Chicken Tinola (Tinolang Manok)

Chicken Tinola–every Filipino’s favorite chicken soup! Healthy, nourishing, and comforting. Simple to make and very versatile–use papaya or chayote and your choice of green vegetables. Enjoy it for lunch or dinner, with rice of course!

Chicken Tinola–Tinolang Manok

Here are the reasons why I think tinolang manok is one of the healthiest Filipino dishes I know:

• Ginger and garlic, in particular, one of the main ingredients that make up the broth contains a lot of anti-inflammatory and medicinal properties that are good and for our body. Follow the links to learn more!
• The broth contains a lot of vitamins, minerals and not to mention collagen derived from the meat and the bones of the chicken.
• One of the best and delicious breastfeeding food–by adding papaya and dark-green vegetables like malunggay (moringa) leaves or spinach, you can make tinola a super superfood to help increase your breastmilk supply.

Tinola Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make chicken tinola.

• Chicken – whole chicken cut into pieces with bone-in, skin-on = the best tinola broth!
• Broth (use water or rice wash alternatively) – to make the distinct tinola flavor, you will need garlic, onion, ginger, and chili leaves (dahon ng siling labuyo). Mild green chili peppers or banana pepper can also be used as a substitute.
• Fish sauce (patis) – is the main seasoning ingredient that brings the entire dish together.
• Green Papaya or Chayote – can be used interchangeably. If you’re breastfeeding, I highly recommend using papaya as it is known to help with milk production.
• Green Vegetables – malunggay/moringa leaves is a favorite due to its many health benefits. See the list below for other vegetables you can use:

How to make Chicken Tinola–delicious broth!

And here’s how to make it. It’s so easy! The first 3 are essential steps in making the best and flavorful tinola broth.

1. Saute garlic, onions, and ginger in warm oil until fragrant. This process brings out the flavor of the spices which will later be infused with the other ingredients.
2. Cook the chicken until the natural juices come out. This will add more flavor to the broth.
3. Pour the fish sauce and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. This enhances the umami flavor coating each piece of the chicken.
4. Add water and cook until the chicken is fork-tender. This could take 20-25 minutes depending on the size of the meat.
5. Add sliced papaya or chayote and cook until fork tender. If you’re using banana peppers or mild green peppers, add it as well to infuse its flavor well into the broth. At this point, taste the broth and adjust salt/pepper as needed.
6. Lastly, add your favorite greens. Cook malunggay leaves for less than a minute and longer for other greens such as bok choi.

Chicken Tinola Variations

These are some of the variations I’ve made with tinola. They’re an equally good and good alternative to the traditional

Tinola with lemongrass or tanglad

This is a popular variation in the Visayas and Mindanao region. It’s in fact, the tinola my mama loves making, and thus I grew up eating.

Preparation and cooking: One to two stalks of lemongrass should be enough for one pot of tinola. Remove the outer leaves of the lemongrass. Bruised with the back of your knife or a meat tenderizer then cut into two pieces. Add it with the water and cook with the chicken.

Tinolang Manok for Breastfeeding Mama’s

Basically, just add more garlic and ginger and use green papaya or any dark green vegetables and turn it into a special concontion to help increase your breastmilk supply. Check out my recipe here!

Chicken Tinola with Patola

This is a simple version of tinola with patola as the only vegetables. Sprinkle with toasted garlic for extra aroma. Check out my recipe here.

Chicken Tinola with Semi-ripe papaya and ampalaya leaves

Using semi-ripe papaya and ampalaya leaves gives the tinolang manok a different flavor profile–has a hint of sweetness and a touch of bitterness. You can find the recipe here.

Serve and Shelf-life

Chicken Tinola is best served freshly cooked with a warm plate of rice. It can be eaten on its own, if preferred.

Store leftovers in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 to 4 days. Re-heat before serving and consume right away. Any leftovers from the re-heated tinola should be disposed of for safety reasons.

Watch how to make it

Hungry for more Filipino food? Add these to your weekly menu!

Soup Recipes

• Nilagang Baka (Beef Nilaga Pressure Cooker)
• Easy Chicken Arroz Caldo
• Nilagang Baboy
• Pesang Manok (Chicken Ginger Soup)
• Nilagang Manok sa Patis
• Chicken Sinigang with Gabi

Main dishes for lunch or dinner

• Pork adobo
• Chicken Afritada
• Sweet and Sour Chicken with Pineapple
• Pork Bicol Express
• Easy Chicken and Mushroom Salpicao
• Chicken Menudo
• Pininyahang Manok with Evaporated Milk
• Creamy Chicken Kare-Kare
• Pork Giniling with Potatoes
• Chicken Binagoongan

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