An overnight marinade—or 4 hours, if you can’t wait—gives bone-in chicken quarters enough flavor to turn them into stovetop Filipino-style chicken barbecue. A pan can’t reach soaring temperatures like an outdoor grill, but it can get hot enough to achieve a good sear. This creates those deliciously charred bits where the tangy-sweet marinade has caramelized.
Why does chicken barbecue always come with Java rice? Why is it called Java rice? Why is it orange? What you can’t question is its importance to the whole experience. Plus points if you shape it with a cup, like a tiny mountain. On the side, consider adding some atchara and your sawsawan of choice—peanut sauce or Java sauce, if you grew up on Aristocrat.
Why a paper towel helps in marinating chicken
When marinating large cuts of chicken, it's common to have the top parts exposed and unsubmerged. To distribute the marinade evenly, cover the chicken with a paper towel. Make sure it touches the marinade, so the paper towel can soak it up and spread the marinade to the top of the chicken.
