This recipe of Chicken Binagoongan has everything—rich, sweet, salty and delicious. The sauce is packed shrimp paste (bagoong-alamang) flavor stewed in tomatoes, garlic, and onion. This will definitely make you come back for a second cup of rice.
Binagoongan is a staple dish in our household. In fact, we make the dish more often than Adobo or any other Filipino meat dishes for that matter. People who grew up in Pangasinan, a major producer of salt in the Philippines, can probably relate to this.
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If you ask a Pangsinense, what their favorite ‘sawsawan’ or dipping sauce is, their answer would be (without any hesitation) BAGOONG; isda (fish) or alamang (small shrimp), it really doesn’t matter. And if you ask what their favorite dish is, their response would probably either Binagoongan or Pinakbet as both use bagoong as the base flavor.
We love making Binagoongan with pork. The fattier, the better. It is the authentic way of making it. So when I first heard about using chicken as a substitute, I did have my doubts.
But here we are now. Me writing a recipe and you reading about it. So cast all that doubts away. This chicken binagoongan is amazingly good!
How to make a delicious Chicken Binagoongan
- First, let’s start with the basic. Use lots of garlic but be careful not to burn them while cooking. Binagoongan is so much better with lots of it. I use five big cloves in this recipe but feel free to add more.
- Saute the chicken with the aromatics and let its juices and fat come out naturally. Don’t add any seasoning or water yet. What you will see and smell right in front of you is a pure natural chicken flavor. Yum!
- Tomatoes. Binagoongan for me is not complete without it. Its natural sweetness and tanginess give a perfect balance to the saltiness of the bagoong or shrimp paste. It also gives the dish that inviting reddish color.
- Finally, after the tomatoes have wilted and its juices have come out, add the bagoong and fish sauce (this is optional). Stir and coat the chicken pieces completely with the paste and aromatics. Let it further simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant. This further brings out the depth of flavor of each ingredients, especially the chicken and bagoong.
What kind of bagoong-alamang should be used?
In this Chicken Binagoongan recipe, I used the bottled stewed or bagoong guisado (Barrio Fiesta) which is generally sweet and already has a lot of flavors.
If you are going to use the salted bagoong-alamang, also known as pink raw alamang, add some sugar to bring balance the saltiness. For maximum flavor, add more onions and garlic.
Not a fan of the fishy smell? Add green chilies. Its sweet and delicious aroma will take care of that. It also brings a pop of color to the dish, along with the fried eggplant or talong.
Watch the video on how to make Chicken Binagoongan
Chicken Binagoongan Recipe
Ingredients
- cooking oil
- 5 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 medium-sized onion (chopped)
- 900 grams/ 2 pounds chicken (cut into pieces, bone-in)
- 2 large tomatoes (sliced)
- 5 tablespoons bagoong-alamang (guisado, i used Barrio Fiesta)
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- ½ cup water
- 3 pieces long green chili (sili pangsigang)
- 1 piece eggplant (slice lengthwise)
Instructions
- In a pot with warm oil, saute garlic and onion until translucent and fragrant. Add chicken pieces. Stir and cook until juices have come out and is no longer pink.
- Add sliced tomatoes. Cover with lid and let it cook until soft and wilted.
- Pour bagoong-alamang guisado (sauted shrimp paste) and fish sauce. Stir until meat is well-coated with the bagoong. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant.
- Add water and green chilies. Cover with lid and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until chicken is thoroughly cooked.
- Meanwhile in a separate pan with hot oil, fry the sliced eggplants until soft and slightly brown.
- Transfer chicken in a serving bowl. Top with fried eggplant and serve with warm rice. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes & Tips:
- Use lots of garlic but be careful not to burn them while cooking. Binagoongan is so much better with lots of it. I use five big cloves in this recipe but feel free to add more.
- Saute the chicken with the aromatics and let its juices and fat come out naturally. Don’t add any seasoning or water yet. What you will see and smell right after is a pure and natural chicken flavor.
- If you are going to use the salted bagoong-alamang, also known as pink raw alamang, add some sugar to bring balance the saltiness. For maximum flavor, add more onions and garlic.
