Rellenong Manok

 

This specialty from the the Phillippines is often served on special occasions, including Christmas Eve, which is known as Noche Buena in the Phillipines.

 

From Time/Life's Foods of the World - Pacific and Southeast Asian Cooking, 1970

 

 

To serve 8 to 10:

 

A 4.5- to 5-pound chicken

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1.5 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1.5 pounds boneless pork butt or loin, cut into small chunks

3 all-beef frankfurters*, cut into small chunks

1/2 pound boneless boiled ham, cut into small chunks

1 large onion, pealed and coarsely chopped

1.5 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons seedless raisins

2 raw eggs

1/4 cup finely-chopped sweet gherkins (pickles)

1/4 cup finely-chopped pimiento

1 tablespoon butter, cut into 1/4 inch bits

2 Tablespoons butter, softened

4 peeled, hard-boiled eggs

 

*Other sausage, such as 6 beef vienna sausages or spanish chorizo, may be used, according to availability and preference.

 

Directions:

 

Bone the chicken, following the directions shown here:

 

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

 

Combine the lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of the Worcestershire sauce and rub the mixture over the inside and outside surface of the bird. Set it aside while you prepare the stuffing.

 

Put the pork, frankfurters, ham and onion through the finest blade of a meat grinder and place the mixture in a deep bowl. Add the salt, raisins, raw eggs, gherkins, pimiento, 1 tablespoon of butter bits and the remaining teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce. Knead vigorously with both hands, then beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Before tasting for seasoning, fry a spoonful of the stuffing in a small skillet until the pork shows no traces of pink.

 

Lay the chicken breast-side-up and arrange the two hard-cooked eggs end-to-end in each side of the large cavity. Spread the pork stuffing over and around the eggs, mounding it in the centre and filling any empty space. Bring the sides of the chicken together and sew them securely with a large trussing needle. Lift up and fasten the neck skin to the back of the chicken with a small skewer and gently pat the body of the chicken back into an approximation of its original shape.

 

Brush the chicken evenly with the remaining two tablespoons of softened butter. Place it breast-side-up on a rack set in a large, shallow pan and roast it in the middle of the oven for about 1 hour and 45 minutes, To test for doneness, pierce the thigh of the bird with the tip of a small, sharp knife. The juice that trickles out should be a clear yellow; if it is slightly pink, roast the bird for another 10 to 15 minutes.

 

Transfer the chicken to a large, heated platter and let it rest for about 10 minutes for easier carving. To serve, slice the chicken in half lengthwise and lay each half cut-side-down. Cut off the legs, then slice the rest of the bird cross-wise into 1/2-inch thick pieces.