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With the sudden boom of Chicken Inasal in Manila, as started by that particular Chicken Inasal chain, who wouldn’t be familiar with chicken inasal?
Its combo of chicken and unlimited rice at a very affordable price was such a hit that the giant fast-food chain actually bought the chicken Inasal store.
From being a hometown glory of Visayas, this chicken inasal recipe of chicken and special spices sure has captivated the minds and taste buds of all Filipinos.
However, if you’re craving some Inasal but don’t have access to the nearest Inasal store, what’s there to do? Well, make one yourself.
With this Chicken Inasal recipe, you’ll be able to replicate the one bought from the store and satisfy your cravings.
The key to a tasty Inasal is the marinade and the sauce, in that it will give the chicken its unmistakable taste and color.
Also check out this chicken giniling with green peas recipe
In this post we'll cover:
Chicken Inasal Preparation

Chicken inasal recipe (original)
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken cut into 6 parts (legs, wings, breasts)
marinade
- 1 head garlic macerated
- 2 tbsp chopped ginger
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- ⅓ cup sinamak (native coconut vinegar)
- 10 pcs calamansi extract (the juice)
- 3 stalks tanglad (lemon grass) julienne
- salt and coarsely ground pepper
basting sauce
- ½ cup margarine or butter
- ¼ cup atsuete (annatto seeds) oil
- salt and pepper
- bamboo skewers
- charcoal for grilling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, place the garlic, ginger, vinegar, a small amount of sugar, calamansi, tanglad, salt, and pepper. Mix all the ingredients then add the chicken meat. Lightly rub the marinade on the meat. Place chicken in the chiller and let sit. After 30 minutes, turn the meat and let it sit for another 30 minutes. It is not ideal to marinate the meat overnight since the acid of the vinegar will completely break down the enzymes of the meat.
- Meanwhile in a saucepan, over low fire, combine margarine/butter and annatto seeds. Stir until the margarine melts and the annatto seeds are well infused and have developed a deep orange color. Turn off heat then add a small amount of salt and pepper to taste.
- After marinating the chicken, put several slits on the part near the bone to help with cooking the meat fully. Skewer the meat and cook over a hot charcoal grill, skin side down, basting it once in a while. As much as possible do not turn the meat more than twice since the result will be drier meat.
- Serve while hot together with steamed rice paired with grilled oysters and sinamak or soy sauce with calamansi and siling labuyo (red chili peppers).
Video
Nutrition
As you can see, this Inasal recipe is not that complicated, you just need a good grill, a rockstar marinade, and oh-so-tasty basting sauce to recreate that chicken inasal taste that everyone is looking for.
Aside from this recipe, you can also try our Chicken Barbeque Recipe. Also, a popular recipe from the Philippines and can be seen in different parties.
Ever had trouble finding Japanese recipes that were easy to make?
We now have "cooking Japanese with ease", our full recipe book and video course with step-by-step tutorials on your favorite recipes.