chicken inasal

{{Infobox food

| name = Chicken Inasal

| image = Inasalmealb.jpg

| image_size = 250px

| caption = Chicken inasal served with sinangag

| alternate_name = {{langx|hil|Inasal nga manok}}

| country = Philippines

| region = Western Visayas

| creator =

| course = main course

| type =

| served = hot

| main_ingredient = chicken, lime, pepper, vinegar and annatto

| variations =

| calories =

| other =

| similar_dish = Inihaw

}}

Chicken inasal, commonly known simply as inasal, is a variant of the Filipino chicken dish known as lechon manok. Chicken inasal is a grilled chicken part, typically the breast (Pecho) or leg (Paa), while a lechon manok is a stuffed whole chicken. It is chicken marinated in a mixture of calamansi, pepper, coconut vinegar and annatto, then grilled over hot coals while basted with the marinade. It is served with rice, calamansi, soy sauce, chicken oil and vinegar (often sinamak vinegar, a palm vinegar infused with garlic, chili peppers and langkawas).

There are two popular versions of chicken inasal: the Bacolod and the Iloilo. The usual difference between them is that Bacolod's inasal has a slightly sour base flavor, while Iloilo's has a sweeter flavor, because of the addition of lechon sauce.{{Cite web |date=2024-02-05 |title=4 spots to satisfy your chicken inasal craving in Manila |url=https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/506998/chicken-inasal-manila-list-2024/ |access-date=2024-07-06 |website=Lifestyle.INQ |language=en-US}}

Origin

File:Calenderia by Felix Laureano Recuerdos de Filipinas.jpgOne of the earliest documentations of chicken inasal was by Felix Laureano in his photo book, Recuerdos de Filipinas, which describes the daily lives and culture of Iloilo and Panay. The book published in 1895 in Madrid, Spain, listed inihao nga manuc as one of the items sold in the photo of a Calenderia, a store that sells food. Inihao nga manuc was described as pollo asado, Spanish for grilled or roasted chicken, which is now popularly known as chicken inasal.{{Cite book |last=Laureano |first=Felix |title=Recuerdos de Filipinas |url=https://digital.library.villanova.edu/Item/vudl:395103#?c=&m=&s=&cv=&xywh=-1726%2C0%2C8699%2C3825 |year=1895 |location=Barcelona |pages=44–45 |language=es |quote=en: a pavilion or kiosk made of bamboo with a nipa roof and walls selling "inihao nga manuc" or "pollo asado"}}

Banoy Velez from Oton, Iloilo, who started Velez Inasal, claimed to have introduced chicken inasal in Bacolod in 1946. The chicken inasal became widely popular in the 1970s on Bacolod's Cuadra Street (Chicken Alley).{{Cite web |last=Guardian |first=Daily |date=2022-11-27 |title=Bacolod inasal declared as Important Cultural Property |url=https://www.dailyguardian.com.ph/bacolod-inasal-declared-as-important-cultural-property/ |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=Daily Guardian |language=en-US}}

Bacolod Chicken Inasal

File:Banoy Velez Bacolod Chicken Inasal.jpgChicken inasal is a common dish in the Visayas, and is a popular specialty in the city of Bacolod, where an entire street market is dedicated to local dishes, particularly inasal. A sign in the heart of the market reads "Manokan Country" (literally "Chicken Country" in Hiligaynon).{{cite web |url= http://www.unofficialguide.ph/bacolod-chicken-inasal |title= Manokan Country |publisher= Unofficial Guide, Philippines |access-date= March 22, 2018 |archive-date= August 13, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200813135327/https://www.unofficialguide.ph/bacolod-chicken-inasal/ |url-status= dead }}

Declarations

Chicken inasal was declared a locally important cultural property of Bacolod on November 16, 2022. On October 31, 2023, Iloilo City was recognized as UNESCO’s Creative City of Gastronomy. Iloilo listed chicken inasal as one of its food offerings.{{cite web|url=https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/55-new-cities-join-unesco-creative-cities-network-world-cities-day|title=55 new cities join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network on World Cities Day|access-date=31 October 2023}} In October 2024, TasteAtlas listed Bacolod chicken inasal as the best of 100 Filipino foods.{{cite news |last1= Villegas|first1=Mary |title=Chicken inasal named best Filipino dish|url= https://usa.inquirer.net/158815/chicken-inasal-named-best-filipino-dish|accessdate=October 20, 2024 |work = Philippine Daily Inquirer|date=October 18, 2024}}

File:Chicken_inasals1.jpg sauce]]

Popular restaurants

Among the popular restaurants serving chicken inasal are Bacolod Chicken Inasal, which was started by the Tanalgo sisters in Mandaluyong in 1993; Mang Inasal, founded by Edgar Sia in Iloilo City in 2003; Aida's Manokan and Nena's Beth, both located at Manokan Country in Bacolod; Island Chicken Inasal in Boracay; Balay Dako in Tagaytay; and Barrio Inasal in Iloilo City.{{cite news |last1= Licsi|first1=Aye |title=Chicken inasal emerges as best Filipino food in TasteAtlas ranking|url=https://philstarlife.com/living/107638-chicken-inasal-best-rated-filipino-food-taste-atlas |accessdate=October 20, 2024 |work = The Philippine Star|date=October 20, 2024}}

Mang Inasal is the largest restaurant chain serving chicken inasal, with over 600 stores in the Philippines.{{Cite web |title=Countdown to 600: Mang Inasal opens three more stores in Visayas and Mindanao |url=https://www.manginasal.ph/news/countdown-to-600-mang-inasal-opens-three-more-stores-in-visayas-and-mindanao |access-date=2024-07-06 |website=www.manginasal.ph |language=en}}