Happy New Year everyone! We are starting our New Year with frigid temperatures. I don’t think we’ve been above freezing for a few days, and now it looks like we may or may not get snow tonight. While my kids are excited at the prospect of snow, I am left here wondering when summer will begin while eating this bowl of chicken soup.
I think every country has some sort of chicken soup, whether it is chicken noodle soup or chicken pho. I think it’s the universal way to warm yourself up on a cold winter’s day or nurse you back to good health if you’re suffering from a cold or flu. And chicken tinola is definitely one of those dishes I associate with colds and flus.
As a kid, any time I was home sick I remember my dad immediately cooking up this Filipino soup dish. While all my friends swore by their chicken noodle soup, I had chicken tinola with rice. The smell of the fragrant chicken and ginger broth brought much needed relief, especially opening up the sinuses no matter how briefly. Add a side of white rice and soy sauce, and you’ve got a dish that warms my soul. Now that we are older, we amp up the ginger to give the soup a bit more kick in our step (it also has great medicinal benefits) to make us feel better. We now make this for my kids because it seems like they are always coming down with something, carrying on our family’s little traditional cold remedy.
This is my parents’ recipe. In addition to the bok choy you can add/substitute sili leaves (pepper leaves) or malunggay (moringa leaves). If you can’t find chayote (a type of squash), you can use papaya. What’s funny about the sili and malunggay is that they are made into herbal supplements you can find at places like Whole Foods. But you want to find the actual leaves, usually tied in bunches and readily available at an Asian grocery store. However, if you don’t have an Asian grocery store near you, your local grocery store usually has bok choy available. You can also use spinach or perhaps kale, but it doesn’t have quite the same texture and taste as these Asian leaves. My local grocery store always has bok choy, which is why I use it here.
Chicken Tinola
A Filipino chicken soup that will warm your soul.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, cut into serving pieces (~3-4 lbs.)
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 finger length pieces of garlic, julienned
- 1 chayote squash, peeled and cut into wedges
- 4 bunches bok choy, split
- 1 tsp canola oil
- 2 tbs fish sauce
- ~5 cups water
- Salt & pepper to taste
Directions
- Step 1 Add oil to large stock pot over medium low heat.
- Step 2 Add onion, garlic, and ginger. Stir until soft and fragrant, making sure not to brown onions.
- Step 3 Add chicken, stirring occasionally to brown, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Step 4 Add fish sauce and water until chicken is completely submerged. Bring to boil, then to low simmer, and cover pot. Cook chicken through, about 30 minutes.
- Step 5 Add chayote and cover pot again. Cook until tender. About 5 minutes.
- Step 6 Add salt & pepper to taste.
- Step 7 Add bok choy and cover pot again until leaves are wilted. About 2 minutes.
- Step 8 Serve immediately over white rice with a side of soy sauce.
