23 Authentic Filipino Chicken Recipes

Here are 23 Filipino chicken recipes that’ll add soul to your everyday meals.

If rich, hearty, and delectable dishes are what you’re looking for, you’ve just found them.

Filipinos are the masters of turning simple and affordable ingredients into scrumptious and filling food.

Most of their dishes are oozing with a thick sauce or a flavorful broth, which is why they go perfectly well with steamed white rice.

In fact, A Filipino meal is never complete without a heaping bowl of rice!

These Filipino recipes, in particular, feature chicken (“manok”) in a variety of ways that make the humble bird so much more mouthwatering.

From the rich and fatty chicken adobo to the cozy arroz caldo, these dishes will surely delight your palate and warm your heart.

1. Filipino Chicken Adobo

Let’s kick off this list with what is considered by many as the country’s national dish.

The chicken adobo is an unbelievably rich dish of succulent meat braised in a sauce of soy sauce, vinegar, peppercorns, and bay leaf.

Recipes for adobo vary from one region to another, but they’ll all use the same ingredients to flavor the stew.

2. Pininyahang Manok

Filipinos love the sweet-salty flavor combination. You’ll see this flavor profile present in plenty of their dishes, including the pininyahang manok.

Meaning pineapple chicken, this dish is a chicken stew filled with pineapple chunks, along with carrots, bell peppers, and sometimes potatoes.

The dish has a very creamy and savory broth, which is all thanks to milk and fish sauce.

3. Ginataang Manok

Coconut is one of the most abundant crops in the country, so expect it to be present in many of their dishes. Ginataang manok is one of them.

This dish is another chicken stew, but uses a combination of coconut milk and ginger to flavor the broth.

There are no other components to the dish aside from the chicken and the broth, making the flavors from the coconut milk and ginger shine through.

4. Chicken Barbecue Filipino Style

The Filipino-style chicken barbecue has a sweet marinade of banana ketchup, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, and lime soda.

The chicken is then threaded into skewers and grilled to perfection. 

5. Filipino Chicken Macaroni Sopas

Chicken macaroni soup is a Filipino comfort food often served in rainy weather.

Filled with macaroni, shredded chicken and cabbage, and chunks of carrots, this soup is a complete meal on its own, and what a delicious meal it makes.

This cozy and feel-good soup is also typically served to someone who’s a little under the weather.

One spoonful has enough magical properties to cure what ails you!

6. Arroz Caldo

Arroz caldo is another comfort food that’s perfect for cold weather. 

This soup is complete with rice and chicken wings in a broth flavored with lots of ginger and garlic.

It’s garnished with a slice of hard-boiled egg, too, for good measure.

7. Tinolang Manok

While it looks a little bit plain, don’t be fooled by its unassuming appearance. Tinolang manok is one of the most flavorful soups I’ve had in my life.

The dish is very simple – bone-in chicken cutlets, green papaya slices, and spinach swimming in a wonderfully salty broth.

Try it once, and trust me, you’ll yearn for it again and again.

8. Chicken Lumpiang Shanghai

Go to a Filipino party and I assure you, there will be at least two piles of brown egg rolls on the table.

A Pinoy gathering is never complete without lumpiang shanghai!

These crunchy rolls are typically filled with a mixture of ground pork and minced carrots, but ground chicken works beautifully well, too.

9. Chicken Pastel

Chicken pastel is inspired by the Spanish pastel de pollo, which is a creamy chicken stew cooked underneath a flaky pie crust.

Think of it as the Philippine version of chicken pot pie, if you will.

Besides cubes of chicken, the pie’s filling also features vegetables – such as potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and bell peppers to bulk up the dish. 

There’s also a mix of chorizo and canned Vienna sausage to add more flavors and textures.

10. Nilagang Manok

Nilagang manok is another hearty stew with a thin, savory broth. It looks plain and simple, but it delivers big flavors.

It’s loaded with chicken and vegetables, making it very filling. 

The broth is flavored with soy sauce and peppercorns, which is a classic combination in Filipino cooking.

Together, these two create an addictive, can’t-stop-slurping soup!

11. Chicken Inasal

Chicken Inasal is a wildly delectable dish that hails from the Filipino province of Iloilo. 

This incredibly juicy grilled chicken dish is made sensational thanks to a marinade of lemongrass, ginger, brown sugar, vinegar, lemon, and other seasonings.

Serve this dish with a side of rice and atsara (pickled grated papaya) for the complete experience.

12. Chicken Afritada

Chicken afritada is a tomato-based stew filled with chicken, potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, and peas.

The base is tomato sauce, but it’s given that special Filipino touch by adding soy sauce.

Some versions call for pork or beef, but chicken is mostly used to make the dish more affordable.

13. Pinoy Chicken Curry

As a big fan of curry, I make it a point to try different versions of the classic Indian dish.

I’m happy to announce that this Filipino-style curry doesn’t disappoint.

Made from coconut milk, evaporated milk, fish sauce, and just a touch of curry powder, this dish is far from the original. 

Milk and coconut are the primary flavors you’ll taste in the stew, with just a little touch of curry. Is it good? Abso-freakin-lutely.

14. Sizzling Chicken Sisig

Go to a Filipino pub and you’ll surely see sisig on the menu.

It’s one of, if not the most popular Filipino dish on the planet, and it’s best eaten with a cold glass of beer.

Classic sisig is a combination of chopped-up pork cuts, including the pig’s face, liver, brains, and ears. I

t’s cooked until very crispy and flavored with calamansi, onions, and chili peppers.

This chicken version doesn’t have all those nasty pork cuts, so it makes for a great alternative for a less adventurous palate.

15. Sweet and Sour Chicken

Sweet and sour chicken is a Chinese dish that’s given a wonderfully Filipino flair.

Breaded chicken cutlets are deep-fried to crispy perfection and coated in a sweet and sour sauce made of ketchup, soy sauce, pineapple juice, and brown sugar.

Apart from the chicken, the dish also contains onions, bell peppers, carrots, and pineapple chunks.

16. Lechon Manok

In the Philippines, you’ll find small shops that sell lechon manok in almost every corner.

Similar to rotisserie chicken, it’s one of a Pinoy’s go-to ulam (food) when there’s just no time or energy left to cook.

Lechon manok is a roast chicken flavored with a rub of onions, garlic, pepper, sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, and calamansi (a small lemon) juice.

It doesn’t only taste great, but smells heavenly, too. 

17. Chicken Caldereta

Chicken caldereta is a hearty stew with chicken, potatoes, carrots, and bell peppers. 

It has a thick tomato-based broth that’s made even more special with liver spread and grated cheese.

These two ingredients make caldereta superior to other tomato-based Filipino dishes.

18. Chicken Potato Salad

Just like the creamy potato salad we all know and love, the Filipino version is also loaded with chunks of potatoes, shredded chicken, carrots, and hard-boiled onions.

There are a few key differences, though. Filipinos add sweeteners to a variety of dishes to make them more appealing to kids, this one included. 

Instead of just mayo, the dressing in this salad also has a bit of sweetened condensed milk!

The salad also features sweet ham and crushed pineapples, for more sweetness.

19. Pancit Bihon

Just like the lumpiang shanghai, pancit bihon is another staple in Filipino parties and get-togethers. 

This is a Chinese-inspired dish of glass noodles tossed in a savory sauce, shredded chicken, and vegetables.

20. Chicken Binakol

Chicken binakol is an extremely tasty and refreshing stew flavored with coconut juice, ginger, and lemongrass.

The soup brims with chicken, spinach leaves, papaya, and young coconut milk, giving it a beautiful medley of colors, flavors, and textures.

21. Filipino Crispy Fried Chicken

While nothing beats the goodness of the classic American fried chicken, I urge you to give the Filipino version a try.

You’ll be impressed by just how crispy and flavorful it is!

Seasoned with fish sauce, garlic powder, paprika, among others, this fried chicken is uniquely and wonderfully Filipino.

22. Chicken a la King

Chicken a la King is an insanely creamy dish bursting with chicken, mushrooms, and bell peppers.

It has a super thick sauce made primarily of heavy cream, which is flavored with peppercorns and wine.

It’s so creamy, you can serve it as a pasta sauce, but if you want an authentic Filipino meal, serve over a bed of rice.

23. Chicken Empanadas

Chicken empanadas are a Filipino snack with a Spanish influence. These are hand pies with a flaky crust and a savory filling.

The fillings can vary from ground beef to pork to potatoes. This recipe uses a mix of shredded chicken, potatoes, carrots, and peas, and it’s perfection.