Chicken Inasal (Grilled Chicken): the next Filpino food truck phenomenon?

I step closer to the carousel of the airport baggage section - I feel like I am sleep walking.  After spending the last 26 hours in airports and airplanes (and sleeping most of the time during the flights), I can't wait to get home.  I am feeling quite sluggish, but then a sudden gush of excitement kicks in, as I see my husband standing by the baggage claim. I tiptoe hurriedly to hug him and with a full smile I ask him:

"You told me I'll see you at the curbside"...

"I wanted to surprise you - Surprise!" he mumbled.

My heart fluttered.  It was one of those moments that make your heart smile.

"Are you happy to be home?", he asked.

"Of course" I whispered.

Then a loooong pause.

I realize how much fun I had the last 6 weeks, and I begin to realize that the words "of course" were only partly true haha.

And for the next few days, I (over)used the word "jet lag" for those days that I slept in all day.  Until a month has now passed... A month? Really?

That's how I've been the past few weeks here.  I'm just happy that my hubs didn't eject me like an old 80's mixed tape.  Nor did he ship me back to the Philippines for not being my usual self.  My kitchen has been quietly waiting for me to switch on the stove top. Take outs were the norm for most of those days.

That being said,  I would like to apologize to my Kulinarya buddies, as my April post is a tad late. But I didn't want to miss out on this one.  The challenge posed by Louie Yan of East and West is to take a Filipino standard and make it into a street food dish easily peddled through food trucks.  I know that  Filipino food is slowly getting out there, because Filipino food trucks across America are doing its work plying the streets, spreading Filipino food around.  With that in mind, I would like to introduce Chicken Inasal (grilled chicken) as a future food truck phenomenon.

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Chicken Inasal, is special blend of grilled barbeque chicken, popularized by the Ilongos.  The secret of these irresistable chicken pieces skewered in bamboo sticks is not only in the marinade but also the spicy sauce on the side.  The marinade is simple but the details such as the basting of atchuette oil (annato oil) while the chicken pieces are being cooked over glowing crimson coals make the difference.  

Chicken Inasal

10-12 pcs. chicken (around 4-5 lbs.)

1/3 c soy sauce

1/3 c coconut vinegar

2 stalks lemongrass (chopped)

2 inch ginger (pounded)

1 tsp pepper

1/3 c sugar

Mix all the ingredients except the chicken in a pan.  Simmer for about ten minutes.  Let it cool. Separate a portion for basting.  Marinate the chicken overnight or for at least an hour.  Grill chicken pieces until it's thoroughly cooked.

For Basting:

Annatto oil

Marinade

Mix the two ingredients together. Baste the chicken as needed.

For sauce or dipping:

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/3 c broth

2 tsp sugar

3 tbsp vinegar

chiles if desired

onions and onion leeks chopped

Mix all the ingredients together.  Stir and serve it together with the freshly grilled chicken. 

Oh by the way, grilling this chicken will definitely make a food truck rock... people will be raring to buy because the aroma will lead them where the food truck is parked. Cheers!