Pinoy Chicken Barbecue

This is one of the recipes I bookmarked when I was looking for something to cook for the MFF Philippines event. As always, the chicken lover in me will jump at any roasted or barbecued chicken recipes. And this Pinoy barbecue recipe is no exception. There's always something so irresistible about roasted, grilled or barbecued chicken. Or is it just me?

Every time I walk past the food court at any shopping center, my eyes will always gravitate towards the roasted chicken. Especially the ones rotating on the rotisserie. And I keep making a mental note that my next oven must have that thing to "pusing-pusing" the chicken hah..hah...

The interesting thing about this recipe is that it uses banana ketchup. Huh? Banana ketchup? I did some googling and found out that banana ketchup is a popular condiment in the Philippines.

Apparently there was a shortage of tomatoes during World War II and some bright spark came up with the idea of using bananas as a substitute because bananas were plentiful. And up till today banana ketchup is more popular than tomato ketchup. Since banana ketchup is not available here, I used regular tomato ketchup.

I did not follow the recipe exactly, I mean who does right? I just "agak-agak" and made some changes. I left out the bird's eye chilli and used light soya sauce instead of salt. And being the Terengganu girl that I am, I like my marinades on the sweet side. Not too sweet as in sickly sweet but just a hint of sweetness. For that, I added 1 tablespoon of Maple Syrup.

The marinated chicken pieces are supposed to be skewered on bamboo sticks and grilled over hot charcoals. Obviously I don't have a charcoal grill and I used my trusty old oven. I quite like the BBQ chicken as the marinade has a good combination of tangy, salty, and sweet. I think my marinade could use a bit more tomato ketchup and I will make adjustments in my next BBQ.

It looks like I have made good use of my lemons and I still have a few more in the fridge. I guess you will be seeing a few more recipes with lemons coming your way.

Pinoy Chicken Barbecue

Recipe source : Adapted from Panlasang Pinoy Meaty Recipes
(My modifications in red)

Ingredients :

- 1kg chicken wings and thighs (I used 2 whole legs and 5 wings)

- bamboo barbecue sticks (I did not use these)

Marinade :

- 1/2 cup banana ketchup (I used about 1 cup tomato ketchup)

- 1/2 cup vinegar or lemon juice of calamansi juice (Lemon juice)

- 8 cloves garlic, crushed

- 2 medium sized red onion, minced

- 2 pieces bird's eye chilli chopped (I omitted)

- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp salt (I used 2 tbsp soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup (my addition)

Method :
1. Soak the barbecue sticks in water for half an hour and set aside (if using).
2. Mix together the vinegar.lemon juice, garlic, onion, salt/soya sauce, ketchup and pepper.
3. Add chicken to the marinade and mix well. Marinate for 1-3 hours. (I marinated overnight)
4. Drain the chicken and set aside the marinade.
5. Prepare the charcoal grill for grilling the chicken and grill them over hot charcoals turning on each side until all sides of the chicken is cooked. (I grilled the chicken in the oven at 200C for 40 minutes)
6. Wait for the skin to become reddish then baste with the marinade. (I basted every 10-15 minutes)
7. Continue until chicken if fully cooked.