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Pinaupong Manok (say ‘pi-na-ooh-pong ma-nok’) simply means the chicken that sits. And that’s how simple it is to cook. Merely make the chicken sit on a deep bed of rock salt, cover and cook. Dinner will be ready before you know it.
This is a classic Filipino dish with the whole roaster chicken and salt as the staple ingredients. I’ve always admired its simplicity, novelty and very delicious flavors .
Last month, I came home from a long trip to the Philippines with my kitchen cupboard out of sorts. One of my pantry staples, the big box of rock salt had a broken tab. I didn’t want the salt to go bad, so I had to think of a recipe fast that used it as a primary ingredient. And so when I remembered I had a whole roaster in the freezer plus all this salt, then I had a winner.
Back in the Philippines, the grandmas, old aunts and expert cooks from our older generations always recommended we used organic, free-range chickens or “native” hens as they used to call them. Since I don’t have access to this type of poultry here in America, I did my best to replicate an old traditional recipe with what was on hand.
The process was simple. I slathered the entire chicken with a dry rub of garlic and onion powders, salt and pepper. I stuffed the cavity with leeks and onions. Then I made sure the roasting pan had a bed of salt measuring a couple of inches deep. I covered the entire assembly tight, roasted the bird and relaxed. Dinner was done in no time. It was flavorful, fragrant and fabulous-looking. The family just loved this sitting chicken!
Pinaupong Manok : The Chicken that Sits
Pinaupong Manok (say ‘pi-na-ooh-pong ma-nok’) simply means the chicken that sits. And that’s how simple it is to cook. Merely make the chicken sit on a deep bed of rock salt, cover and cook. Dinner will be ready before you know it. This is a classic Filipino dish with the whole roaster chicken and salt as the staple ingredients. I’ve always admired its simplicity, novelty and very delicious flavors .
Ingredients:
- Whole roaster chicken - 4 to 5 pounds
- rock salt - 5 to 6 cups
- salt - 1 teaspoon, to rub
- garlic powder - 1 Tablespoon
- onion powder - 1 Tablespoon
- black pepper powder - 1 teaspoon
- onion - 1 whole, chopped
- leeks - 1 bunch, white parts sliced
- boiled jasmine white rice - for serving
- soy sauce - 2 to 3 Tablespoons, for serving
- lemon - juice of 1, for serving
Instructions:
- Wash chicken thoroughly. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.
- Mix in a bowl the dry rub: salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper. Rub this all over the chicken well.
- Stuff the chicken with the onions and leeks.
- Pour the rock salt in a roasting pan enough to fit the chicken snugly. Make sure the bed of salt is at least 2 inches deep.
- Place the chicken on its back, on top of the bed of salt. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and oven roast in a preheated oven 375 F degrees.
- Roast at 35 minutes for every pound of chicken*.
- When chicken is done, remove from oven, uncover and serve hot with boiled jasmine white rice. Serve with a side dipping sauce of soy sauce mixed with the juice of a lemon.
That is one roasted chicken that is sitting pretty [delicious]!
Thanks, Tracey! You’re lucky to be in Manila. You can make this stove-top with lemon-grass or even pandan. Also the chickens there, though smaller, are more flavorful. Just my personal opinion. Glad you stopped by
I have to admit that I’ve only cooked a whole chicken several times.. or should say a few times… shame on me! It’s not common to cook a whole chicken in Japan and I still get intimidated when I see the whole chicken. You are like a pro. Looks so delicious!!!
Thanks, Nami! You can do this! How about trying this recipe with smaller roasters? Thanks for the kind words!
Love how simple this recipe is. Where do you buy your rock salt from?
Thanks, Jeanette. I just use what I can find at major supermarkets. You need a large quantity for this recipe, though. Hope you try it. It’s so good & non-greasy!