From the recipe collection
Papisik nga Manok
A Kabankalan chicken cooked in a tightly covered pot over a deep bed of hot salt, scented with batwan, lemongrass, ginger, and garlic.
- Prep time
- 25 min plus 30 min resting
- Cook time
- 1 hr 10 min
- Yield
- 4–6
Get everything ready
Ingredients
Tick ingredients as you prepare.
Method
- Rub the chicken inside and out with the fine salt and pepper. Put the batwan, lemongrass, ginger, and garlic inside the cavity and rest the chicken under refrigeration for 30 minutes.
- Spread the coarse rock salt in a deep heavy pot or clay pot to form a 3–4 cm bed. Set a small rack or inverted heatproof plate over the salt so the chicken does not sit directly in it.
- Cover the rack with two layers of softened banana leaf, place the chicken breast-side up, and fold another leaf loosely over the bird.
- Cover the pot very tightly and cook over low to medium-low heat for 35 minutes. The salt should heat steadily without smoking or scorching.
- Turn the chicken carefully, cover again, and continue cooking for 25–35 minutes, depending on size.
- Check the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone; it must reach at least 74°C and the juices should run clear. Cook longer in 5-minute intervals if needed.
- Rest the chicken for 10 minutes, discard the cooking salt, chop into serving pieces, and serve with spiced vinegar.