12 Delicious Days of Christmas: Roast Chicken Relleno

This Roast Chicken Relleno is made from a recipe by Chef Giney Villar, inspired by a 1940’s-style dish stuffed with ham, queso de bola, raisins and more. Served whole, with roasted vegetables, it’s an elegant, succulent dish worth every ounce of the work put into it. Often served with a side dish of Salsa Monja, made from olives and shallots, this was a crowd favorites at Adarna Food + Culture, a restaurant along Kalayaan Avenue in Quezon City, which served as home to Chef Giney's fine Filipino heritage dishes. The Christmas season is the perfect time to make a classic heirloom dish and start a new family tradition. 

Roast Chicken Relleno

Serves 6

MARINADE:

1/4 cup soy sauce

juice of 10 calamansi

2 teaspoons garlic, minced

1 whole chicken (1.5 kilos), breast bone removed

STUFFING:

1/4 cup ground pork or chicken

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon queso de bola, small dice

1 1/2 tablespoons red and green bell pepper, small dice

1 1/2 tablespoons carrot, medium dice

1 1/2 tablespoons ham, small dice

salt, to taste

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1 tablespoon minced garlic 

2 tablespoons whole shallots

1 1/2 tablespoons raisins

1 egg

butter, for basting

hardboiled egg, optional

1. Preheat oven to 320°F. Combine soy sauce, calamansi juice and garlic. Rub all over chicken including cavity. Set aside in refrigerator. 

2. Mix together all the ingredients for the stuffing. Fry a small piece to test for flavor. Adjust seasoning to taste.

3. Stuff chicken cavity. Truss legs. Baste skin with butter. 

4. Roast in oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. 

5. Rest for 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with salsa monja (recipe below).

Recipe by Chef Giney Villar

FOOD Magazine, December 2014