Make your holiday table extra special with this Chicken Galantina recipe. This boneless chicken stuffed with ground pork filling requires effort but is definitely worth it! Enjoy it warm or cold; perfect with bread or steamed rice.

Chicken Galantina is a Filipino-style stuffed boneless chicken recipe adapted from the French Galantine, a type of stuffed meat that’s usually poached, steamed, or baked. Today we will prepare our galantine by broiling it in a turbo broiler and basting it with soy sauce-lemon for extra flavor!

This dish involves deboning a whole chicken and then stuffing it with a mixture of ground pork, ham, sausages, bacon, and hard-boiled eggs. It is similar to making rellenong manok, so most Filipinos use the terms galantina and relleno interchangeably. Deboning chicken is the most challenging part of making chicken galantina, as it is time-consuming and requires some patience. Other than that, everything else is a breeze!

Ingredient notes

whole chicken, ground pork, ham, bell peppers, onions, celery, raisins, bacon, garlic, soy sauce, chorizo, lemon juice, zest, liquid seasoning , boiled eggs in bowls.

Whole chicken– choose a reasonably sized hen, about 5 to 6 pounds, for easy deboning and stuffing.
Filling– the recipe includes a mix of chorizo, ham, ground pork, celery, raisins, bell peppers, and hard-boiled eggs. Feel free to omit or substitute the ingredients to your liking. You can also add or substitute Chinese sausages, Vienna sausages, sweet pickle relish, carrots, crushed pineapple, and cheese.
Basting Sauce– I used soy sauce, liquid seasoning, lemon juice, and lemon zest to enhance flavor, color, and moisture.

Deboning the chicken

deboned whole chicken on a wooden board.

You can debone your chicken by using one of the methods below:

Cut across the rib cage or the back of the chicken to easily access and remove the bones. Stuff the chicken and sew the gap.
Using a small sharp knife, carefully separate the meat from the bones through the chicken’s bottom opening and pull the bones out in one piece. Although this method requires more knife skills, the chicken is more visually appealing with fewer stitches.

Cooking tips

Do not overstuff the chicken, as it might burst during cooking.
Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. Insert the probe into the thickest part of the meat; if it reads 165 F, it’s ready.
Rest the baked chicken for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing to redistribute the juices and keep it moist.

How to serve and store

cut up baked chicken galantina on a white platter with a plate of steamed rice and salad in the background.

Chicken galantina makes a hearty main dish for lunch or dinner and is an impressive addition to parties or special occasions. Serve it with sides of steamed rice, rolls, buttered vegetables, and a choice of dipping sauces such as ketchup or sweet and sour sauce.
Store leftovers in a container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
To reheat, place in a baking dish and warm in a 350 F oven to an internal temperature of 165 F.