Filipino chicken barbecue, “inihaw na manok” (which translates simply as “grilled chicken”) is one of the most beloved street foods and backyard staples across the Philippines. Unlike its American counterpart, which leans smoky and savory, this version is distinctly sweet-savory, with a glossy, caramelized char that makes it instantly recognizable.
The magic is in a marinade that sounds unusual but works beautifully together. Lemon-lime soda (Sprite or 7Up) is the secret weapon — the carbonation helps tenderize the meat while the sugar contributes to deep caramelization on the grill. It also brightens the overall flavor.
With sweetness tempered by tangy vinegar, salty soy sauce and savory garlic and black pepper, the marinade infuses bone-in, skin-on chicken parts and produces nicely lacquered skin. Together, these create a marinade that hits sweet, salty, tangy, savory, and aromatic all at once.
Bone-in, skin-on pieces are essential — thighs and drumsticks are most common, though whole spatchcocked chicken appears at larger gatherings. The bones keep the meat moist over the long, slow cook, and the skin is the canvas for that prized lacquered crust. The chicken typically marinates for a few hours, so the flavors penetrate deeply. The finished chicken should have deep mahogany, almost burgundy skin, visibly sticky, caramelized exterior and juicy, fully cooked meat that pulls cleanly from the bone.
NOTE: Gas grills vary in heat output; check the browning on the chicken when you uncover the grill for the first basting—if the bottoms threaten to scorch, shut off the burners under the chicken. If you cook both breasts and legs, make sure to take the internal temperatures of the different parts and remove the pieces as they are done cooking, as white meat is done at about 160°F and dark meat at about 175°F.
TIP: Don’t flip the chicken or place the pieces directly over the fire until the final minutes of cooking. The basting sauce contains a good dose of sugar and will burn if it gets too much direct heat.
It has been six years since we made this dish up in Cape Cod while on vacation, and can’t figure out why it took us so long to make it again! Pretty much anyone who’s ever had it says “That is damn good chicken!” This recipe can easily be doubled for larger gatherings (which is what we did all three times).
Lemon-Lime Lacquered Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 6 Tbsp. packed light or dark brown sugar
- 6 medium garlic cloves peeled
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 Tbsp. black peppercorn
- Kosher salt
- 1 cup lemon-lime soda such as Sprite or 7Up
- 3 lbs. bone-in skin-on chicken breasts, thighs and/or drumsticks, trimmed and patted dry
- 1 Tbsp. lime juice
Directions
- In a blender, combine the vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, bay, peppercorns and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Blend until well combined and the bay leaves are broken into tiny bits, 15 to 30 seconds. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, then stir in the soda.
- If using chicken breasts, use a sharp chef’s knife to cut each in half crosswise. Cut 2 or 3 diagonal slashes about 1/2 inch deep through the skin and meat of each piece of chicken. Add the chicken to the marinade and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 2 hours.
- Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for indirect cooking. For a charcoal grill, spread a large chimney of hot coals evenly over one side of the grill bed; open the bottom grill vents and the lid vent. Heat the grill, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes, then clean and oil the grate. For a gas grill, turn all burners to high and heat, covered, for 15 minutes, then clean and oil the cooking grate; leave the primary burner on high and turn the remaining burner(s) to low.
- While the grill heats, transfer the chicken to a large plate, allowing the marinade to drip off. Pour the marinade into a medium saucepan, bring to a simmer over medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1 cup, about 20 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and set aside. Set aside 1/3 cup for serving; use the remainder as a basting sauce.
- Place the chicken skin side up on the cooler side of the grill. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Generously brush the pieces with basting sauce, then re-cover and cook until the thickest part of the breast, if using, reaches 160°F or the thickest part of the thighs and drumsticks, if using, reach 175°F, another 15 to 20 minutes. Brush the chicken with the reduced sauce, thenflip the chicken skin side down onto the hot side of the grill. Cook until deeply browned, about 1 minute. Brush the bone side with basting sauce, then flip a final time and cook until deeply browned, about 1 minute. Transfer skin side up to a platter and let rest for about 5 minutes. Serve with the reserved sauce.
Adapted from a recipe by Laura Russell for Milk Street
Everything on that plat looks yummy. Thank you.
Tiny tiny pieces of Bay leaves is a must! I almost died from a cook that snipped those rock hard leaves into 1/2″ pieces. Just enough to close off the windpipe.
This chicken looks fantastic!!!