Ain’t No Roast Chicken Like This Pinoy Lechon Manok Recipe

Whose tummy doesn’t rumble at the sight of perfectly marinated and roasted lechon manok? The aroma alone is enough to get even the pickiest of eaters drooling at the mouth. It’s one of those dishes that Filipinos really simot sa sobrang sarap! This beginner-friendly lechon manok recipe walks you through all the steps to whipping up homemade lechon manok, from mixing the marinade to the actual roasting. The next time you need a recipe for lechon manok, you know where to go. Better yet, bookmark this dish for when you want to impress in the kitchen.

Tips

While you can marinate your chicken for as quick as four hours, we highly recommend leaving it in the marinade for 24 hours. Marinating your chicken overnight allows flavor to really seep into the meat, making for a tastier treat.

60 min.
4 People
Medium

Ingredients

1 pc whole chicken, about 1.5kg to 1.8kg
2 tbsp rock salt
1/4 cup Knorr Liquid Seasoning
2 tbsp calamansi juice
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup lemon lime soda
2 tsp ground pepper
1 pc onion, quartered
6 pcs garlic cloves, crushed
2 pcs lemongrass stalks, pounded
to taste salt and pepper

Cooking Method

Sprinkle rock salt over chicken and rub thoroughly to clean chicken skin. Rinse over cool running water. Drain excess water.
To make the marinade, combine Knorr Liquid Seasoning, calamansi juice, brown sugar, lemon lime soda, and ground pepper in a bowl or a zipper bag big enough to fit the entire chicken.
Leave chicken in marinade for 4-24 hours.
After marinating chicken, preheat oven, turbo broiler, or air fryer at 175 degrees celsius.
Drain chicken from marinade and stuff chicken cavity with onions, garlic, and pounded lemongrass.
Set on a baking tray and roast for 45-60 minutes or until fully cooked. Serve while warm.

Don’t forget to keep fluffy, white rice coming while you’re at it. You’re going to want a lot of it, too. With lechon manok as flavorful as this one, we’re pretty sure you and your ulam buddies will be in unli-kanin mode in no time.