Lechon Manok (Pinoy Roast Chicken)

1 . Stage

Combine onion, garlic, calamansi juice, fish sauce, salt, black pepper, and brown sugar in a bowl to make marinade.

2 . Stage

Place chicken in a roasting pan. Rub marinade over chicken, including inside the cavity. Let chicken marinate in the refrigerator, about 4 hours. Reserve leftover marinade in the bowl.

3 . Stage

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

4 . Stage

Trim lemongrass, discarding tough outer stalks. Pound inner stalks with a heavy object until bruised. Place lemongrass and bay leaves inside the chicken cavity.

5 . Stage

Stir oil into the leftover marinade in the bowl.

6 . Stage

Roast chicken in the preheated oven, basting with the oil mixture from time to time, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), 60 to 90 minutes.

7 . Stage

Remove chicken from the oven and allow to rest in a warm area for 15 minutes before serving.