Filipino

Dinner

Lunch

Stir-fry

Sautéing

Pancit Bihon is the ultimate Filipino noodle dish. Stir-fried cornstarch rice noodles cooked in a flavorful and savory broth with soy sauce, oyster sauce then tossed with medley of veggies, meat or seafood. The combination of crunchy vegetables, tender protein and noodles makes for a flavor explosion that’s hard to resist. No wonder it’s a staple dish in Filipino parties and gatherings.

Cooking Pancit Bihon can be intimidating, so I created a recipe to make it beginner friendly that’s easy to follow. I used store-bought rotisserie chicken for the protein. No need to prep and sliced raw chicken. You can remove meat from the bones, shred and toss along with the vegetables.

PANCIT BIHON (Rotisserie Chicken)

Braising & Stewing

Here’s a “lutong-bahay” or homestyle dish that you’ll never find in any Filipino restaurants. A staple dish in Filipino house-holds, KINAMATISANG MANOK or Chicken Tomato Stew is bone-in chicken cooked in aromatics like onion, garlic and ginger, fish sauce and a lot of tomatoes until soft and tender. Leafy greens like long bokchoy is added in the end for texture and added nutrition. It’s aromatic, comforting and delicious.

I have fond memories of my mom cooking this dish when I was a little kid. It’s easy to prepare and cook and quite affordable too. She sometimes used Malunggay or moringa leaves from our own Malunggay tree in our backyard instead of long bokchoy. I remember the aroma of garlic, onions and ginger sauteing in the kitchen as I watch TV in the living room.

KINAMATISANG MANOK

This dish is one of my favorite “lutong bahay” or homestyle dish that my mom used to make when I was a litte kid. It’s a type of chicken stew cooked in pineapple juice, milk and spices. “Pininyahang Manok” literally translates to “Pineapple Chicken in Tagalog. It typically has bone-in chicken, onion, garlic, pineapple chunks and it’s juice, milk, fish sauce, potatoes, carrots and bell peppers. It’s milky, savory and slightly sweet and delicious!

To make it, saute the garlic and onions until fragrant over medium high heat. Add chicken and season with salt, black pepper and fish sauce. Saute and cook until brown and fat renders. Add pineapples and it’s juice, milk and fish sauce. Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through. Potatoes and carrots are added and cooked for another 7 minutes or until vegetables are fully cooked. Bell peppers are added in the end and cook for another 2 minutes. Taste the sauce if it needs more salt or fish sauce and it’s ready to enjoy over steamed white rice.

It’s important season the chicken with salt, fish sauce and black pepper, let them brown over medium-high heat and let the fat render before adding the liquids. This process took about 5-7 minutes.

PININYAHANG MANOK (Pineapple Chicken)

Dairy-Free

“GINATAAN” is one of my favorite type of Filipino cooking. It means to “cook in coconut milk”. It makes any dish creamy without using any dairy. It’s fragrant, slightly sweet, and has a nutty, unique, and delicious flavor. This “Ginataang Manok” or chicken cooked in coconut milk will guarantee to be your family’s new favorite! It has garlic, onions, ginger, fish sauce, bone-in chicken, and coconut milk. I’m not sure what part of the Philippines it originated, but my mom cooked it quite often when I was a little kid. Make sure to cook extra rice!

I’ve seen several versions of how to make Ginataang Manok online, but here is my take. I used bone-in chicken wings. You can also use chicken thighs and drumsticks. I don’t recommend chicken breast because it lacks fat and dries out easily. The chicken wings are sauteed seasoned in a generous amount of salt and freshly cracked black pepper and sauteed with garlic, onions, and ginger until brown on both sides. Coconut milk and fish sauce are then added. I’ve seen others use chicken bouillon or powder to enhance the chicken flavor, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Good quality fish sauce is enough to add umami to the dish. Simmered for 25 minutes until liquid is reduced and add any root and leafy vegetables you prefer. I used potatoes, carrots, and bell peppers.

GINATAANG MANOK (Chicken Coconut Milk Stew)

Frying

Have you tried FRIED CHICKEN FILIPINO-STYLE? 🇵🇭 Marinated in fish sauce, garlic, and citrus, then dredged in seasoned flour and fried until golden brown and crispy. Dip in homemade chicken gravy and eat with steamed white rice. Heaven!!! 😋

FRIED CHICKEN FILIPINO-STYLE

Baking

Baked BBQ CHICKEN Filipino-Style

Filipinos have their own version of the CHICKEN CURRY. It’s fragrant, savory, and a little spicy. It’s so good, especially with steamed white rice.

CHICKEN CURRY Filipino-Style

CHICKEN ARROZ CALDO or Filipino chicken porridge is my one-pot comfort food. It’s made with chicken broth from bone-in chicken pieces, rice, garlic, onions and lots of ginger and seasoned with salt, black pepper, and fish sauce! Absolutely comforting and delicious!

CHICKEN ARROZ CALDO

Appetizer

SISIG is a popular Filipino dish often sold in the streets. Typically made with chopped pork belly, ears, and jowl and liver, but did you know you can make it with chicken? It's a great alternative for those who don’t eat pork. It’s flavorful, tangy, savory, and delicious! To make my life easier, I used store-bought Rotisserie chicken. Removed the meat and skin from the bones, chopped them into small pieces, and sautéed them over high heat until slightly crispy. Seasoned with soy sauce or liquid seasoning, sugar, calamansi juice, mayonnaise, and black pepper. Sautéed until combined. Turned off the heat and added jalapenos, red onion and that’s it!

CHICKEN SISIG

Chicken Afritada or “Afritadang Manok” is a staple dish in Filipino households. It’s a type of tomato chicken stew that’s rich, delicious and easy to cook. The “frita” in Afritada means “to fry” so pan-fry bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks with seasoning and aromatics until it slightly browns. Chicken is simmered in water, tomato sauce, and seasonings until fully cooked and tender. Then potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, and green peas are added to complete the dish. I hope you try making it.

CHICKEN AFRITADA

A staple from households because it’s affordable and easy to cook. It has bone-in chicken that’s been slowly simmered water, garlic, onion and ginger then seasoned with fish sauce . Sayote (chatoye) or green papaya and greens like chili leaves or spinach are added at the end to complete the dish. Served with steamed white rice and spicy fish sauce for dipping. So comforting and delicious!

TINOLANG MANOK

Make Chicken Sopas or Filipino Chicken Macaroni Soup with leftover Rotisserie Chicken. Warm, comforting and delicious soup on this cold weather.

CHICKEN SOPAS

This is one of the many ways I cook CHICKEN ADOBO, aka “the lazy way”. 😁 No marinating, no sugar, and no onions. The result is delicious! Thank me later!

CHICKEN ADOBO

Air fryer

The original CHICKEN INASAL from Bacolod, Philippines is char-grilled and doesn’t contain soy sauce in the marinade. One day, I’ll make the authentic version, but for now, I hope you enjoy my air fryer version. It smells so good and so delicious. Highly recommend eating with steamed white rice and dip in spicy soy sauce.

CHICKEN INASAL

Snack

Introducing the national appetizer of the Philippines, LUMPIANG SHANGHAI. Always present at all Filipino parties and gatherings. Usually made with ground pork, but let me show you how to make it with chicken.

I used lean ground chicken breast. I added oyster sauce and egg to give it more flavor. Also, I used the original Lumpia wrapper, but the regular Spring Roll wrapper works, too. You can find it in the freezer section at your local Asian supermarket.

CHICKEN LUMPIA

AIR FRIED CHICKEN WINGS ADOBO for game day or fight night. Savory, tangy, and garlicky chicken wings in the air fryer. So easy to make and so delicious!