Chef JR Royol shares his specialty bigorot pinikpikan recipe

Celebrity chef JR Royol shared in the January 27 episode of the GTV cooking talk show Lutong Bahay his take on the Bigorot pinikpikan, “a chicken or duck dish from the mountains of the Cordillera region in the Philippines.”

The celebrity chef told Lutong Bahay host Mikee Quintos and Kuya Dudut that this was inspired by his Igorot roots.

“Growing up, I was so in touch with my Igorot side na lumaki akong nahilig [at] na-in love sa pinikpikan.”

(I was so in touch with my Igorot side growing up so I really loved pinikpikan.)

Like the true Igorot that he is, Chef JR showed the traditional way of preparing the meat, which involved burning the feathers of unskinned chicken directly on a fire.

“Actually, 'yan nga 'yung isa sa mga key characteristics ng pinikpikan. [...] it is a cooking technique din na ginagamit ng mga katutubo, sa amin sa Mountain Province, mga Igorot…” Chef JR explained.

(Actually, that's one of the key characteristics of pinikpikan. It is a cooking technique that the Indigenous peoples of Mountain Province use.)

“Sa amin kasi, sinusunog 'yung balahibo,” said Chef JR. “It is part of the ritual.”

(We burn the feathers. It is part of the ritual.)

Aside from the cultural story behind the technique, Chef JR also said it helps with enhancing the flavors of the dish.

Follow this recipe to try Chef JR Royol's bigorot dish:

INGREDIENTS:

· One whole chicken

· Etag (Cured meat)

· Coconut cream

· Onion leeks

· Ginger

· Peppercorn

· Siling labuyo (Red chili)

PROCEDURE:

1. Grill one whole, unskinned chicken directly into a fire until feathers fall and slightly brown

2. Cut chicken into parts.

3. Put chopped chicken in a stock pot together with etag (cured meat), coconut milk, ginger, onion leeks, and peppercorn.

4. Mix chopped siling labuyo (red chili) according to preference.

5. Serve.

WATCH THE FULL TUTORIAL VIDEO BELOW: