Rellenong Manok is impressive as it is delicious! This stuffed chicken with ground pork filling is baked to golden perfection for the perfect dinner entree your guests will be raving about!
After wrestling and barely winning the fight with a roughly 5-pound bird the whole day, I now understand why something as simple as chicken can be the highlight of something as special as Noche Buena.
With the deboning, the stuffing, the sewing, and the roasting involved, rellenong manok is definitely not one I’ll willingly tackle for my family’s everyday dinner. I love them, they are precious to me, but no thank you. It’s the line my affection stops.
Of course, I exaggerate. Making this Filipino-style stuffed chicken is labor-intensive but not as complicated as it appears. Really, the hardest part is the deboning and once you have that down to pat, everything else is a walk in the park.
How to debone a whole chicken
There are two ways of deboning poultry. Choose which method works best for you!
- One way is cutting across the rib cage to get to the bones and then sewing back the gap after stuffing. I am not really a fan of this method as I find it messier and my relleno always end up scarier than the monster of Frankenstein.
- The method I prefer requires a bit more knife skills but the end product comes out prettier and less stitched up. Through the bottom opening of the chicken, use a small sharp knife to gently nudge the meat from the bones and then pull the bones out in more or less one piece. Make sure to watch our video below to visually guide you through the process.
After deboning, the chicken gets marinated in a mixture of soy sauce and calamansi juice to infuse flavor. Time to work on the stuffing!
I use my favorite pork embutido mix and added shredded cheese cheddar for extra flavor and bread crumbs to help the stuffing hold shape. Feel free to use your favorite ground meat filling or use this recipe as a base for other mix-ins such as chorizo, Chinese sausage, ham, pine nuts, olives, sweet pickle relish, and bell peppers.
Helpful tips
- Finely grate the onions (I used a fine grater) instead of chopping to keep the meat stuffing more moist and juicy.
- Do not overstuff the chicken. The stuffing will expand during cooking as it will absorb the juices.
- Roast the chicken in a roasting rack to ensure heat circulation around the meat.
- For food safety, make sure the filling reaches 165 F. If the skin is browning too quickly before the stuffing is fully cooked, loosely tent with foil.
- Let rest for about 10 to 15 minutes before slicing to redistribute the juices.
How to prep ahead
As this is tedious and time-consuming dish, you might want to prep ahead of the event.
You can debone the chicken and make the filling a day in advance, but for food safety, stuff the chicken just before cooking to decrease the risk of bacteria growth. Do not marinate the chicken in the calamansi-soy sauce mixture for too long as the acids might denature the meat and result in a mushy texture.
Serving suggestions
- Rellenong manok takes a bit of work, but so worth the effort! It makes a festive and tasty addition to any special occasion or holiday celebration menu.
- Serve it with banana ketchup or gravy along with sides like steamed rice or mashed potatoes and vegetables such as buttered peas and carrots.
More holiday recipes
Ingredients
- 1 (4 to 5 pounds) whole chicken, deboned
- 1/2 cup calamansi or lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 3 hard boiled eggs, peeled
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
For the Meat Stuffing
- 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
- 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
- 1 onion, peeled and grated
- 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
- 1 cup raisins
- ¼ cup banana ketchup
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Equipment
- roasting rack
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine calamansi juice, soy sauce and pepper. Marinate deboned chicken in mixture for about 1 hour (under refrigeration), turning chicken occasionally. Drain chicken well and pat dry.
- In a large bowl, combine ground pork, pineapple, onion, carrots, bread crumbs, cheese, raisins, ketchup and beaten eggs until well-distributed. Add salt and pepper and combine well.
- Through the lower opening, spoon half of the stuffing into the chicken. Insert the boiled eggs, positioning at the center line of chicken. Fill the chicken with the remaining half of the stuffing mixture.
- Sew the neck and lower openings of the stuffed chicken. With a paper towel, gently wipe down the surface of chicken to remove stray bits and pieces of the meat stuffing. Tie legs together with kitchen twine.
- Liberally brush the surface of chicken with mayonnaise.
- Carefully transfer onto a lightly-greased roasting pan, tucking wings close to the body of the chicken to prevent them from burning before chicken is cooked through.
- Roast in a 375 F oven for about 1 1/2 hours, occasionally brushing with mayonnaise. At the last 20 minutes of cooking, liberally brush skin with butter and continue to roast until internal temperature reaches 165 F and skin is golden brown.
- Remove from heat and let stand for about 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. Serve hot.
Notes
- For food safety, make sure the filling reaches 165 F. If the skin is browning too quickly before the stuffing is fully cooked, loosely tent with foil.
- Let rest before stuffing to re-distribute flavorful juices and to allow stuffing to set.
Video
Nutrition Information
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Gil Cruz says
Hi Lalaine….tried your recipe for relleno manok several times and never failed, my family loves it, and most of all, your my encyclopedia when it comes to Filipino cooking.
I’m getting there when it comes to deboning, getting better and better after my 3rd time.
Maraming salamat, from San Diego
Milka Bago says
I tried to debone a chicken for the first time yesterday and it was quite successful. It was pretty easy, just use a sharp deboning knife and you’re good to go.
I just watch a video on youtube.
Emelie Arzadon says
I didnt eat pork, is it possible to use ground beef instead of ground pork?
Lalaine Manalo says
Yes, you can use beef but the texture might be a little different.
Gem says
I love chicken relleno, similar to embutido minus deboning chicken. Can I deep fry this instead of cooking in oven? Have a turkey fryer and want to use it. Thanks
Lalaine says
Hi Gem,
I haven’t personally tried it but yes, you can definitely fry the chicken. It’s actually the traditional way of making relleno especially since the oven was not widely available then. Try not to overfill too much so the skin doesn’t burst.
Jasmin says
I love collecting recipes but tried just few of them. This one looks worth trying especially for the holidays!
Thank you!
Lalaine says
Hello Jasmin
It’s a bit complicated to make what with the deboning but definitely worth the effort. Hope you give it a try, it will make the perfect centerpiece for your holiday festivities 🙂
Mark says
Lalaine… Just wanted to thank you for this recipe and the video. I’m a reluctant cook, and while this dish appears challenging, it also looks deliciously worth the effort.
Lalaine says
Hi Mark
I hope you give this rellenong manok a try. It really is worth the effort 🙂
edelweiza says
Looks good! My MIL makes the best rellenong manok for me! (Love your own.) Hehe. She actually learned the recipe from the restaurant she works for. 🙂
Lalaine says
Mothers’ cooking is always the best 🙂
Mia S says
Wow, looks absolutely delicious! I love that the stuffing is similar to embutido. This is something worth trying, but first I have to practice the deboning part. That lady in the video makes it look easy. What knife did you use to remove the bones? Will pin the recipe for now.
Lalaine says
I know, she makes it look so easy when it took me blood and tears to debone mine LOL
I just used my paring knife