Cherry & Dennis Recipes
Filipino Tinola Chicken Soup
菲律賓生薑青木瓜雞湯
Recipe overview
This Filipino Tinola simmers chicken with plenty of ginger, green papaya and moringa leaves. Sautéing the aromatics and chicken first gives the clear broth a warm savoury depth.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 800 g bone-in chicken thigh pieces
- 500 g green papaya (peeled, seeded and cut into thick wedges; chayote may substitute)
- 80 g moringa leaves (leaves picked and washed; spinach may substitute)
- 40 g ginger (peeled and sliced)
- 1 medium onion (sliced)
- 4 cloves garlic (chopped)
Broth and seasoning
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1.5 litres water
- to taste salt
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
02
Tools
- kitchen knife
- cutting board
- kitchen paper
- mixing bowl
- small bowl
- measuring cup
- measuring spoons
- lidded soup pot
- wooden spoon
- ladle
- kitchen tongs
- white serving bowl
- food thermometer
03
Steps
Step 1
Inspect the chicken
Thaw the chicken fully in the refrigerator and do not rinse it; discard it if it smells off, feels slimy or still has an icy centre.
Step 2
Dry and portion the chicken
Pat the chicken dry and cut only oversized pieces to about 6 cm, then immediately clean hands, knife and board.
Step 3
Prepare the green papaya
Wash and peel the green papaya, halve it, scrape out the seeds and cut it into even 3 cm wedges.
Step 4
Wash the moringa leaves
Pick off tough stems, rinse the moringa leaves gently twice and drain well; wash and drain spinach the same way if substituting.
Step 5
Cut the aromatics
Peel and thinly slice the ginger, slice the onion and chop the garlic, keeping all three separate.
Step 6
Measure the broth seasoning
Measure the fish sauce, water and white pepper, keeping the salt aside for the final adjustment.
Step 7
Sauté the aromatics
Heat the oil over medium heat and sauté ginger, onion and garlic for 2–3 minutes until the onion softens without browning the garlic.
Step 8
Lightly brown the chicken
Add the chicken and turn it over medium heat for 4–5 minutes until the surface is opaque and lightly golden; the centre is still raw.
Step 9
Add fish sauce and water
Stir in the fish sauce, then add 1.5 litres of water and the white pepper and bring just to the boil over medium-high heat.
Step 10
Gently simmer the chicken
Skim off foam, lower the heat, cover partly and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
Step 11
Cook the green papaya
Add the green papaya and simmer for 10–12 minutes until just pierced easily; check that the thickest chicken piece reaches 75°C.
Step 12
Wilt the greens and serve
Add the moringa leaves for 1 minute, taste before adding any salt, then turn off the heat and ladle chicken, papaya and clear broth into a large bowl.
Common mistakes
- Cutting the green papaya too thin makes it collapse before the chicken is tender.
- A violent boil clouds the broth and can toughen the chicken.
Tips
Use chayote for green papaya and tender spinach for moringa when needed.
Add fish sauce in stages and correct the salt only at the end.
