This is a quick and easy recipe to make Chicken Tinola which is essentially a chicken soup with ginger and vegetables! I hope you enjoy it!
VIDEO: I attempt to make chicken soup in 30 minutes
What is Chicken Tinola?
Chicken Tinola is a Filipino soup made with chicken, ginger, and loads of vegetables. It is perfect for when you’re sick or just want a heart-warming soup. My favorite variation uses moringa or malunggay but its not always necessary.
Tinola makes use of ginger. If I’m feeling unwell, I’ll make sure to double or triple the ginger to boost the dish’s medicinal qualities. The ginger helps open up my sinuses and clears some congestion.
Tinola is often served with rice on the side. You can even drop a scoop directly in the soup if you want.
I recommend using dark meat for the soup. Drumsticks are preferred because they will always have a bone but you can also use thighs. Bones make it better!
The Vegetables I Use in Tinola
Most of the time, I choose to use chayote and moringa in my tinola. I can usually find chayote but sometime moringa is not easy to find. In that case, I’ll just use bok choy or spinach for a quick substitute. Regardless, any leafy green would work well! I even recommend using kale since it ends up being really tender after simmering for some time.
How to Make Chicken Tinola
Full list of ingredients and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of this page.
The following photos document my dad’s tinola he made while at my house recently. He doesn’t follow the steps I usually do but it ends up the same!
My dad first browns the chicken and then removes it from the pot. Then he throws in the aromatics and sautés this.
Next, my dad readds the chicken and then the chayote. He cooks this with a lid on top before adding chicken broth. This will steam the chayote.
Lastly, he added the greens. Where did the spinach go you might ask? Well spinach has this strange penchant to totally disappear when cooked. Its all there!
VIDEO: I make my childhood chicken soup
Recipe
This is a quick and easy recipe to make Chicken Tinola which is essentially a chicken soup with ginger and vegetables! I hope you enjoy it!
Ingredients
Method
- Prep the aromatics: Dice onions. Peel and smash garlic cloves. Peel the ginger and slice thinly but keep in large pieces that are easy to pick out when eating.
- Prep the chayote/papaya. cut each in half starting at the ridge at their bottoms. Remove the soft seed in their centers. Slice off any remaining skin on the ridges of each chayote, and then slice them into small enough chunks that will allow them to cook fast.
- Prep your leafy greens (bok choy, spinach, moringa, etc.).
- In a large pot, add the oil and the aromatics and saute until the aromatics begin to develop.
- Add in in your chicken and brown on all sides.
- Add the chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to deglaze any proteins.
- Add the peppercorn, fish sauce, and chayote/papaya. Lower the heat to a simmer and leave it until the chicken is cooked all the way and the chayote and papaya is soft.
- Here adjust the flavor to taste by adding salt or small amounts of fish sauce.
- Finally, add the leafy greens. Whether you use bok choy, spinach, or moringa, the leafy greens do not take long to cook. Once they are at the consistency you want, you're ready to serve!