A delicious variation from the typical chicken barbeque, Chicken Inasal comes with a distinctive basting sauce that makes it so so succulent and satisfying you will never go back to your old way of grilling chicken.
What is Inasal?
Inasal is a dish that originated for the city of Bacolod which is on the Northwest coast of Negros Island. It's an Ilonggo term that literally translates to "char-grilled" or "roasted" meat. This dish is so popular and well-loved in this province that they have a market strip in Bacolod City named "Manokan Country" (Chicken Country) where all menus have Inasal on it as their star dish!
It is basically grilled chicken but this version is marinated in vinegar, kalamansi juice (Philippine lime), and other spices like lemongrass and ginger. It also has it's trademark orange color because of the special basting sauce made from annatto/achuete oil.
Chicken Inasal Annatto Oil
If you are an Inasal aficionado, you know that eating this will not be fully satisfying unless you add authentic chicken oil to the hot steaming rice. Yum!
I know the health freak in you cannot help but worry about this, but it has been proven that chicken fat has Linoleic acid and Omega 6 which are essential dietary fatty acids. So it is okay to indulge once in a while and of course, in moderation.
There are bottled, ready-made ones for sale in supermarkets, but you will find the recipe to make one at home below. It's surprisingly easy to make.
Foxy Tips in Grilling Chicken Meat
Grilling time- making sure that you have the right grilling time is pertinent in getting that juicy and well-cooked meat. Over-cook it and you will have dry and rubbery meat and if undercooked it becomes unsavory and unsafe to eat. Three things to always consider are the size of the chicken meat, the temperature of the grill, and the bone content.
Remember that the bigger the piece and the more bone it has, the slower it cooks. For Example, drumsticks and thighs need more time in the grill compared to the breasts part.
The recommended grilling temperature for chicken is on the medium range. Using too high of a temperature will result in burned skin with raw meat inside.
Use a meat thermometer- though there are a lot of techniques to check for doneness, the best and most guaranteed way to make sure that you get it right is to use a cooking thermometer. Insert it on the thickest part of the meat but not touching the bone. The internal temperature should be at 165ºF for you to get that sought after juicy and well-balanced chicken meat.
Cover it up! - one of the most common mistakes when grilling is keeping it out in the open. It is recommended that once the meat pieces are in place, to pull the grill lid down while it's cooking. This will create an oven-like environment and regulate the heat. It also affords more air control so it'll lessen the possibility of flare-ups.
Resting time- after grilling your chicken, it is always important to let it rest for at least 3-5 minutes. This will give the meat time to redistribute the juices that were pulled in the center while it's cooking to the surface. So be patient and don't dig in too soon!
Hey, chicken lover! Here are more recipes that you will love.
Chicken Inasal
Ingredients
MARINADE
- 2 pound chicken - cut into serving size
- 1 cup vinegar (coconut, cane or cider)
- 1 ½ pieces lemon (or 15 kalamansi) juiced (approx. half cup)
- 1 thumb fresh ginger - peeled
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 stalks lemon grass
- 2 tablespoons salt
- ½ tablespoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup brown sugar
CHICKEN ANNATTO OIL (SEE NOTES)
- 500 grams chicken skin with fat
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 cup oil
- 4 tablespoons Annatto Seeds
BASTING SAUCE
- 3 tablespoons chicken Annato/Achuete oil
- 5 tablespoons margarine or butter - melted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or kalamansi juice
Instructions
CHICKEN INASAL
- Dissolve sugar and salt in vinegar. Combine vinegar and all other ingredients for the marinade in a blender and pulse for 2-3 minutes until all are cut into tiny pieces.
- Place chicken pieces in a ziplock or any food-grade plastic. Pour in the marinade into the plastic with the chicken and seal. Refrigerate for at least an hour but overnight will be better.
- Take out from the fridge when ready to cook.
- Prepare the basting sauce by simply combining all the ingredients in a bowl.
- Grill the chicken pieces until cooked through while basting both sides with the annatto oil from time to time.
- Transfer grilled chicken on a serving dish and let rest for 3-5 minutes. Serve with rice and chicken Annato oil sauce.
CHICKEN ANNATTO OIL
- Boil chicken skin in water for 15 minutes until almost dry and oil is rendered.
- Pour in oil and cook for 10 minutes until crispy.
- Remove chicken skin and add the Annatto seeds. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and run the oil through a strainer to remove leftover bits and pieces. Transfer the chicken annato oil in a jar.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in July 2015. Updated in July 2020 to include new photos, more tips, and a recipe video.
I found this recipe a little over a year ago and we absolutely love it. After living in the Philippines for several years we moved back to the US and were missing some of our favorite Filipino foods. Nothing beats our favorite inasal restaurant, but this gives us a quality substitute.
That is so sweet of you to say, Susan! Great to know that you like our recipe.
My husband and I really enjoyed our Chicken Inasal. We followed this recipe and it came out really good!! I'm not really a fan of chicken skin, I substituted it with olive oil, it was good but was wondering if you can suggest a better substitute for me, please? Thanks for sharing your recipes!
Hi Katie, I would suggest just using regular canola oil or rendered oil from pork fat is also an option.
Hi! I can't find any shop where I can buy just the chicken skin. Is it possible to just skin the chicken I'll be using for the inasal, use the skin for the annatto oil, and grill the chicken skinless? I don't really like grilled skin anyways.
Greetings from France!
In that case, that would be a perfect solution, Morissa.
Is it okay if I don't add lemongrass? I currently don't have it on my pantry right now. Or is there an alternative?
It will be better with but will also still fine if without.
FYI, Inasal is not a dish that originated from Bacolod City. Inasal is a common cooking method all over the Visayas region. The famous chicken inasal or inasal nga manok dish in particular is common in western visayas and there are variations in the recipe used among the people in the region. The reason why inasal is most commonly associated with and mistakenly thought to have come from Bacolod City is because entrepreneurs from Bacolod City and Negros Occidental were the first to introduce the dish to Manila and make it popular. I remember as a child that inasal na manok, baboy, atay were sold in street corners in Iloilo City and Roxas City. They were part of our street food culture, a favorite pulutan even. Sadly, you don't find a lot of them anymore. The inasal seems to have been elevated to fast food and gourmet food in restaurants now.
The recipe is perfect. Just wanna ask if the marinated sauce can be use again for the next cooking or i need to make another marinated sauce everytime i want to cook one?
Hi Maridona, if you used all the marinade with the chicken then yes, you have to use a fresh batch. You can add more chicken to this recipe and freeze the rest next time. With the leftover annatto oil and basting sauce, you can again.
A bit salty but delicious anyway.
You can adjust the saltiness to your liking without a problem 😉
The recipe is perfect. Just wanna ask if the marinated sauce can be use again for the next cooking or i need to make another marinated sauce everytime i want to cook one?
I cook this all the time using your recipe. Tastes like Mang Inasal even better. Thank you for this recipe.
Aaawww, that is so nice of you to say!
Hi,
Making this for Christmas but having trouble sourcing some lemongrass. Can I omit this ingredient? Or can you recommend any substitute?
Many thanks,
Maylene
Can I substitute lemongrass paste for lemongrass?
Sure you can.
Thank you for sharing your recipe. I made it chicken inasal today. Masarap!
Glad you like it, Jonah!
Hi Bebs... i tried your chicken inasal recipe and loveeeee it... wish i can share you the picture. Ita not as good as yours but i think it's yummy as yours as it was your recipe 😁
Thank you...
Edna
I am glad you like it, Edna. You can tag us if you have IG or FB.
hi Bebs... I have been following you and actually tried some of your recipes and so far all were successful 🙂 Tonight i will try this Chicken Inasal and hopefully if will be another success on my part 🙂 I will let you know....
Nice..ill follow ur recipe im planning to make my own business if i go home to philippines for good..thank you for sharing ur recipe...god bless...
Hi, Bebs and Armin! I have made this dish using an apple cider vinegar instead. It was delish!!!! A keeper definitely! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Hi Rose, glad you like our recipe 👍
"Inasal is a dish that originated for the province of Bacolod which is on the Northwest coast of Negros Island."
Hi Bebs! I'm a native of Negros Occidental (ilongga by heart). Your recipe is perfect! One small correction though, Bacolod is a city not a province. It is the capital city of the province of Negros Occidental which is half of the Negros Island (the other half being Negros Oriental). ♥
Hi Maureen, thanks for your comment and for pointing out our oversight in the article. 😘 It is now corrected.
Hi! Will it taste different if I use one type of vinegar over the other? Which one would you prefer to use? Thanks!
Hi, it should work with most kinds of vinegar. It will, of course, affect the taste. I normally use cane vinegar.
Hi! I would love to try this recipe but we don’t have a grill. Can I use an oven to cook this? If so, at what temperature should I cook it and how long?
Hi Jane, sure you can use oven. Better if your oven has a grill function. Cook at 200°C for 40-45 minutes or so.
Hi bebz, if sa oven how about the basting sauce is it okay to open the oven to pour the sauce while baking?
Hi Tsokonat, take the whole grill rack with the chicken out and brush (nor pour) them with the basting sauce then put it back to the oven
I tried this recipe and it was so delicious! Thank you for sharing.
Glad that you like it, Tin!
Thanks for sharing this great great recipe
You are welcome, Anna!
I only found lemongrass powder, how much should I use for that?
Hi Sharon, I haven't used it but maybe you could start with half a teaspoon and adjust as you like.
This is so goooooood!! BBQ propane grills cook differently than charcoal, masusunog na ang chicken and still raw in the middle, or low and slow but it would take forever. So what I did was bake these in the oven after marinating for 1 hour at 300°c. After cooling, diretso sa grill. My oh my! Napakasarap! I'm glad I found your recipe! More power to you!!
Thanks for sharing that info, Phoebe and for the stars...
Hi Bebs, thank you for sharing this recipe. Trying this today. For the basting sauce, i only have the paprika and turmeric, please kindly advise the measurement of these and the oil. And do i need to heat this mixture? If no heating is required do i just mix this directly with the rest of the basting sauce? Thank you in advance.
Hi Cee, just add a little of both to 3 tbsp of oil and mix to add some color, too much of it might affect the taste.
I’m planning to make this for the weekend, I can’t find annato/achuete oil. Can I use annato/achuete powder as a substitute?
Sure you can. Just add oil to the powder and cook for 5 minutes.
It was perfect! So tasty! I was not able to grill outside coz it was raining all day long but I used the gorge foreman grill and the flavors were there. I know it’s not the same charcoal grilled taste but it worked! Thank you!
Hi Nina, glad you like it!
Hi Bebs! So I just made this today- I’m hoping I did it correctly. Quick question though- so I blended the lemongrass, garlic and ginger. Now there seem to be quite a handful of pulp. Am I supposed to sift it before marinating the chicken or will the pulp give it more flavour? If so, am I suppose to dust it off the chicken before grilling them? I’m worried I might have ruined the chicken by marinating it with the pulp! Yikes!
Hi Joan, just pour everything into the chicken and remove or like you said dust it off when you are about to grill...
hi, 1 1/2 lemon juice
Cup?
1 and a half lemon, juiced ...approximately half cup of lemon juice.
Finally, got a recipe that's not too complicated. Tried this and it turned out well! Thanks for sharing!
I know, right, Sarah! Life is short so we try to make it simple and easier here at Foxy Folksy.
I will really try this recipe,thanks a lot for posting.
You should, Liza. It is really good.
Hello Bebs,
What a great recipe. My family is craving for Mang Inasal chicken bbque today so I am going to make this. Is there any substitute for lemongrass if it is not available in my shopping market? Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Bobby, I've read that lemon zest could be used as substu=itute for lemongrass...but personally, I think it is not the same. But you can try it.
Thank you for posting this yummy yet simple chicken dish. I never had Chicken Inasal before. It was a hit last night! My hubby (who is British) loved it very much. Thank you for posting!
That is good to hear Rose! Glad you and your hubby enjoyed it! 🙂
Bebs how much of the i gredients for the dipping sauce.
Hi Roger, I usually mix it without exact measurements but it would be somewhat like this: 1-2 teaspoon soy sauce, 1/3 cup vinegar, 1/2 medium onions, chopped finely and some chili flakes or fresh chili.
Thank you my wife is Filipina and i am going to surprise her with this dish for our Valentine's day dinner. Keep the recipes coming.
Hi Roger, I am pretty sure you've got some extra brownie points from your wife for the thought and gesture. That is really sweet! ????
What are the ingredients for the dipping sauce. Thank you.
I mix together a bit of soy sauce, vinegar, chopped onions and chili flakes. You can also use soy sauce, calamansi juice, and chili.
Kabalen, salamat keng blog mu, susubukan kune itang tocino mu, atiu ne king ref to marinate atlung aldo. Ginamit kune mu rin itang empanada dough recipe mu, manyaman ya kanu ana ning misis ku atsaka kapatad. Salamat talaga keng pag share mu keng lutung kapampangan!
Dakal mu rin samalat keng suporta Kabalen at masaya ku na aburi yu ing blog ku ampong deng recipes keni. 😉
I'll start kitchen testing this recipe with all chicken wings. What do you think, if I use Fish Sauce (Patis) in stead of salt? This recipe looks like to be a winner. This will definitely have a more natural taste than the usual spice laden barbecue mixes. I think this will give Bob Araj Persian Chicken barbecue a run for the money on our next PTA summer cook out. lol
Hi Vermil, first of all..thanks for all your comments and I am really thrilled to try some of your suggestions. Now about using patis, I would say go for it!!! I actually use it as well for marinating chicken for frying and taste a lot better than just salt. So I am pretty sure that it will be also great alternative for this Chicken Inasal recipe. I also made this for our company barbecue last year and it was surely a great hit with the Germans (among others..we are a bit multicultural). 😉
What a great and simple recipe. I am pretty sure that this will be a much talked about and finger licking good for this coming summer barbecue picnics in my kids school. These events are "pot luck" events wherein the fathers talk about sports and the mothers talk about food. I am the only parent who can talk about Steph Curry and Chicken Curry at the same time. hahahahaha. Again, danke schoen.