Chicken Inasal (Bacolod Citrus Lemongrass Grilled Chicken)

Quick answer

Total time: 50 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 8

About this dish

Chicken inasal is the defining grilled chicken of Bacolod City in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, so inseparable from its origin that it is commonly called Bacolod chicken.

An overnight marinade of calamansi juice, cane vinegar, lemongrass, and garlic allows the acid to work deep into the muscle fibers, tenderizing the meat while coating it in layered citrus and herb fragrance. During grilling over coconut-shell charcoal, the chicken is basted repeatedly with annatto oil, which stains the skin a vivid orange and keeps the exterior perpetually moist so it never dries over the coals. The charcoal smoke combines with the calamansi and lemongrass aromatics to build a smoky-citrus flavor profile that distinguishes inasal from other grilled chicken preparations. The chicken is served alongside garlic rice with a small dish of chicken oil mixed with calamansi juice for dipping. In Bacolod, an entire street called Manokan Country is lined with dozens of inasal stalls that operate simultaneously every evening, filling the neighborhood with charcoal haze.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

chicken thigh800 gg

vinegar4 tbsptbsp

lime juice3 tbsptbsp

minced garlic1 tbsptbsp

lemongrass1 eaea

soy sauce2 tbsptbsp

brown sugar1 tbsptbsp

annatto oil1 tbsptbsp

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Prep

Score each chicken thigh every 2 cm, cutting 3-4 slits into the thickest parts so the marinade reaches the center.
2

Season

Combine 4 tbsp vinegar, 3 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp brown sugar, and finely minced lemongrass stalk in a bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves.
3

Step

Submerge the chicken fully in the marinade, seal the container, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight for deeper flavor.
4

Control

Preheat the grill to medium heat (180-200C) for 10 minutes.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, place on the grill, and cook 6-7 minutes per side until grill marks form.
5

Step

Keep 1 tablespoon annatto oil separate from the raw chicken.

Brush only this clean oil in a thin layer each time the chicken is turned, and discard the marinade that contacted raw chicken.
6

Finish

Remove the chicken from heat when the internal temperature reaches 74C, rest for 3 minutes, then slice against the grain and serve immediately.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Discard the raw-chicken marinade and baste only with annatto oil kept separate
Finish cue: Remove the chicken from heat when the internal temperature reaches 74C, rest for 3 minutes, then slice against the grain and serve immediately.
Storage and reheating: An overnight marinade of calamansi juice, cane vinegar, lemongrass, and garlic allows the acid to work deep into the muscle fibers, tenderizing the meat while coating it in layered citrus and herb fragrance.