Kelaguen Manok, is a chamorro dish used as an appetizer, a side, or the main course. Manok means chicken, so this is chicken kelaguen. It's my favorite dish that my grandpa makes every holiday just for me. It's made from about 7 pounds of raw thighs and breast pieces. You remove the skin, tear the meat from the bones and discard the bones. The chicken is cut into small pieces. The end result ends up looking like shredded pieces of raw chicken. As seen in the picture you mix in chopped green onions and crushed red peppers giving it the perfect spicy taste to it. But what you can't see from the picture is that it's also seasoned with salt, lemon juice, and coconut. It is meant to be seasoned so that no single taste over powers the others. Once everything is mixed together, making sure that the seasonings have touch every piece of chicken in the bowl, you put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours if not over night.
This dish can also be made with guihan (fish), benadu (venison), or uhang (shrimp).
Once chilled, it is ready to for about twenty servings. Personally, I usually eat kelaguen by itself as a side or as the main course. But traditionally, it is served with warm tortillas or corn tortillas. This is my favorite food because it is always ready to eat, it’s never too hot. Plus I love spicy food. And when my grandpa makes it just right, the kelaguen is too spicy for anyone else to eat. Occasionally he will make it not too spicy and everyone will have a little. But I love watching his face light up as someone unsuspecting has some when he makes it too spicy. Considering the Chamorro culture is a dying one, I know my grandpa loves it when I ask him to make me my Kelaguen Manok.
