The Best Chicken Soup Ever- Filipino Style

by Manny Aragon

This is comfort food in my family and a very healthy meal to boot. I am partial to soups, broths, and stews in the winter months as I am outside a good part of the day training or sitting on a freezing pool deck while my kids swim, play soccer, basketball, etc. The colder it is, the more you will appreciate this soup.

Chicken Tinola

(Chicken Soup With Ginger & Vegetables)

Ingredients: (I double this recipe to feed my family 2 times)

• 2 lbs bone in chicken, skin on

(I use drumsticks but you can use a whole bird or parts. The darker the meat, the more flavorful the broth.)

• 3 cloves garlic crushed in a garlic press
• 1-2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbs fresh ginger sliced thinly (~2mm thick)
• 1 medium sized onion sliced
• 1-2 Tbs fish sauce (patis) (the darker the sauce, the better)
• 1-2 Tsp apple cider vinegar
• 5-6 cups water (enough to cover the chicken generously)
• 1-2 small Chayote squash
• Himalayan or unprocessed whole salt and fresh ground peppercorns to taste
• 1 bunch fresh spinach cut into 3 inch pieces

Peel Chayote squash skin. Cut in half lengthwise. Cut each half lengthwise into 3-4 spears. Core the spears. Cut the remaining pieces into 3-4 bite sized chunks each. Set aside.

In a deep soup pot over medium-high heat, sauté garlic in oil until lightly browned. Add ginger and onion, stir for 2-3 min. Add chicken pieces, vinegar, and fish sauce. Brown chicken for 3-5 min or as needed to get the chicken flavor into the sauce (this part is critical to getting a deep flavor into the broth so don’t hold back). Add water. Season a little with salt and pepper. Let boil, then simmer covered over medium low heat for 40min. Season again with salt and possibly pepper as needed to bring out the flavor of the broth. Add Chayote and cook for 6-8min or until tender. Correct seasonings, if needed, to taste. Add spinach, cover for 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately.

This is a great soup for cold winter days or long training days.  Add sweet potato on the side for additional carbohydrates post training. PDF DOWNLOAD HERE