Pinaupong Manok Sa Asin— A unique Filipino chicken dish named after the way the chicken is cooked seated on a bed of salt.
Come to think about it, I don’t know anyone who isn’t a sucker for any food that includes chicken, am I right? I know that just by looking at the image from this recipe article, you are probably drooling right now and can’t wait to try this out for an extra special dinner!
This is called the Pinaupong Manok, or what is a Filipino-style roast chicken. You might think that this is similar from the popular Max’s fried chicken, if you are familiar with it, but this is different from that and it boasts explosive flavors that will leave you wanting for more.
So what are we waiting for? Read the recipe and this article now to learn how to make this delicious and festive looking dish! There are some tips and some trivia about this Filipino dish so be sure to read all of them.
What is Pinaupong Manok Sa Asin?
Pinaupong manok is a Filipino-style chicken dish wherein—as the name of the dish states—the chicken is positioned in a manner that it looks like it is sitting in a bed of rock salt. The literal translation of the pinaupong manok is ‘seated chicken’.
This chicken is cooked with its own juices and through the build up of heat all over the chicken, which is through steaming or roasting. Aside from that, additional flavors are added through seasonings such as salt and pepper, and other options such as thyme, paprika, rosemary.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Chicken
We will need a whole (unsliced) chicken for this dish. Make sure it is dressed and cleaned before preparing it for cooking.
Salt
We will also need salt and lots of it. This recipe calls for rock salt or course sea salt.
Aside from these, you will also be using other regular pantry ingredients like onion, garlic, lemongrass, and black pepper. If you are filling up your pantry, here’s a handy shopping guide:
Equipment You’ll Need
- Heavy-bottomed cooking pot- We will be using a deep cooking pot that can fit a whole chicken and can withstand long cooking times.
In need of kitchen tools and equipment? Read this before you buy:
How to Cook Pinaupong Manok
Cooking pinaupong manok involves 3 simple easy steps.
For the first step, we will be seasoning the chicken with salt, black pepper, and garlic, as well as filling the inner cavity with onions and lemongrass.
After this, we will be preparing our salt bed. This is done by layering the salt inside the pot where we will be placing the whole chicken on top.
Last is the cooking part. This part will take long, as long as 1 to hours, depending on how fast your chicken meat will get tender.
Read the cooking tips below for a no-fail pinaupong manok sa asin everytime.
Cooking Tips
- The first thing you need to make sure of is to see that the whole chicken is clean. You can simply clean it by letting the chicken run under cold water. Keep in mind that the chicken cavity must be also clean to ensure safeness.
- For this recipe, the only listed seasonings are salt and pepper but you can still enjoy the chicken with other seasonings according to your taste, so feel free to add other spices such as paprika, rosemary, thyme, chili pepper powders, ginger, among others.
- For this recipe to yield the best results, it is recommended that the chicken is placed upright while cooking, which is of course, what the name of this dish suggests. So to make it easier for you to balance the chicken, you can peel and then cut a whole onion in half and then place it nicely in the chicken cavity, and it will help the chicken sit in the right position.
- The result of this dish is heavily dependent on how you cook it, so it is important that you have a heavy-bottomed pot available with you. It is recommended that you are able to close the pot with a tightly fitted lid, for the steam from the cooking to not to escape and ensure a steady temperature.
- It is okay to have more than two cups of rock salt ready, if you feel like it is not enough to cover the base of the pot. You need to make sure that you have a bed of rock salt at the bottom because it keeps the bottom of the chicken from being burnt aside from infusing its flavors to the chicken.
How to Serve Pinaupong Manok
This chicken dish is best paired with steamed white rice and a vegetable or pickle dish. Feel free to add a dipping sauce of your choice on the side.
How to Store and Reheat Pinaupong Manok
ried chicken is best eaten when it is freshly cooked. In case you do have leftovers, place in a clean food container and cover. This will make your chicken last for about 3 days.
To reheat, you can use the microwave but it is best to use a conventional oven to somehow bring back its crisp skin. Set your oven at 175 C (350 F) to reheat.
Other Filipino Chicken Recipes
- Filipino Fried Chicken (With Gravy) Recipe
- Authentic Chicken Inasal Recipe
- Lechon Manok (Filipino Roasted Chicken) Recipe
For a quick reference about this recipe, see the recipe table below:
Pinaupong Manok Sa Asin Recipe
Equipment
- Cooking Pot
Ingredients
- 1 pc whole chicken, cleaned
- 1 head garlic, pounded
- 1 pc large-sized onion, peeled
- 1 bunch lemongrass, root part pounded
- 2 cups rock salt
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a clean working space, rub salt and pepper, and pounded garlic all over the chicken as desired. Make sure that the chicken cavity is well-seasoned. Let it sit for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Add-in the lemongrass and the onion inside the cavity of the chicken.
- In a heavy-bottomed pot, add in the rock salt, forming a base and making sure that it is evenly distributed and about 1 to 2 inches deep.
- Place the chicken in an upright position on top of the rock salt base.
- Cover the pot and set to medium heat. Cook for 1 to 2 hours or until temperature reads 75 C (165 F).
- Arrange the chicken to a serving plate or serving tray. Serve with a dipping sauce and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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