Chicken Tinola

Chicken Tinola is a very popular recipe here in the Philippines. It is a Filipino soup dish wherein chicken is stewed with ginger. I remember my late grandmother used to cook the most delicious chicken tinola when we were kids. She used the native chicken that she raised herself and she put it first in the chicken coop for a month before butchering it. I asked her why she had to do that, putting the chicken in the chicken coop for a month and just feed it with rice and corn and she said, she didn't want the chicken to eat worms or anything unclean before it will hit her pot, lol!

I don't raise chicken like granny did so the best I can do is to buy a free-range chicken meat. It's not as delicious as what my granny used to cook but at least it satisfies my longing for my granny's cooking. So here's the recipe for the chicken tinola with malunggay leaves.

Ingredients

• 1 kilo whole chicken, cut into serving pieces and washed with water
• 1 thumb-sized fresh ginger root, cut into strips
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 tbsp. patis (fish sauce)
• salt, to taste
• 6 cups water
• 2 cups malunggay or substitute 2 cups ampalaya leaves
• vegetable oil

Cooking Procedure:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté ginger and garlic until fragrant. Add onions, stir-fry until softened and translucent.
2. Add chicken cuts. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until chicken colors slightly. Season with patis and salt.
3. Pour in water (or rice water, if using). Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer until chicken is half-done. Correct seasonings and then add malunggay or substitute. Stir to combine until well blended. Remove from heat.
4. Let stand for a few minutes to cook the green vegetables. Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot.

Tinolang Manok (Filipino Chicken Soup)

Hubby and I went to SM Rosales yesterday with my sister and her hubby. We bought groceries there. I bought chicken and we had it for supper tonight. Vivian was the one who cooked and we we're supposed to have chicken afritada tonight but she said she wants some tinolang manok so she cooked both. I remember my late grandma used to cook native chicken for tinola and it was soooo good. I can't cook tinola like she did. She was the expert. Anyways, here the recipe for tinolang manok.

INGREDIENTS:

1 kilo whole chicken, cut into pieces.
1 small young papaya or sayote, cut into small pieces.
2 tablespoons ginger, crushed and slliced into strips
1/2 cup dahon ng sili (chili leaves) or malunggay leaves
1 liter of water
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 red onion, diced
4 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons patis (fish sauce)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a stock pot, heat oil and sauté garlic, onion and ginger.
2. Add water and the chicken.
3. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes or until chicken is almost done.
4. Season with patis
5. Add papaya and continue to simmer for an additional 5 minutes or until papaya softens but not overcooked.
6. Add sili leaves then turn off the heat.
7. Serve steaming hot on a bowl with plain rice on the side.

Spicy Garlic Chicken

I had a spicy garlic sauce ingredients in a box from the store and I just need some 3 pieces of chicken breast to cook with it. I got tired cooking the same recipe of chicken like the afritada and baked chicken so I used these ingredients from the box. It was my first time to use it and I just followed the instructions in the box. Rice was included in the box too. So I cooked the rice and when the chicken was cooked together with the spicy garlic sauce, hubby and I ate it with the rice. I tell you it was so delicious!!!

Chicken Satay

When I was still in the Philippines, there was this restaurant that we always go to because they have a good chicken satay. No other restaurants in that city can cook as good as them. I really don't know how to cook it but I need to learn how especially now that there are no Filipino restaurants in our place. I'm getting tired eating the same food and cooking the same recipe over and over again. I searched for a good recipe of chicken satay and read the reviews so this is what I got. Gotta try this because hubby and I love chicken.

These delicious Thai-style chicken satay are made of chicken marinated in a peanutty sauce, and then grilled.

INGREDIENTS

* 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
* 1/2 cup soy sauce
* 1/2 cup lemon or lime juice
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons curry powder
* 2 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
* 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed

DIRECTIONS

1. In a mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, curry powder, garlic and hot pepper sauce. Place the chicken breasts in the marinade and refrigerate. Let the chicken marinate at least 2 hours, overnight is best.
2. Preheat a grill to high heat.
3. Weave the chicken onto skewers, then grill for 5 minutes per side.

Chicken Tenders and Dinner Rolls

I did not cook these foods. My hubby and I just bought it in a restaurant and took it home. Once in a while especially during the weekends after church, we go out to eat or just buy foods in a restaurant and take it out and eat it at home. This time we bought chicken tenders, gravy, dinner rolls and French fries. It's good to eat without cooking once in a while so I don't get tired and I enjoy the food.

Chicken Afritada

My hubby loves chicken afritada better than chicken adobo. That's the reason that I often cook this recipe because he loves it and it's easy to cook. I just cooked it the other day for our lunch. Hubby almost ate it all. I'm so glad he likes my cooking.


Ingredients
# 1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken thighs or breast (1 1/2-inch cubes)
# 2 medium potatoes (sliced 1-inch cube)
# 2 medium carrots (sliced 1-inch cube)
# 2 medium bell peppers
# 1 teaspoon garlic (minced)
# 1 small onion (sliced)
# 1 teaspoon salt
# 135 g tomato soup or ketchup

Directions

1. In a wok, heat a 2 tbsp of cooking oil. Saute the garlic until a bit brown, then put the onion.
2. Wait about 10 seconds and pour in chicken, stir until golden brown. Drop the potatoes and carrots.
3. Pour some water(enough for you to make its sauce) let it boil, and lastly pour in tomato soup or ketchup. When the sauce become thick, turn off the heat. Serve.

Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole

I love chicken enchilada and I've been craving for it since I tasted it. I just found a good recipe for it and I want to share it here. Try it and you'll love it.

INGREDIENTS

* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* garlic salt to taste
* 18 (6 inch) corn tortillas, torn in half
* 1 (28 ounce) can green chile enchilada sauce
* 1 (16 ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese
* 1 (8 ounce) container reduced fat sour cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
2. Season chicken with garlic salt. Arrange in the prepared baking dish. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Cool, shred, and set aside.
3. With metal tongs, char each tortilla half over the open flame of a gas stove burner for about 1 minute, until lightly puffed.
4. Pour about 1/2 inch enchilada sauce in the bottom of a medium baking dish, and arrange 6 tortillas in a single layer. Top with 1/2 the chicken, 1/3 cheese, 1/2 the sour cream, and 1/3 of the remaining enchilada sauce. Repeat. Coat remaining tortillas thoroughly with remaining enchilada sauce, and arrange on top of the layers. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and top with any remaining enchilada sauce
5. Cover, and bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool slightly before serving.