Inasal chicken oil is a flavorful orange oil made with annatto seeds, chicken drippings, and sometimes garlic, that’s brushed over Bacolod-style grilled chicken (inasal) in the Visayas region of the Philippines.
🍚 Ingredient tips and substitutes
Feel free to use more or less chicken skin depending on how much oil you’d like to make. With the measurements listed in the recipe card, you’ll get roughly ¾ cup.
- Chicken skin
- Water Helps the fat render slowly and prevents burning.
- Garlic
- Salt
- Annatto seeds Annatto seeds come from the achiote tree and are small, reddish seeds used as a natural coloring and mild flavoring in Filipino, Latin American, and Southeast Asian cooking. They give foods a vibrant orange-red hue with a subtle earthy, slightly peppery taste.
This homemade chicken inasal oil recipe is the secret ingredient that can make your Filipino dishes taste incredible! Keep a jar on hand whenever you want to add rich, savory flavor to your everyday meals. Let me know in the comments if you give it a try! Follow me on social media: Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more!
Inasal Chicken Oil Recipe
Equipment
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Small pot or saucepan
- Heatproof spoon
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- 18 oz chicken skin
- 6 cloves garlic bruised
- 2 tbsp annatto seeds
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- In a pot over medium heat, bring water to a gentle simmer. Add the chicken skin and cook until it starts to release its fat and turn pale.
- Continue cooking the chicken skin, stirring occasionally, until it becomes deeply golden and crispy. Remove the crispy pieces with a slotted spoon, leaving the oil in the pot. Turn off the heat.
- Add the bruised garlic to the hot oil and sauté until fragrant and golden. Sprinkle in the annatto seeds and salt, stirring gently to infuse the oil with color and earthy flavor.
- Strain the hot oil through a fine mesh sieve to remove any solids. Store and use for brushing over grilled meats, rice, or noodles.
Video
Notes
- Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and should be considered approximate.
👩🍳 How to make inasal chicken oil
- Heat the water in a pot over medium heat until it starts to gently simmer.
- Add the chicken skin, stirring regularly to prevent sticking and burning.
- Let the chicken skin simmer until it releases its fat and looks pale and soft.
- Continue cooking until the skin turns lightly golden, and the oil begins to separate.
- Keep frying the chicken skin until deeply golden brown and crispy, stirring occasionally to avoid burning.
- Remove the crispy chicken skin with tongs or a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered oil behind. Then turn off the heat.
- Add bruised garlic to the hot oil and let it fry until golden and fragrant.
- Sprinkle in annatto seeds and salt, stirring to bring out the rich red color and earthy flavor.
- Strain the finished oil through a fine mesh sieve to remove any solids, leaving a smooth, vibrant chicken oil perfect for grilled meats or rice.
❓How do you get chicken oil
Chicken oil is made by gently heating chicken fat or skin until the fat renders out and becomes liquid. The melted fat is then strained and used as a flavorful cooking oil.
- Pour water into a pot and heat it over medium heat until it begins to gently simmer.
- Add the chicken skin to the pot, stirring to help separate and spread it evenly.
- Let the chicken skin simmer so it starts releasing its fat while becoming soft and pale.
- Continue cooking until the fat fully renders and the chicken skin begins floating in the yellow oil. Stir regularly to prevent sticking and burning
- Fry the chicken skin in its own rendered fat until it turns golden and lightly crispy.
- Use tongs to remove the crispy chicken skin, leaving behind the flavorful rendered oil.
- Strain out any solids, then cool and store the clear chicken oil in a clean container.
