Chicken Relleno: A Philippine Tradition

Before the Spanish regime began in the Philippine islands from 1521 to 1898, the chicken and the pig were used by Filipinos as ritual food for ancestral worship. The animals were slaughtered and offered to the spirits, and then cooked and lavishly eaten by all.

Today when you ask a Filipino what he thinks of as special food, chances are he’ll say the pig and the chicken. He’ll describe to you the lechon , a whole pig crisply roasted on a spit rotating over hot glowing embers, and rellenong manok (stuffed chicken), a boned whole chicken stuffed with some kind of forcemeat, whole sausages and hard-cooked eggs.

Influenced by Spanish cultures that also brought other European cuisines to the islands, Filipino cooks have long been preparing the festive chicken relleno, which may very well have been a modification of the French galantine of chicken. The galantine is a completely boned bird that is stuffed and rolled into a cylindrical shape, wrapped in muslin and poached in a rich jellylike stock.

Old Philippine cookbooks include recipes of the French galantine and the Filipino chicken relleno, which is not completely boned. Rather than cylindrically shaped, it is molded back into the shape of the bird, with the bones of the wings and drumsticks retained.

Like the French recipe, stuffings for the relleno included anything from chicken to veal, pork, pickled tongue, ham, truffles, bacon or foie gras. All the fattening and almost prohibitively rich foods one can imagine. Even the taste of the chicken itself had to be rich and special, its meat extra tender. Around the 1930s, a chicken called ipitan was made available for cooking. In contrast to the free-range chicken, the corn-fed young hen was raised in a cage so small that it could only sit and stand. That way the bird didn’t build muscles that would toughen it.

The many versions of the chicken relleno today reflect economic history, too. The stuffed Filipino bird has come a long way from the Spanish elite times of imported European truffles, pate de fois gras , cheeses, sausage and wine. Boning was a cinch those days when there were a number of native servants and cooks to do all sorts of tedious chores, such as the meticulous boning of chicken necks which were to be stuffed with chicken liver, truffles and ham for a special soup dish popular in those days.

Following are descriptions of some of the modern versions provided by Filipinos living in this country, one of which is illustrated on this page. Alice Aquino, who immigrated to this country in 1978, says she learned to make chicken relleno from another Filipina housewife when she came over here. Like many Filipina working wives who were used to having kitchen help in the islands, Aquino, now a secretary in a drug laboratory, had to start doing all the cooking for her family in America. Aquino loves to entertain, and when she does, it’s an overwhelming feast involving days of preparation.

Her version of relleno is quite delicious, in fact, one of the best I’ve tasted. Many of the rich good things are still in the forcemeat, sans the exorbitantly priced truffles, of course. But like most versions found today, she uses the Spanish chorizo de Bilbao , which is available in Spanish and Philippine markets. (In testing the recipe we found that pepperoni makes a nice substitute.) What makes hers different from other people’s rellenos as described later is the inclusion of the ground or chopped bacon to the basic ground pork, egg and sausage mixture. “I also like to mix in raisins” she says, “and lots of cheese, which helps in binding the mixture together as well as adding taste.”

Ellen Rojas Romualdez, a bank clerk who also likes to cook, with a nutrition degree earned in the Philippines, makes a chicken relleno that involves a little more work in that the bird is boned entirely. The flesh is removed and chopped, then combined with minced celery, raisins, cheese, onion, a little garlic and eggs to bind. Along with hard-cooked eggs and chorizo de Bilbao , the chicken mixture is used to stuff the chicken skin.

Andrea Aquino Luna, food and nutrition director at Pioneer Hospital in Artesia, has modified her boned stuffed chicken to suit the American taste. “I use a mixture of ground beef and pork as pork by itself seems too rich; I also use the drippings to make a mushroom gravy which goes very well with the chicken.” Luna, who has lately been active in the Cory Aquino movement here, is also the niece of the late Benigno Aquino.

The introduction of canned goods in the islands during the American rule (1898-1946) replaced some of the more expensive European ingredients used in the original rellenos and other mainstays. For instance, taking the place of the authentic pate de fois gras is canned or plastic-packaged liverwurst, which my mother-in-law, Victoria, likes to use in her relleno. Sweet pickle relish, replacing pickled tongue, adds a sweetish tang to the meats, and as a cheaper substitute for ham or imported sausage, Vienna sausage or potted ham also seems to be favored.

Another ingredient that has given the Filipino stuffed chicken its own Oriental identity distinguishing it from the French is soy sauce. The bird is usually marinated in a little soy sauce and some calamansi (a citrus fruit easily substituted by lemon) juice. Finally, instead of the more involved tasks of poaching, then frying, the modern birds are roasted at 350 degrees to a golden brown finish.

Although no longer a ritual food, the chicken to the Filipino still appeals as a special food. And for us Filipinos, here and in the islands, who will always find a reason to entertain and celebrate, the chicken relleno remains a delicious tradition.

For photos illustrating boning techniques, please see Page 25. ALICE AQUINO’S CHICKEN RELLENO

1 (3-pound) chicken

Salt, pepper

1 to 2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3/4 pound ground pork

1/4 pound lean bacon, chopped or coarsely ground

6 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup raisins

3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

1 egg

1 carrot, cooked and cut julienne, or 1/2 cup green peas, cooked

3 ounces cooked ham, cut julienne

2 Spanish chorizo de Bilbao or pepperoni, about 5 ounces

2 hard-cooked eggs, cut in halves

1 to 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Bone chicken for stuffing, leaving wing and drumstick bones intact. Rub chicken with salt and pepper to taste, soy sauce and lemon juice. Let stand at least 30 minutes. (Refrigerate if marinating longer than this time.)

Combine ground pork, bacon, cheese, raisins, pickle relish and egg. Mix well. Place chicken on board, skin side down. Place half of stuffing in boned cavity of chicken. Arrange carrot and ham strips, sausage and egg halves in rows on top of pork mixture. Cover with remaining mixture, stuffing boned thighs.

Bring 2 cut sides of chicken together. Fasten edges at one-inch intervals with wood picks or skewers, then lace with string. Turn bird over and mold it back to resemble original shape. Tie legs with string and tuck wings akimbo. Place on rack in roasting pan and cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees 30 minutes and remove foil. Continue baking additional 1 hour or more until golden brown, basting with melted butter. Collect drippings, if desired, and make flour gravy.

Remove skewers and string. Place on serving platter and garnish as desired with vegetables or fruit. Carve into 1/2-inch-thick diagonal or crosswise slices, starting from wing sides. Makes 10 to 12 servings.