Chicken barbecue gets reworked and upgraded in the best kind of way with the Chicken Inasal recipe! This Filipino recipe is so irresistible and famous that it has become the inspiration of various cooks and businessmen to put up their own joints specializing in inasal. What else can you expect when you’ve got a chicken this good? Coated in a rich, savory basting sauce, white meat truly shines when made the inasal way.
How to Make Chicken Inasal
Make sure to prepare in advance, and start the entire cooking process the night before you plan to eat your Chicken Inasal. To really yield the best results, we will be marinating overnight!
1. Marinating the chicken
First, you will need to get a container for all of your marinade ingredients. Place all of them in the container, and mix this up thoroughly. Then arrange your chicken inside a large resealable bag. Now you may pour the marinade mixture inside the bag, and proceed to gently push the air out. Seal the bag afterwards, and then keep it in the fridge overnight.
2. Making the basting sauce
Get two other containers of your choice. We will now combine our initial basting sauce ingredients in one container, and then our final basting sauce ingredients in the other. Once you’re done, set the two aside for now.
3. Grilling the chicken
Prepare your grill by heating it up. Then place the marinated chicken leg quarters over the grates of the grill, and arrange them so they have enough space. We will now brush the initial basing sauce in the chicken, and just grill for 7 minutes. Use low to medium heat. Then turn the chicken over, and brush the top part with the initial basting sauce again. Just grill this other side for another 7 minutes.
4. Ensuring the chicken is cooked
Now turn your chicken over again, and baste the top part with your initial basting sauce. Keep grilling until the side of the chicken facing the grill is cooked. Then turn your chicken over, and get the side that’s left cooked completely too. The time of grilling would vary depending on the chicken’s size. But make sure not to grill in high heat, and only low to medium heat until the chicken gets cooked.
5. Placing the final basting sauce on the chicken
Just apply your final basting sauce to both sides of the chicken, and voila! You’ve got some delicious Chicken Inasal! Transfer everything to your serving plate.
Filipino Chicken Inasal
Have you ever tasted Chicken Inasal? If the answer’s no, there is never a better time to try this than now! Our chicken becomes absolutely juicy and delicious thanks to a marinade made of ginger, lemongrass, soy sauce, and an ingredient you might not have expected– lemon soda! And then you place that perfectly seasoned chicken on the grill to get nice and crisp.
Ingredients in Chicken Inasal
It will take quite a lot of ingredients to get our Chicken Inasal to taste as satisfying as it does. Here’s what you will need for this recipe!
- Chicken leg quarters – We’re using this part of the chicken because it can be really flavorful and easy to work with. However, you may also use individual cuts like breasts and thighs.
Marinade ingredients:
- Lemongrass – The delicious, citrus-y notes in flavor and aroma of your chicken largely comes from lemongrass.
- Ginger – You know why ginger makes its way to so many marinades? This tiny ingredient packs a ton of flavor including a pleasant earthiness as well as the slightest bite.
- Garlic – Similar to ginger, garlic provides a savor that rarely does not pair nicely with other salty seasonings.
- Ground black pepper – This is a simple yet always effective way to elevate the taste of meat.
- Salt – Salt actually plays a greater role than just boosting flavor. It makes itself useful because it can tenderize chicken.
- Coconut vinegar – There is a mild sweetness to coconut vinegar that makes it more ideal to use than regular white vinegar. Plus it definitely has less of that usual sharpness you would taste in vinegar.
- Lemon – This fruit has a tendency to help get meat tender!
- Soy sauce – For better moisture and flavor.
- 7-Up – This is quite the unique ingredient when it comes to chicken, but it is perfect for added flavor by introducing a sugary quality to the meat. But like some of our other marinade ingredients, it also has a role to play in tenderizing the chicken.
- Granulated white sugar – This can actually help your marinade seep into your meat better while complementing some of your more acidic ingredients.
Initial basting sauce ingredients:
- Soy sauce – For that perfect saltiness!
- Lemon – Provides a nice acidity to your basting sauce.
- Ground black pepper – Brilliant for a satisfyingly pepper-y touch!
- Salt – We only need a dash of this for the initial basting sauce. But it can help make the difference between a bland and a flavorful chicken.
Final basting sauce ingredients:
- Margarine – This actually works really great with your poultry because of its buttery taste.
- Annatto oil – And inasal simply isn’t inasal without annatto oil! This provides that gorgeous yellow color you want in your chicken.
What to Serve with Chicken Inasal
Some rice would just about make this the perfect meal perhaps with a bottle of cold beer! I would also suggest having this with pickled papaya and a dipping sauce made of soy sauce, calamansi, and spicy red chilies. But you may want more deliciously grilled food with this. So definitely try my Grilled Pork Belly recipe too!
And learn how to make white meat taste great in more ways by clicking on these recipes for Spicy Chicken Adobo and Crispy Fried Chicken.
Chicken Inasal Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 Chicken leg quarters
Marinade
- 1 bunch lemongrass lower end crushed and then tied to a knot
- 4 thumbs ginger crushed
- 5 cloves garlic crushed
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup coconut vinegar
- 1 lemon
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 1 cup 7-Up
- 2 teaspoons granulated white sugar
Initial Basting Sauce
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ lemon
- a dash of ground black pepper
- a dash of salt
Final Basting Sauce
- ¼ cup margarine softened
- 2 tablespoons annatto oil
Instructions
- Combine the marinade ingredients mix well. Set aside.1 bunch lemongrass, 4 thumbs ginger, 5 cloves garlic, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ cup coconut vinegar, 1 lemon, ½ cup soy sauce, 1 cup 7-Up, 2 teaspoons granulated white sugar
- Arrange the chicken in a large resealable bag. Pour the marinade in the bag with the chicken. Gently push the air out of the bag and then seal. Refrigerate overnight.5 Chicken leg quarters
- Combine the ingredients for initial basting sauce. Set aside.4 tablespoons soy sauce, ½ lemon, a dash of salt, a dash of ground black pepper
- Combine the final basting sauce ingredients. Set aside.¼ cup margarine, 2 tablespoons annatto oil
- Heat-up the grill. Arrange the marinated chicken leg quarters over the grates of the grill. Brush the initial basting sauce on the chicken. Grill in low to medium heat for 7 minutes.
- Turn the chicken over. Brush the top part with the initial basting sauce. Grill the other side for another 7 minutes.
- Turn the chicken over once more. Baste the top part with initial basting sauce. Continue to grill until the side of the chicken is cooked. Turn it over to completely cook the opposite time. Note that the time will depend on the size of the chicken. The key is to grill in low to medium heat (not high) until the chicken gets fully cooked.
- Apply the final basting sauce on both sides of the chicken.
- Transfer to a serving plate. Enjoy!
Joshua says
Commendable … can you add more, like specialties of every provincess ? Thanks.