Name: CHICKEN TINOLA (TINOLANG MANOK)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp neutral cooking oil; 1" thumb-size ginger (sliced); 3 cloves garlic (crushed); 1 small onion (sliced); 300 grams chicken drumettes; 1 tsp salt (to taste); 1 tsp pepper; 4 cups water (more as needed); 1 medium chayote (cut into wedges); salt and pepper (to taste or fish sauce)

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Last updated on September 5th, 2024 at 09:57 am

Chicken tinola or tinolang manok is a delicious and incredibly simple Filipino chicken soup to make. It embodies straightforward Filipino home cooking and bursts with the delicious flavour and aroma of ginger.

Tinola came from the word tola which means to boil. Manok is chicken in Filipino. So, tinolang manok means boiled chicken. In Luzon where I grew up, tinola equates to ginger-flavored chicken soup that is warming, hearty and because it is a soup it somehow heals the soul and the body, of course.

If you love soups, I would suggest you check out this pesang isda recipe. It is a fish soup recipe that is as easy to cook as chicken tinola and comforting. It also uses ginger as the main flavoring which is one way to soothe a cold.

Chicken was not as affordable when I was younger than it is now. We had tinolang manok whenever one of our free-range chickens was ready. This meant that we did not have this dish as often as we could have it now. We looked forward to this soup back then.

The parts of the chicken that were used for this soup were the bone-in parts like the drummettes, wings, wingettes, thighs, feet, neck and even innards and coagulation chicken blood. Innards, bones and blood might make everyone squirm but we try to use up every part of an animal to avoid wastage.

This soup was served in a big bowl for everyone to share and eaten with rice. I can just imagine sitting at the table waiting for my turn.

Shall we try to look at the ingredients so that we can make chicken tinola together?

Ingredients and Substitutions for Tinolang manok

This soup is not only straightforward to make but also flavourful because we are going to cook the bone in chicken for a long time which take the most flavour out and make a soup stock without using a stock.

Chicken – use drumettes or thighs, legs, wings, drumsticks – as we are going to boil the chicken for a long time we want the parts that would withstand long cooking times which means chicken breast is not ideal and the chicken flavour will come from the bone in parts of the chicken

Ginger – is one of the stars of the soup, it will give the gingery, zesty, warming flavour. I am afraid there is no substitute for this.

Garlic – infused with oil adds a hint of sweetness to the soup

Onion – like the garlic, it adds sweetness and adds a richer taste

Neutral flavoured oil

Water or chicken stock – water is fine for this dish because we will use bone-in chicken but to up the chicken flavour feel free to use chicken stock

Chayote or sayote – traditionally green papaya is added to the dish but, outside the Philippines, green papaya costs an arm and a leg so chayote is used in this recipe which costs less and is more available. This vegetable can be found in Asian markets.

Chilli leaves – locally known as dahon ng sili give a mild bitterness and grassy smell unique to this chicken soup. If not available add a handful of spinach or moringa leaves to add some green but the taste will be slightly different to the chilli leaves.

Salt and pepper – season the chicken before sauteing and season the soup with salt and pepper or add a splash of fish sauce to finish the soup

How to make chicken tinola?

In a hot pan, add room-temperature oil. While the oil is heating, season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.

When the oil is hot, add the ginger and garlic to the pan and saute for two minutes. Next, add the onion and cook until soft and translucent. Push the aromatics to the side. Add the chicken to the pan and brown all sides.

Add the water and heat until it boils. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat and simmer it for ten to fifteen minutes. After checking the tenderness, add the chayote and simmer until the chicken and vegetables are cooked or fork tender.

Season with salt and pepper or fish sauce. Add the chilli leaves and let the residual heat wilt or cook the leaves. Turn the heat off. Serve with a bowl of rice.

Recipe Notes

Use drummettes or bone-in chicken like wings and thighs because the plain water will transform into a deliciously rich chicken broth after it simmers.
If you want to use boneless meat, use brown meat and add chicken stock instead of water.
Skim off scum off the top for a clear soup.

Can I use boneless chicken for chicken tinola?

If using boneless chicken, add chicken stock rather than water and use boneless dark meat chicken instead of chicken breast.

Can I use chicken drumsticks for this dish?

Yes, you can use drumsticks but increase the initial simmer time to 30 minutes to guarantee that the chicken is fork tender.

Does tinolang manok have green papaya or chayote?

Traditionally, green papaya is added to the soup but chayote is not unusual to use.

How to serve chicken tinola?

Spoon the soup in a serving bowl and serve with rice.

How to store leftovers?

Store chicken tinola leftovers in a container with a tight-fitting lid and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat thoroughly but be mindful that the chayote might overcook and disintegrate into the soup.

Try these chicken, turkey and soup recipes next:

Pesang Isda is a Filipino ginger-flavoured fish soup.

Easy Chicken Salad is one recipe to keep in your pocket for a quick side dish or as a light meal.

Chicken in Cream Sauce is a great way to use up leftover chicken.

Filipino Chicken Curry a Filipino-style rich creamy chicken curry.

Chicken Adobo is a popular Filipino chicken dish made by simmering chicken meat in soy sauce and vinegar marinade with lots of garlic.

Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs a Japanese-inspired dish best paired rice, potatoes and noodles

Holy Basil Chicken Stir-Fry a flavorful Thai streetfood dish that is easily recreated at home using our recipe

Watch this short cooking video showing how to put together this co mforting soup is made.

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