Lechon Manok – Filipino Roasted Chicken

Start by adding everything but the chicken into a food processor and process until you have a smooth paste. Rub this paste all over the chicken, inside and out. Place chicken in a large bowl, and cover with plastic wrap, placing this in the refrigerator overnight.

The following day, and before you are ready to roast the chicken, remove it from the refrigerator and let the chicken come to room temperature. You basically want to take the chill off of the chicken.

Next, get a large, oven proof skillet out and put a wire rack in the bottom of it if you have one. If you do not have the rack, no big deal. Even better, if you have a rotisserie for your barbecue, use this and go the grilling route. I have a pretty great roasted chicken technique, so I went this route.

Preheat your oven to 450 F.

Place the chicken into the skillet on top of the rack, and place skillet in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Do not open the oven. After 40 minutes, turn off the oven and keep the chicken in there for 20 minutes.

Traditionally Lechon Manok might be wrapped in some banana leaves, but I did not have any. If you have some, wrap the chicken in the leaves, and wrap the entire thing in aluminum foil.

After the full hour, remove it from the oven, and insert your meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken. Let it sit in there for 30 seconds or more. The goal is to have your chicken reach 165 F. If it isn’t there, bake it just a little bit longer back at 450 F.

To serve, either present your chicken whole, or carve it and put the carved meat on a platter and present it that way.

The result is nothing but amazing. This is unlike most roasted chicken recipes only in the sense that it has this wonderful flavor. Maybe it’s the fish sauce, or maybe the ginger, garlic, and lemongrass. Whatever it is, this Lechon Manok is a great recipe.

Lechon Manok is commonly served with a liver sauce, but instead, I simply used a blend of soy sauce and garlic chili oil as part of my dipping sauce.