chicken tinola

Recipe by
Vickie Parks
Renton, WA

Chicken Tinola (often shortened to "Tinola") is a chicken soup served as an entrée, and it's truly an authentic Filipino dish. There are many different versions of this recipe, and this one uses fresh chili pepper leaves that impart a subtly sweet tone to the dish. Chili leaves aren't always easy to find though. You should be able to find them in an Asian market, and just about any pepper variety will work equally well. However, just omit the pepper leaves if you can't easily find them, because it's still a classic Tinola recipe even without the chili leaves.

yield 4 serving(s)
prep time 5 Min
cook time 40 Min
method Saute

Ingredients For chicken tinola

  • 2 Tbsp
    cooking oil
  • 2 clove
    garlic, minced
  • 1 md
    onion, chopped
  • 1/2 inch
    piece ginger root, cut into strips
  • 8 pieces
    chicken thighs and legs, skin-on
  • 2 Tbsp
    fish sauce
  • 3 cups
    water
  • 1 sm
    chayote or papaya, cut into wedges
  • 1 c
    chili pepper leaves (available in most asian markets)

How To Make chicken tinola

  • 1
    In a stockpot or large skillet, sauté garlic, onion and ginger in oil until tender.
  • 2
    Add the chicken pieces and fish sauce. Cover and let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes under medium-low heat. Liquid should start to escape from the chicken.
  • 3
    Add water and bring to boil. Let is simmer for 20 minutes
  • 4
    Add the chayote and let it cook for 5 minutes or until it becomes soft. Add more fish sauce or salt, if needed.
  • 5
    Distribute the chili/pepper leaves on top, turn off heat and, serve immediately.

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