Thie Filipino Chicken Inasal recipe is super easy to make. The result: juicy, tender chicken bursting with sweet, sour, tangy Filipino barbecue flavors in every bite.
Fire up the grill! We’re making chicken inasal—a Filipino barbecue dish that’s smoky, juicy, tangy, and bursting with bright, savory flavor.
This is not your average grilled chicken! It's marinated in a zesty mix of calamansi (or lime), vinegar, garlic, lemongrass, and annatto oil for that signature orange glow.
Served with garlic rice, sawsawan (a vinegar-soy dipping sauce), and a cold drink, chicken inasal turns any backyard meal into a tropical feast. If you love summer grilling with bold, unforgettable flavors—this is the dish to make.
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🌟 What makes chicken inasal stand out from other grilled chicken recipes
We LOVE chicken inasal in my house. This is THE grilled chicken recipe you'll want to make on repeat! It's
- bright, citrusy marinade is super refreshing on a hot day
- easy to prep ahead, perfect for summer parties or cookouts
- cooks quickly over high heat, so you’re not stuck at the grill for long
- pairs beautifully with cold beer, crisp white wine, or calamansi spritzers
- brings big flavor without heavy sauces or sugary glazes.
🍗 About this Filipino grilled chicken
We've been making chicken inasal in my Filipino family for generations. It originally hails from Bacolod in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. It's a local street food favorite.
“Inasal” means “grilled” or “charcoal-roasted” in the local dialect. The method typically involves marinating meat in a blend of native ingredients like calamansi, vinegar, and lemongrass.
Unlike many sweet-style Filipino barbecues, inasal leans tangy, garlicky, and slightly smoky. It's often finished with annatto oil for color.
This delicious Filipino grilled chicken reflects the balance of acidity, sweet/sour/tangy savoriness, and umami that makes Filipino cuisine so vibrant and crave-worthy.
🛒 Ingredient notes
- Chicken thighs: we love using boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the juiciest results. You can also use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, or even chicken drumsticks.
- Calamansi juice: traditional, but lime or lemon juice works well too.
- Vinegar: cane vinegar is best, but white vinegar or rice vinegar are good substitutes.
- Garlic, ginger, & lemongrass: key aromatics that infuse deep flavor into the marinade.
- Annatto oil (atsuete oil): this gives chicken its signature reddish-orange hue and subtle nutty undertone. My recipe includes instructions for making your own with annatto seeds and olive oil, or annatto paste and olive oil.
- Brown sugar: just a pinch to balance acidity in the marinade.
✅ Step-by-step instructions
For my fellow visual learners, here are some step-by-step photos to help you make this recipe. You'll find more detailed instructions along with the full list of ingredients and measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
In a large bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients. Set aside about ¼ of the marinade in a separate container for later.
Add the chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
When you're ready to grill, brush the grill lightly with oil, then heat the grill to medium-high heat.
Brush chicken with marinade before placing on the grill. Grill each chicken piece for about 4-6 minutes on each side. Use the reserve marinade that you set aside to baste the chicken halfway through cooking.
Grill until both sides get some nice char marks and a thermometer reads 165°F.
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQs
You can skip it if you don’t have the annatto seeds or annatto paste to make it. You can also substitute with paprika-infused oil for color. The flavor won’t be exactly the same, but still delicious.
You can, but they may dry out quickly. Try to stick to dark meat or reduce the grilling time for white meat.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
🍽 Serving ideas
We love serving chicken inasal with other Filipino food staples, like Instant Pot garlic rice, Filipino mac salad, lumpia, and pancit bihon. Dress the chicken with a forkful of Filipino atchara - a sweet, tangy, sour pickled slaw.
It's also great with salads like charred corn salad, Asian carrot cucumber salad, and cucumber dill salad.
🍷 🥂 Wine pairings
The sour, tangy flavors of this chicken inasal call for a crisp white wine. I serve it with a dry Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc.
🍳 Kitchen tools and equipment
Ready to make this recipe? Here are the kitchen tools and equipment you'll need:
More Filipino recipes
Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Chicken Inasal
Equipment
- 1 Outdoor Grill or indoor grill pan
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Annatto oil
- 1 cup olive oil or vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoons annatto seeds
Marinade
- ½ cup annatto oil (see above), divided
- ¼ cup soy sauce or coconut aminos
- ½ cup cane vinegar
- ¼ cup lemon lime soda or sparkling water
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 6 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 Tablespoons finely chopped lemongrass
- 2 Tablespoons calamansi juice
- 1 Tablespoon grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels
- Make the annatto oil: In a large skillet, heat the oil and the annatto seeds. Stir, cooking on medium heat, for 2-3 minutes. Carefully pour the oil mixture into a heatproof glass measuring cup or other container with pouring spout and set aside to cool slightly.
- Make the marinade: In a large bowl, whisk together half of the annatto oil (about ¼ cup of the oil) and set the rest aside for later. To the bowl, add the soy sauce, vinegar, calamansi juice, lemon lime soda, lemongrass, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper.
- Add the chicken to the marinade, tossing to coat all sides. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
- Take the chicken out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before you are ready to grill. Lightly brush the grill grates or an indoor grill pan with olive oil.
- Using a separate basting brush, brush the remaining annatto oil over the chicken and then place on the grill. Grill the chicken over medium-high heat (450° - 500°F) for approximately 4-6 minutes on each side, until the chicken is fully cooked. Chicken is cooked when a meat thermometer shows an internal reading of 165°F.
- Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro, if desired.
Notes
- You can substitute annatto paste for the annatto seeds. If doing so, you'll need to smash down and separate the paste to make the oil. Once heated and mostly combined, you can carefully add the mixture to a blender and blend until it's more smooth.
- You can use chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs, but thighs will be more flavorful and juicier.
- Substitute rice wine vinegar or regular white vinegar for the cane vinegar, if you can't find cane vinegar.
- For the lemon lime sparkling water or soda, you can use Sprite, 7-Up, or Calamansi sparkling water.
- If you can't find calamansi juice, you can use a mixture of freshly squeezed lemon juice and lime juice (50/50 ratio).
- Use lemon zest or lime zest as a substitute for lemongrass.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
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