Would you like to present the family with a nice whole chicken on a platter but you don’t have an oven? Are you looking for a guiltless chicken recipe that will fit your Keto diet or any low-carb, low-fat lifestyle? Or you only have chicken but your only condiment available is salt? Then look no further because I am sharing with you the no-fuss Guiltess, Pull-apart, Pinapisik Chicken Recipe.

The Pinapisik Chicken

The Pinapisik Chicken Recipe may as well be considered a heritage recipe or technique of cooking. I have heard about this being done by older people when I was younger or in the countryside. For this recipe, they would use an earthen pot.

To complete the experience, I sought the pottery makers along the highway of Brgy. Pahanocoy, southern Bacolod City. I bought a large pot with a lid and excitedly made my first papisik. It smelled bad because apparently, the earthen pot is no longer just made of mud. It reeked of chemicals.

I think mud is already mixed with cement and painted so it affected the smell. I wasn’t halfway into cooking when I removed my chicken and transferred it to another cookware.

Nowadays, I use glass cookware primarily because the main ingredient is salt. But this could work well with any cookware that has a lid (not a pressure cooker).

Guiltless and Pull-Apart Pinapisik Chicken Recipe

Although it is cooked in salt, the cooked chicken is not salty at all. When the pot is heated, some of the salt would be “jolted”, going upward and most of these land on the chicken. In our dialect, the little jolt is called “pisik” so it’s like the salt was shot up onto the chicken.

If you are into natural living, you may opt to use native chicken or free-range chicken. These are not given medications (unlike those raised in the poultry farms.)

It is actually really good. Devoid of seasonings and culinary herbs, you can enjoy the natural taste of the chicken. Plus, it is so tender and juicy inside.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole dressed chicken, cleaned drained
• 2 Tbsps. + 1 cup rock salt
• Stuffing (optional): Tomatoes, lemongrass, green onions, ginger, batwan, red chili (or your favorite combination)

Procedure:

• Drain chicken well. Pat dry. Rub the 2 Tbsps. rock salt all over and inside. Stuff the chicken with your favorite aromatic vegetables or you may omit them.

• In a deep casserole with a lid, scatter the rest of the salt. Make sure to cover all the bottom surfaces. Position a wire rack on top of the bed of salt. Place the chicken breast down on the wire rack.

• Cover the casserole and cook over the stove on low heat for 1 hour. Do not open.

• When the hour is done, the chicken is very tender and juicy. You can easily pull the parts apart—no knife needed.

Cooking Notes

Despite draining, the chicken will still emit fats and juices that will fall on the salt. These fluids will get charred in the cooking process and emit smoke. Don’t fret. It will add a smoky dimension to your chicken.

But if you want to lessen the smokiness, just place a small, thin aluminum pan on top of the wire rack. This will be under the chicken and will serve to catch some of the liquid. It can also be aluminum foil so that the heat can get through. I won’t advise you about using fresh herbs on the salt (or even on the chicken)—they will burn and give off that burnt smell. I know because I have tried.

Variation:
Once cooked, you may brush achuete oil all over for that orange color or soy sauce for a light brown
tinge. These are entirely optional.