By Michael Minorgan for Curtains Up
www.globalgourmets.ca michael@globalgourmets.ca
Lechon Manok
When you travel to the Philippines Pinoy BBQ stands are on almost every street corner serving up delicious bbq’d appetizers or Pulatan, on bamboo skewers. They have a definite sweet, savoury and smoky flavour and are usually served with a special Pinoy sauce consisting of calamansi juice, vinegar, lemon flavoured soda (7up), soy sauce and ketchup.
This week’s recipe is not a BBQ recipe, but its close cousin, Lechon Manok or roasted chicken Filipino style. The secret is in the marinade and the basting the bird gets during the final stages of cooking. I have adjusted the recipe, adding a regional accompaniment of a delicious peanut gravy made from the pan drippings. This dish goes well with potatoes roasted alongside the chicken and baby pak choy sauteed in garlic and a bit of soy sauce.
All the ingredients for the recipe are readily available at any Asian market. Lechon Manok is a roast chicken with a Filipino difference you will love….Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 whole chicken (about 3 ½ lbs)
1 cup pineapple juice
½ cup + 2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp fish sauce
¼ cup Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp calamansi juice
1 medium onion, finely diced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 (1 inch) piece of fresh ginger, skin removed and roughly chopped
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
½ tsp Chinese 5 Spice powder
2 shallots, peeled and cut into fourths
3 stalks of lemongrass
2 Tbsp annatto oil
Gravy
3 tbsp. cooking oil or olive oil
1/2 cup flour
2 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp. peanut butter (unsweetened)
1/8 Chinese five-spice powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
- Using poultry lacers or needles, prick the chicken all over, front and back, from breasts to drums to thighs. The poultry lacers don’t need to go particularly deep, but this will help the marinade get deeper into the meat.
- Combine pineapple juice through 5 spice powder and stir well to combine. In a large pot or bowl or bag, place the chicken and then pour marinade over. Marinate for 24 hours, flipping a few times throughout the marinating process.
- After 24 hours, set up a roasting rack (this will need to fit into your fridge) and line with foil. Remove chicken from marinade and discard the marinade. Pat chicken as dry as possible and place on roasting rack. Put it back in the fridge to allow the skin to dry out and leave for another 24 hrs.
- One hour before roasting remove the chicken from the fridge and allow to come closer to room temp Place the lemongrass on a cutting board and using the flat side of the knife and your hand, pound the lemongrass to bruise the bulb. Fold and place inside of the chicken. Place quartered, peeled shallots inside chicken as well.
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Right before roasting, tuck wings under chicken. Shield breast with foil and insert probe thermometer into the deepest part of the thigh. Roast until the chicken temperature hits 135 (this will take about 40 – 45 minutes).
- Remove chicken from oven and discard the foil. Increase the oven temperature to 425 F. Using a basting brush, brush about half of the annatto oil mixture all over the chicken (don’t forget the drums and thighs!). Place the chicken back into the oven and continue to roast.
- Once the chicken hits 150 F, quickly brush the remaining oil over the chicken. Continue to roast until the temperature reads 163 F (another 20 – 30 minutes) then pull from the oven and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.
How to Make the Gravy:
Mix 1/4 cup flour. Into the pan drippings
- Stir mixture over low heat for about 4 minutes, until the color changes to brown.
- Pour chicken broth in to the pa and whisk well to avoid lumps
- Add 5 spice, peanut butter
- Bring the mixture to a boil and stir cook for a few minutes until the mixture thickens
- Add more broth if necessary.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
