In the grand theater of Noche Buena cooking, chicken relleno will always get a standing ovation. This dish isn't just a meal—it's a labor of love, an over-the-top show of deboning, stuffing, and transforming an everyday chicken into an impressive centerpiece.
80% of the work lies in deboning a whole chicken, so ask your butcher if they can do it for you. The marinating (with Maggi Savor Liquid Seasoning and Magic Sarap—trust us on this one), stuffing, roasting, and everything else after becomes way easier.
What’s the difference between relleno and galantina?
And aren’t they the same thing? Wikipedia seems to say so—chicken galantina is also chicken relleno or relyenong manok. Both stuff a chicken with a rich embutido filling of ground meat, carrots, raisins, sausages, and eggs.
Some purists will draw a hard line between the two. The big difference? Cooking style:
- Chicken relleno is baked, emerging from the oven glorious, golden, and crackling.
- Chicken galantina is steamed, sometimes ditching the whole chicken shape for a neat roll or loaf.
Some cooks will argue the details, but here's the real truth: they're both delicious ways to turn a chicken into something special. But if we had to pick a side, roast chicken relleno is way more fun!
Ingredients
Embutido Filling
- 250g ground chicken
- 250g ground pork
- ½ cup chopped Frankfurter or chorizo
- ⅓ cup pickle relish
- ⅓ cup chopped white onion
- ¼ cup minced garlic
- ⅓ cup chopped red bell pepper
- ¼ cup raisins
Whole Chicken
- 4 tbsp Maggi Savor Liquid Seasoning
- 3 tbsp Maggi Magic Sarap
- 1 (about 1.4–1.5kg) whole chicken, deboned through the cavity
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
Prepare for baking: Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C.
Make filling: Combine all embutido filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl, Using clean hands, turn and mix filling until ingredients are well distributed.
Prepare chicken: Combine Maggi Savor Liquid Seasoning and Maggi Magic Sarap in a small bowl. Massage seasoning inside and outside the chicken until fully coated.
Sew up the upper neck area of the chicken to seal the opening.
Stuff chicken: Stuff the chicken with relleno filling, making sure to stuff the wing cavity as well, until ⅓ of the way full. Insert 1 hard-boiled egg into the middle of the chicken. Stuff chicken another ⅓ of the way, then insert the second hard-boiled egg into the middle of the chicken. Fill the rest of the chicken with filling, making sure to fill the leg cavities, too.
Sew up the bottom side of the chicken, between the legs, until opening is completely sealed. Transfer chicken to a baking tray and cover with foil.
Bake chicken: Bake chicken in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil and return chicken to bake for 20–25 minutes more, or until chicken skin has browned a bit. Let cool completely.
Serve: Once chicken is cool enough to handle, cut into thick slices and serve at room temperature, or store in the refrigerator before serving cold.
