Southeast Asian · Lunch · Dinner
Chicken Inasal
Inasal na Manok
Bacolod-style grilled chicken thighs marinated in lemongrass, ginger, garlic, calamansi and vinegar, then basted with a light golden annatto oil for smoky, tangy and fragrant bites. They are served with brown rice and a sharp garlic-vinegar dip.
- Prep
- 80 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 125 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 37% · Fat 29% · Protein 34%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 8 thighs (about 800 g)boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 3 stalks60 glemongrass
- 8 cloves24 ggarlic
- 5 cm piece30 gfresh ginger
- 1/4 cup60 gcalamansi juice (or lime juice)
- 1/3 cup80 gcane vinegar or white vinegar, for the marinade
- 1 tbsp12 gbrown sugar
- 3/4 tsp5 gsalt
- 1 tspground black pepper
- 2 tsp, strained out6 gannatto seeds (optional)
- 2 tbsp27 gcanola oil
- 1 cup dry185 gbrown rice
- 2 cups480 gwater, for the rice
- 1/4 cup60 gcane vinegar or white vinegar, for the dip
- 2 cloves6 ggarlic, for the dip
- 1 smallbird's eye chilli (optional)
Steps
- 1
Trim the tough outer layers and tops from the lemongrass, then finely chop the tender lower parts.
- 2
Peel and finely grate the ginger and mince the 8 garlic cloves.
- 3
In a bowl, mix the lemongrass, ginger, garlic, calamansi juice, marinade vinegar, brown sugar, 1/2 tsp of the salt and the black pepper.
- 4
Add the chicken thighs, turn to coat, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (up to overnight).
- 5
Rinse the brown rice, then bring it to a boil with the 2 cups of water.
- 6
Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 40 minutes until the water is absorbed, then rest it off the heat.
- 7
Meanwhile, gently heat the canola oil and annatto seeds in a small pan for 3-4 minutes until the oil turns deep orange; do not let the seeds burn.
- 8
Strain the annatto oil, discard the seeds and stir in the remaining 1/4 tsp salt.
- 9
For the dip, mince the 2 garlic cloves and slice the chilli if using, then stir both into the dip vinegar.
- 10
Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high and lightly brush the grates with a little annatto oil.
- 11
Lift the chicken from the marinade, scrape off excess bits and discard the used marinade.
- 12
Grill the chicken for 6-7 minutes per side, brushing with annatto oil each time you turn it.
- 13
Cook until lightly charred and the thickest part reaches 74 °C / 165 °F.
- 14
Rest the chicken for 5 minutes, then serve with the brown rice and the garlic-vinegar dip.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use lime juice instead of calamansi juice if you can't find calamansi; the recipe already allows for it.
- Swap the boneless skinless thighs for skinless chicken breast, grilling a little less and checking for 74 °C / 165 °F so it stays juicy.
- Serve with white jasmine rice instead of brown rice for a more traditional plate that cooks faster.
- Replace the annatto seeds with 1 tsp sweet paprika stirred into the warm oil if annatto is hard to find.
Storage
Refrigerate leftover chicken and rice in separate airtight containers within 2 hours. Eat the chicken within 3 to 4 days and the rice within 1 day, reheating each until steaming hot and reheating the rice only once. Keep the garlic-vinegar dip covered in the fridge and use it within a few days.
Make ahead
Marinate the chicken in the fridge up to overnight, and make the annatto oil and garlic-vinegar dip a day ahead, keeping both covered and chilled.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
No major allergens in the ingredients.
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (458 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 526 kcal | 115 kcal |
| Protein | 43.9 g | 9.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 47.4 g | 10.3 g |
| of which sugars | 3.7 g | 0.8 g |
| Fiber | 2.2 g | 0.5 g |
| Fat | 16.7 g | 3.6 g |
| of which saturated | 3 g | 0.7 g |
| Sodium | 639 mg | 140 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
