Chicken inasal recipe | Good Food

Chicken inasal on plate

2 poussin
spatchcocked
60ml achuete oil
(see tip below)
1 banana leaf
to serve
1 spring onion
sliced, to serve

For the marinade

1 garlic bulb
roughly chopped
30g ginger
peeled and roughly chopped
1 red onion
roughly chopped
2 lemongrass stalks
roughly chopped
8 black peppercorns
1 lime
juiced
1 lemon
juiced (or 100ml calamansi juice to replace both the lemon and lime juice)
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
200ml cane vinegar
2 bay leaves

For the basting butter

2 garlic cloves
crushed
100g salted butter
softened
1 lemon
juiced
1 tsp soft dark brown sugar
2 tbsp achuete oil
(see tip, below)

For the sinamak

1 bird's-eye chilli
finely chopped
1 tsp ginger
finely chopped
1 garlic clove
finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped shallot or red onion
40ml cane vinegar
2 peppercorns

For the sawsawan (sauces)

soy vinegar
to serve
achuete oil
to serve
atchara
to serve (see 'goes well with' below)

Method

step 1
Score the legs of the poussins and remove the wishbones. Make the marinade by combining all the ingredients in a bowl, add the poussin, cover and chill. Leave to marinate for at least 4 hrs.
step 2
To make the basting butter, mix the garlic with the softened butter. Add the lemon juice, soft dark brown sugar and achuete oil for colour. Mix well.
step 3
Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and heat a griddle pan over a medium high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry. Season and coat with the achuete oil. Put upside-down on the griddle for 5 mins until the skin is crisp and golden, then flip over and transfer to the oven for 20-30 mins until cooked, checking and basting occasionally with butter. Leave to rest for 5-10 mins before serving.
step 4
While the poussins are grilling, make the sinamak by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.
step 5
Cut the banana leaf into two 25 x 12cm rectangles using scissors. Run them under water, then toast in a dry pan, lightly blow torch or grill until toasted (this releases the natural oils and makes the leaf shiny). To serve, put the toasted banana leaf on a plate, top with a poussin, a spoonful of the atchara, a sprinkling of spring onions and serve the sauces and sinamak alongside.