions here,1. After an hour of marination, can we also use this marinate for the second batch of chicken? 2. MArinated chicken can also be refrigirated and grill it? Do we get same taste?thanks
arlan, no, do not reuse marinade. Once you have marinated for an hour, grill it. Do not keep it in marinade too long or it will tend to taste sour. The marinade has vinegar, etc. that will “cook” the chicken with the acidity…
I’ve tried using galangal instead of ginger for the inasal marinade and it worked great! Gives your chicken that extra kick!
The Manokan Country in Reclamation area is not that “clean” so I’d prefer to eat in Chicken House. Also, ang daming langaw sa Manokan Country esp pag lunch.
MM, if you ever visit Cebu again, there’s a Mang Inasal branch in SM City which is really good. Tastes like chicken inasal. I lived in Bacolod for over 2yrs and have eaten lots of inasal so I can distinguish the taste. MAng Inasal is very much like Bacolod’s chicken inasal
hi MM,
I tried this recipe today and I place all ingredients inside a blender to save me time on mincing and grinding. I tasted it to see what might be missing. As you have stressed, LOTS. I did, but I only tasted sour. My chicken is still marinating. I’m not sure what it should taste like. Will the ginger and galic come out on the cooking process? Oh yeah, I placed lime, don’t have kalamansi and distilled white vinegar
samemoon, if you are making a recipe for the first time, I suggest you follow the instructions as close to the original as possible. Making a major change like blitzing it all WILL make a major difference. Tastting the marinade doesn’t do you too much good as it does change a bit in the barbecuing process…particularly with the addition of the margarine basting.
hi! I love this post! Great photography Mr.Marketman!
I’m from Bacolod and I really love the way you turned the lowly chicken inasal into a gourmet food. Oh, and I made a post about how to enjoy chicken inasal the Bacolod way (manokan country/street eating way)
More power to your blog!
Seems like it yummy , I will try it myself. I heard about this after we watch the Ysabella, but do they have the same recipes with whole chicken deep fired. I’m confused now. Which is better, grilled or deep fried.
hi again MM!
The last time I made inasal was ok, not great. I did it again, took time to dice, mince, etc. turned out great. I should have mentioned that I’m a novice cook. I cook bec. I need to eat,(too lazy for prep time) and they don’t have it here…..
thanks again!!!
I love inasal…esp the yummy chicken tails…super grabe! with all the cholesterol & everything. i tried this recipe & its already yummy but the original inasal is more yummy because of batwan. that’s their secret actually!!!
when you guys have a chance to visit bacolod, try to go to kuppa. great coffee, great desserts
hi marketman! can you give me the full recipe or the measures of the ingredients that i need to use for chicken inasal? my wife is pregnant and she’s craving for it after she’d watched “Ysabella” and after she’d seen your chicken inasal pictures: ) it looks so yummy! i’m planning to cook a whole chicken or maybe 6 large chicken legs. i’ll be looking forward to your response.. thanks and god bless!!!
i can’t find any local/native vinegar here in Alaska, can i just use any other kind of vinegar like datu puti or distilled vinegar? i really wanna try this chicken inasal for my wife..help!
rich, sorry, I don’t have detailed measurements, I just add to the marinade as it seems fit. Don’t overdo any ingredients, and you should use margarine and achuete if you want the orange look to it. If you are in Alaska, try apple cider vinegar instead of the local vinegar in the south… good luck!
finally,i got the recipe of chicken inasal.i been dying to eat this.the last time was last year at jts grill, their chicken inasal is good.good thing iam in san diego and have all the ingredients here.will be cooking this for dinner,hopefully will taste good.thanks so much.
Rich, the first time I tried this recipe I used Datu Puti and the grilled chicken turned out bland. My second try was better, I used native Ilokano vinegar purchased from Salcedo Market. Still having problems w/ the grilling though, can’t seem to control the fire, resulting in overly blackened and dryish chicken pieces! Will try grilling the chicken on the sides next time as you suggested, MM.
bottomsup, if you have flareups, do this. First, allow the fire to die down a little, you can always add charcoal. Two, your grill may be too close to your coals, keep a distance of at least 6-8 inches. Three, try putting coals on only one side of your barbecue so you can get out of the burn zone when necessary. Also, if you are to invest in a grill, buy one with a cover to help snuff out flames, I use a Weber and I love it.
Hi MM! I just tried this last night using a conventional oven ( as you suggest and was bought by my husband since I let him read your reply..LOL) and the result is superb! It flatters me whenever I get a WOW from him. Thanks sobra! :)
MM, palpak luto ko. i even love the smell of the marinade tapos nawala naman yung lasa nung medyo nasunog. tapos medyo hilaw pa yung loob… anyway, i’m going to try this ulit. is it ok to do this on an electric grill? and mas madami ba dapat yung calamansi than suka? hindi po kc lumubog yung chicken pieces ko sa marinade… medyo nakasawsaw lang po. by the way, i also live in nasugbu…(town proper). thanks, more power. love your website.
eiram, use charcoal grill, not an electric grill, but maybe your fire was too hot on your first try. Do not put too much suka or calamansi. hindi kailangan nakalubog lahat ng manok sa marinade, ihalo-halo lang. Be careful when you add star margarine, the first will flare up…
Thanks a lot for the recipe.salamat gid i just have a question
do they display marinated chicken in manokan country
the chicken that they display so pale daw waay gin
marinate ano sa lantaw mo MIGO??
Can I ask for the recipe of inasal na manok from the teleserye, ysabela?
I learnt of a recipe for chicken inasal a few years back which makes use of 7-up, sinigang powder, pounded garlic & grated ginger as the marinade. It tastes pretty good. We’ve been making it ever since with chicken wings. Reading this now, it seems like it’s the fast & easy version… he he he.
Did you know that Margarine is 1 molecule away from being plastic? It was invented to fatten turkeys not even a hundred years ago, turkeys started dieing so they put a lil color to it and sold it to the public. I guess you like to melt tupperware and spread it on top of your bread too hehe…
Gerard T, and humans are less than 1% different from a DNA perspective than chimpanzees…so figure on relatives rather than absolutes.
The chicken looks scrumptious… Both of them.
I’ve been eating in Chicken Inasal for years now, and I adore their chicken. *drool* I want to try yours too, though. :)
Thanks for sharing your recipe. :)
oh god i miss filipino food so much…and i know that taste yummy so yummy…but of course i just eat that occasioanly its not good for you health to eat grilled everyday…and hey pepzz try the roasted chicken too whole chicken with all the lemon grass garlic ginger inside the chicken ohhh that taste so incredible…and the gravy ohhh wow so yum yum…
hi MM,i tried different version of inasal recipe,i think your version of chicken inasal recipe the best.thanks for sharing.
bacolod chk n bbq house has the best inasal i’ve ever tasted located at royal place mall fronting ever mall commonwealth //// it’s finger lickin good !!!!!!!! u must try it
hi MM. i’ve never heard or seen batwan being used as marinade for chicken inasal. Yes, it’s either calamansi or in combination with langgaw or dalisay nga langgaw. gee, thanks for that info regarding the Star margarine. although i have written an entry on the difference between Iloilo inasal and Bacolod inasal and included a recipe, i’ll refer readers to your site too.
mr MM, kailangan bang one hour lang imarinate sa suka or overnight?anong magiging lasa pag overnight?or mas maganda tlga one hour lang?thanks!
cherryblossoms, I find if you marinate for too long, maasim ang lasa at dating. For me one hour or 90 minutes are maximum time. If you want to marinate overnight, omit the vinegar, then one hour before barbecuing add in the vinegar… That way the spices and other flavors will infuse the meat. But it won’t be too sour.
MM, thnks for your blog, definitely one of the best delish is chicken inasal. Bacolod City is my hometown. Now I live abroad so my wife and I tried to make recipe of our own. we tried to put a litte of maggi calamansi soy sauce (when we cant find calamansi) and add lemons instead.
hi marketman!! kumusta na? just remembered this old post of yours. i was reading a few months ago about carcinogens and grilling food, and wanted to share with you and your readers that vinegar/citrus juices used in marination prior to grilling helps to reduce heterocyclic amines — provided of course that you don’t burn the pieces — black stuff is always a no-no anyway. but moderate charring is okay.
Wow ! Ang sarap! Gonna try it tonight !!!! Am so excited ! You are always the one I consult first for any recipe I need. The osso buco was DELISH !
i’ve a question.. how much amount do you marinate the chicken? do you just put the whole thing inside the sauce or spread the sauce evenly then put it aside in a separate plate? do i have to put it inside the ref to marinate the chicken? And how much amount of vinegar? and for the star margarine… can i use ordinary butter? coz theres no star margarine here.. the butter or annato seed is for the coating while cooking the chicken.. right? please help coz i want to cook this coz i havent taste bacolod chiken for a long time.. thank you..
john, if you read the post above, it suggests marinating for just an hour. Just put all the chicken pieces in a bowl, pour the marinade over and mix every 20 minutes or so. Put it back in the fridge if you live in a very hot area, but otherwise, you can marinate this on the kitchen counter if your chicken pieces started out cool and you cover everything with plastic wrap. Vinegar is to taste… just a little say two tablespoons for a medium sized chicken or more if you like it sour. There are NO exact measurements to this. Yes, you can use butter and annatto seed, but it will have a slightly different taste…
wooow!!!
its so very delicios
This is the best chicken, thanks for writing about it! I have found that not using any Calamansi allows for the use of more coconut vinegar and no brown sugar. I make my Anchuete oil with garlic, ginger, home grown fresh tanglad, anatto seeds and a high quality olive oil. Also using organic free range chicken makes a big difference in the final taste. So good!!
Here’s 1 foolproof delish inasal recipe I have been following eversince I got this from the free recipe booklet of Lea and Perrins worcestershire sauce:
1 whole chicken,(approx.1kg), quartered
6 stalks lemongrass, white part pounded
1/2 tsp chopped ginger
1/3 cup annatto oil
1 cup soda(sprite)
2 tbsps tamarind paste or juice
1/3 cup tamarind leaves, washed
3 tbsps chopped garlic
3 tbsps lea and perrins worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tbsps patis
1 tsp pepper
Place all ingredients in a bowl and marinate for at least 25 mins. Transfer in a pan and bring to a boil to cook chicken for about 15 mins.Remove chicken and simmer stock for another 15 mins.Strain and reserve stock for grilling.
Cook chicken over hot charcoal and brush frequently with the reserved stock.Cook just until chicken has burn marks.Serve with sinamak or spiced vinegar.
To make sinamak, put red chilies, garlic, peppercorns, ginger and onions in a bottle.Fill with vinegar and let the flavors infuse for at least 8 hours.Serve with grilled chicken.
I never go wrong with this recipe and am always ensured with a thoroughly cooked, moist and flavorful chicken!Sometimes I omit the tamarind leaves when not available and just increase a tbsp of the tamarind paste/juice or even use sinigang powder and it’s still the same flavor!Try it!Thanks to that free booklet of recipes!
Marketman,
What can I replace calamansi with? Should it be lemon or lime?
Calamansi is not accessible where i live.
Thanks/
Hi sir MM! I’m a fan of your blog and the recipes that come with it. I’ve tried to do your version inasal and everybody loves it! But for me, I think it lacks the “linamnam” taste. What do you think would make it malinamnam? Is it the basting sauce? Thank you very much!
Wait – what I meant was when I did it, it lacks the linamnam taste. What ingredient do you think should I increase or decrease? BTW, I made this ratio for 2 half-chicken breasts:
5 stalks chopped tanglad
half-head garlic, finely minced
1 medium luya, finely minced
4 T suka
4 T calamansi
1 t rock salt
1 t sugar
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
And I basted it with a tub of Star Margarine.
Thanks sir MM!
I have been fortunate enough to have enjoyed chicken inasal in Bacolod. Stayed at the King Hotel and really enjoyed my time there. Quite a change from the streets here in Canada but the people where so nice and I never once felt uncomfortable. Made the chicken here at home and it turned out rather nice though I did use lime juice rather than vinager for the marinating but used the vinager for the dipping.
your recipe doesnt include sugar, maybe i will add sugar, brown sugar maybe…kasi sa mang inasal, there’s some sweetness sa inihaw nila…good afternoon. this is my first time to open your website. wow ang dami palang na miss ko na..regular ako sa mga food magazine, food,appetite,foodie,yummy,cook,cookbooks, eh na iiba pala sa iyo…regular na ako ngayon dito sa iyo….nice to meet yo mr marketman.
I just recently made inasal using a recipe as recommended by a friend…I was not too impressed…the infusion of flavors was lacking. Maybe next time I should try yours instead. ‘Tis the grilling season here anyway (that is, if it will stop raining!) sigh….I won’t have the star margarine, though. I have not found any margarine that comes close…any ideas?
I just wantto know the recipe of manok inasal of Bacolod because I taste this when I was on vacation last September the taste its so good Please send me the original recipe. I cant wait to taste it again.
Good tips MM,I tried your recipe and it was the winner. I am planning to open up a foodcourt restaurant here in the US and I already had meetings with the mall management and they won’t allow me to grill using charcoal. I check some commercial gas grill but pretty much all of them are like about 2inches of space from where the flames comes out to the top of grill. I have both gas and charcoal at home and I much prefer to use charcoal. I wonder if you have any tips in grilling using the gas grill.
Thank you so much.
why is my atsuete oil didn’t have the color red? is it in the oil that i used? i used canola oil? does it need to be vegetable oil? but in general it taste yummy minus the color..hehehe
hi marketman,
I heard that people actually inject (via a syringe) the marinade into thick chicken parts such as the leg and breast to assure flavor and juiciness. Is this necessary? According to some sources, they put in isolate for water retention… is this also necessary?
Greetings Marketman! I just had to thank you for sharing your inasal recipe. It was fabulous! I brined, I marinated it according to specs, I basted often. And, I rested the chicken pieces after grilling.(Smiles) Perfect grilled chicken! Maraming salamat.