Let’s do the two-step

I am not really sure when the turbo broiler was invented, or by whom (here my Google chops fail me). We got ours in the late 1970s and we have always had one since then, the current being our third or maybe fourth. Is it that essential? If you ask me, no; no more than the microwave oven and crock pot are. It sees action every now and then, mostly with chicken and eggplant.

It has been claimed by some as a Filipino invention. Why not? In any case, Pinoys have appropriated “turbo” as a verb, shorthand for “to cook with a turbo broiler,” in the same way some people refer to an anatomical part to mean a disease or disorder afflicting such organ: “What did your husband die of?” “Oh, na-kidney.” In Bisaya, someone might say, “Naa ko’y heart,” to mean, “I have [something wrong with my] heart.”

Part of the turbo broiler’s appeal is as a healthier cooking alternative. This is nothing new, of course; we’ve always broiled over hot charcoal or in an oven. But nothing beats the drama of seeing oil ooze out of cooking meat and pool at the bottom of the turbo’s transparent cavity. Who knew there was so much of it? Yikes.

Needless to say, my (half-)chicken came out crispy on the outside and juicy inside. My mother ranks it as one of my master dishes. But why only half? Because that’s the most we can finish in one meal — and that includes the dogs. You can use whole chicken, of course, but then you’d have to turn it over at some point. I hate turning; if I need to feed more mouths, I put the other cut half alongside and wait for the both of them to cook, saving me the hassle (and, though not always, the burns).

This is a two-part recipe, by the way. Oh, I know how the sales pitch goes: season chicken, plonk inside turbo, cover, turn on, and sit back until that timer goes ding! Well, that happens here, too, except that I boil the fowl, adobo-style, before it goes into the turbo. It’s been a long time since I had gone the straightforward route that I can’t remember exactly how it pales to the boil-and-broil, but there has to be good reason I take the extra step, and I’m Mr. Cutting Corners. You’ll just have to trust me (and Ma) on that one.

Turbo Chicken

Clean and drain chicken thoroughly, removing fatty tissue along the cavity. Pat dry with paper towel before applying the marinade.

• 1 medium-size broiler chicken, halved lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated garlic (or garlic powder)
• 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
• 1½ cup vinegar
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 dried bay leaves

1. Combine salt, granulated garlic (or garlic powder), and black pepper for the dry rub. Marinate chicken and let sit in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. Turn your turbo’s heat setting to maximum. Preheat while you go about the next step.
3. Heat pan until smoking (no oil). Place chicken skin-side up and cook until cavity side is seared where in contact with the pan. Pour in vinegar and let boil for 5 minutes before adding bay leaves and crushed garlic, then cover pan, turn heat to medium-low, and simmer chicken for 25 to 30 minutes or until most of liquid has evaporated (add a bit of water if it dries out before then — you do not have to turn chicken over at any point). Remove chicken from pan.
4. Place chicken into turbo broiler. Set timer to 30 minutes, but remember to check around the 20-minute mark to make sure that it is not burnt. Broil longer as necessary, then remove and serve.