Chicken Inasal Filipino Grilled Chicken
Ingredient
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4 chicken leg quarters, patted dry
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1/2 cup finely chopped fresh lemongrass (about 14 stalks)
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2 shallots, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
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1/3 cup coconut vinegar or apple cider vinegar
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1/4 cup calamansi juice or 2 tablespoons tangerine juice and 2 tablespoons lime juice
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2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger (from 1 [3-inch] piece)
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3 garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
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1 tablespoon kosher salt
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1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
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2 teaspoons black pepper
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1/2 cup annatto or achiote oil (such as La Favorita), divided
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Lime wedges, for serving
Direction
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Peel back chicken skin from meat; cut 3 or 4 deep slits into meat, spacing about 1 inch apart and slicing perpendicular to the bone. Set aside.
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Combine lemongrass, shallots, vinegar, calamansi juice, ginger, garlic, salt, brown sugar, and pepper in a nonreactive 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Add chicken to pan; rub marinade all over meat and into slits, concentrating marinade in slits. Pull chicken skin back down over meat. Cover pan; refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours.
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Preheat one side of a gas grill to medium-high (400°F to 450°F), or push hot coals to one side of a charcoal grill. Remove chicken from pan; pat dry using paper towels. Discard marinade. Brush chicken all over with about 1 tablespoon annatto oil. Place chicken, skin-side down, on oiled grates over lit side of grill, and grill, uncovered, until skin is lightly charred and releases from grill grates, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip chicken skin-side up; grill 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer chicken, skin-side up, to unlit side of grill; grill, covered, brushing often with remaining annatto oil, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest portion of chicken registers 170°F, 25 to 35 minutes. Remove chicken from grill; let rest 10 minutes before serving with lime wedges.
