Another authentic Philippine Cuisine is this simple recipe called, Chicken Tinola.
What does Chicken Tinola mean?
Chicken Tinola is a popular chicken soup dish typically made with green papaya, chili pepper leaves, aromatics like ginger and onion and flavored with fish sauce.
Chicken means “manok” in Tagalog by the way. 🐓🇵🇭
What ingredients do I need to make Chicken Tinola?
Since I want YOU to be able to make this dish regardless of your expert level in cooking, I have made adjustments in the recipe using easy to find ingredients with a healthier low-sodium version using homemade chicken broth and omitting the fish sauce.
- Chicken – white or dark meat is fine. I used a whole chicken cut-up because I like the mix of dark and white meat in this recipe.
- Chayote or Sayote – I found Sayote at Woodman’s which inspired me to make this dish. It has a very clean and fresh taste much like a cucumber. Omitting this ingredient will not affect the flavor of the dish at all. However, not only does it add color and texture to the dish, Chayote offers many health benefits that it’s worth considering.
- Potatoes – red, Yukon or gold works. Pick your favorite! This one is an optional ingredient, since traditionally, this dish is made without potatoes anyway. Your call!
- Spinach – this replaces the chili leaves. I added this ingredient for the color and it’s rich in Iron.
- Chicken Broth – any of your favorite brand works, I prefer my Homemade Chicken Stock.
- Red Pepper Flakes and/or Chili Pepper – If you don’t like spicy, omit this. I like to add a different flavor profile to this dish and it gives the dish an extra zing! Plus, if you’re making Chicken Tinola to cure a cold or a sore throat, I find the spiciness to be extra soothing.
- Ginger – speaking of soothing, ginger has medicinal properties which helps in fighting off infections. This is a main ingredient in making this Chicken Soup dish. After all, isn’t Chicken Soup synonymous to “make me feel better now soup?” And trust me when you sauté ginger, with garlic and onions, the smell alone will surely cure any ailments. It cleared my sinuses that’s for sure.
- Garlic – another ingredient that has health and medicinal properties is garlic. Garlic is a plant in the Allium (onion) family. The original Chicken Tinola recipe doesn’t call for garlic, but since I love garlic because it tastes soooo good and it’s so good for me, I added a couple of cloves to this dish.
- Onion – makes this the trifecta of “health and medicinal” ingredient in making Chicken Tinola.
- Salt & Pepper to taste
As I was cooking this dish, my son kept saying – – “Mom! It smells so good in here!
NOW IT’S YOUR TURN
What do you think? Do you think you’d want to give it a try and make this Chicken Tinola dish? With the chill in the air, it’ll be a great comfort food. 🥰 Also check out my other Hot Mex Chicken Soup recipe.
Keep me posted! Please share and tag @JozMahal on Instagram and use #JozMahal.
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Chicken Tinola {Tinolang Manok}
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Philippine
- Diet: Low Salt
Description
I have here a healthier version with easier to find ingredients for Chicken Tinola ~ a Philippine Chicken Soup dish. A great comfort food anytime of year.
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Chicken (cut-up in pieces)
- 1 Quart Organic Chicken Broth (affiliate link) (Homemade Chicken Stock preferred)
- 1 Chayote (peeled and sliced)
- 4 Potatoes (peeled and quartered)
- 1 8oz. Bag of Spinach
- 1 inch Ginger (sliced)
- 2 Garlic Cloves (sliced)
- 1 Onion (sliced)
- 2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
- 1 Chili Pepper (optional)
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- In medium heat, add olive oil in a Saute pan, when the oil shimmers, add onion, garlic and ginger. Sauté for about 2 minutes until onion is caramelized and ginger is golden brown. Place the aromatics on the side of the Sauté pan, being careful not to burn the garlic.
- Now add and sear chicken pieces on both sides. This will take about 4 to 6 minutes.
- Add a pinch of red pepper flakes, dash of salt and pepper.
- Add Chicken broth, bring to a boil, add potatoes and simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Then add sayote, chili pepper (optional) and simmer for another 5 minutes
- Add spinach, cover and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Done!
- Serve with steamed rice (of course) or you can enjoy Chicken Tinola as a soup.
Notes
- The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products I LOVE and personally use.
- Using homemade chicken broth and not using fish sauce in this recipe, makes this a low sodium dish.
- Despite not using the traditional fish sauce to this dish, it didn’t sacrifice the flavors for this Chicken Tinola.
- I store a whole bulb of fresh ginger in the freezer for up to 6 months, if they even last that long since I use it a lot for cooking. I just cut 1 inch section at a time for my recipes.
- Use the side of a teaspoon for peeling the skin-off a ginger root.
Keywords: chicken tinola, philippine cuisine, chicken tinola soup, chicken tinola recipe
Welcome to Joz Mahal. I’m here to show you how exotic can be easy. Seriously folks, I LOVE to cook and I LOVE to entertain just as much. My friends and family love coming over to “the Joz Mahal” kitchen because they know they will be treated like royalty. Every food I make is full of flavorful ingredients, and aside for the delightful conversations you’ll hear plenty of oohs and aahs at the dinner table. Every bite is truly an exotic journey of the senses. Yet all the dishes are very quick and simple to make, using ingredients that are easy to find. I’m truly passionate about cooking delicious foods! Come and cook with me. Let’s be taste buds ~ and follow me along my exotic culinary journey. I can help you put the ❤️ back in the kitchen. After all, that is why I call this blog the Joz Mahal. Read more about me here…
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