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Tinola (Filipino Ginger Chicken)

  • Writer: Scott Johnson
    Scott Johnson
  • Mar 18
  • 4 min read

While searching for various soup recipes I came across tinola. It's a classic chicken and ginger soup from the Philippines. Although I've prepared similar types of soups previously, I hadn't made the Filipino version of ginger chicken soup.

Traditionally this soup is served as a meal and is accompanied with white rice. The end result is a very bright and clear broth. I deviated from the traditional method of this soup and my end result was a much darker product.


To start with I broke the process of this soup into 3 steps. The first was to create a flavorful broth. I decided to go to the market and start with chicken feet and necks as the base. I added a ton of aromatics, including lemongrass, Szechuan peppercorns, Kaffir lime, as well as ginger and galangal. I also started the bones and vegetables in mustard oil to impart heat into the base, and finally added fish sauce towards the end to give it a richer finish.


While the broth was working I made a simple chicken marinade of mustard oil, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and fish sauce again. I used bone in chicken thighs as the meat part, and added the bones to help fortify the base of the soup as well. For the chicken, I cut it into little cubes so more surface area with the marinade.


The last part of making this soup was the actual preparation of the components going into the soup. I used purple sweet potatoes, red rice, and a darker version of spinach (lagos, that I have been growing the past couple of years), so the soup had a deeper color to it than you would normally find in a tinola. I poached off the chicken and sweet potatoes so their flavor would be imparted into the base of the soup while keeping them the texture I wanted. Additionally sauteed the chayote squash with onions and garlic. Lastly, for the green papaya, I used a mandolin to do fine julienne cuts, which I kept raw.


I built the soup to pick up by adding all the individual components, then hitting it with the fortified broth and cooked it for a short period of time to marry the flavors. The end result was a peppery, ginger backed chicken soup with crunch from the papaya, squash, and sweet potato.


Enjoy.

 

Tinola Broth

 

Ingredients

  • chicken necks 2#

  • chicken feet 1 1/2#

  • onion, chopped 2 ea

  • carrots 4 ea

  • mustard oil 2 T

  • galangal root 1/2 oz

  • ginger 2 oz

  • garlic 10 cloves

  • Szechuan peppercorns 2 T

  • lemongrass 1 stalk

  • Kaffir lime leaves 6 ea

  • water 2 gal

  • Thai chilies, split 4 ea

  • fish sauce 3 T


Method of Procedure

  1. Heat your stock pot and add your mustard oil.

  2. Add all your ingredients except your water, Thai chilies, and fish stock and cook while stirring occasionally to get color on your vegetables and chicken parts.

  3. Once you've gotten some caramelize, add your water and bring it to a quick boil.

  4. Reduce your stock to a low simmer and cook for 12 hours.

  5. Add your Thai chilies and fish sauce then continue to cook for 1 more hour.

  6. Turn off and let cool.

  7. Strain through a fine mesh strainer.

 

Chicken Marinade

 

Ingredients

  • chicken thighs, bone in skinless 3#

  • fish sauce 1 T

  • mustard oil 1 T

  • garlic 2 oz

  • ginger 2 oz

  • salt 1 T

  • pepper 2 tsp

  • white pepper 2 tsp


Method of Procedure

  1. Blend all of your ingredients except your chicken together in a blender or with a hand blender.

  2. Clean the chicken and remove your bones. Add the bones to your broth.

  3. Cube the chicken into medium sized pieces, about 2-3"

  4. Thoroughly coat chicken with your marinade and refrigerate overnight.

 

Tinola

 

Ingredients

  • purple sweet potatoes, julienned 3 ea, medium

  • spinach, chiffonaded 1/2 oz per soup

  • ginger, minced 1 oz

  • onions, julienned 2 ea

  • garlic, sliced 8 cloves

  • marinated chicken 3#

  • tinola broth 1 gal

  • red rice* 2 cups

  • green papaya, thin julienned 1/2 ea

  • chayote squash, baton cut (larger stick) 2 ea

  • salt to taste

  • pepper to taste


*I wanted to use a denser rice for this, feel free and substitute it to any type of rice you would like and cook it accordingly


Method of Procedure

  1. Start by heating up your fortified broth from earlier in the recipe.

  2. While to broth is reaching a boil, prepare your sweet potatoes, and cook your rice accordingly.

  3. Once the stock is boiling, poach off your chicken until done, about 10 minutes but mainly until the internal temperature reaches just under 165 degrees.

  4. Remove the chicken and cook, then blanch off your potatoes until tender, about 5 minutes.

  5. Prepare your remaining vegetables separately.

  6. In a saute pan, start with your garlic, onions, and ginger and saute until softened. Repeat this process with your chayote squash.

  7. To finish this soup, in a separate sauce or saute pan, add about 4 oz of rice, 2 oz each of your sweet potatoes and chayote squash, and 1 oz of garlic-ginger onions.

  8. Add about 4 oz of chicken and saute until warm.

  9. Add around 6-8 oz of broth, then finish with chopped spinach and green papaya.

  10. Season to taste and enjoy.


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