When it comes to savory recipes, pineapple remains a very controversial ingredient for us to incorporate. But even if the clear contrast of flavors when it comes to sour tanginess and sweetness remains unpleasant to some, it has not stopped Filipino cooks from making the most of this delightful tropical fruit. Pineapple is among the most utilized fruits in our cuisine, whether it be for desserts or the main course. And so if you’re still on the fence about this component being mixed into your meals, I would suggest you try at least one from a Filipino cook. Malapot na Pininyahang Manok, anyone?
Pininyahang Manok, as the name implies, relies largely on the strong flavor of our yellow fruit to enrich a yummy chicken dish. But this hero ingredient also relies massively on many other components to complete it. We have the likes of garlic, carrots and bell peppers.
However, this recipe, in particular, makes use of more ingredients than the classic recipe, hence the word “malapot.” If, like me, you want a truly thick, creamy and delicious stew, you will really love this version. We have cornstarch to provide that thickness into our sauce, while adding some liver spread for a one of a kind savor. Let’s give this a shot, shall we?
How to cook Malapot na Pininyahang Manok:
Preparing the chicken:
The same way we start a lot of our dishes, we will need to heat up our cooking oil. And so you can place 4 tablespoons of this into a pan, and let this get hot. Once it is, you can should add your 2 lbs. of chicken that you’ve cut into serving pieces. Proceed to pan-fry these until the sides become light brown. After that, take the chicken out, and set them aside for now.
Now we will need 1 onion you’ve diced, as well as 5 cloves of garlic you’ve chopped. Use the same pan to sauté these together with the oil we had from earlier. Then when the diced onion is soft, place the chicken into the pan again. Now we will pour 3 tablespoons of soy sauce inside, and stir these as we deglaze the chicken residue that is stuck to the pan.
And then we can incorporate 8 ounces of pineapple chunks, as well as 2 cups of water. Wait for this to boil, and then you can go ahead with your 1 Knorr Chicken Cube as well. Put the cover on top, and then set the heat between low to medium. With this, we will cook up our chicken for 25 minutes.
Incorporating some more seasonings and ingredients:
Let’s add 2 tablespoons of liver spread, and 1 carrot that’s sliced thinly crosswise. Keep this cooking with the rest of the ingredients for 5 minutes. And then you can also place 1 red bell pepper, and 1 green bell pepper, both of which you have sliced into squares into the mixture. Add your preferred amount of salt and ground black pepper.
And now in a separate bowl or container, mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water. Make sure these are incorporated well with each other before you pour the mixture into your pan. Then we can stir all of this smoothly until we get the sauce as thick as we want it. Now just sprinkle in 1 teaspoon of sugar, and cook this up for 1 more minute. Once you’ve done that, just transfer the dish onto a serving plate.
And there you go! You have a satisfyingly flavorful plate of Malapot na Pininyahang Manok. Just have this with some freshly made rice, and you’ve got yourself the perfect meal. But if you want to try other variations of this yummy recipe for the next few days, I also have some suggestions for you.
Other Pininyahang Manok recipes to try out:
Pininyahang Manok
Starting off with the original recipe, Pininyahang Manok is a great option for when you want to serve something tasty and healthy. It is packed with nutritious ingredients, much like our main recipe, such as bell peppers and pineapple. But this is also an ideal choice when you have just a bit less time on your hands to make the dish thicker, or are simply craving a lighter stew.
Pininyahang Manok sa Gata
I think it would be easy to imagine our recipe with the smooth, velvety feel of coconut milk. And if this is appealing to you, you really should add Pininyahang Manok sa Gata to the list of dishes to cook. Coconut milk helps make the rich flavor of pineapple just a bit milder. This dish is truly perfect for when you want something with a nice array of spices and seasonings without having anything too overpowering in taste.
What did you think of this dish? Don’t be afraid to give feedback in the comment section, and ask any questions you might have!
Malapot na Pininyahang Manok
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. chicken cut into serving pieces
- 1 Knorr Chicken Cube
- 8 ounces pineapple chunks
- 1 carrot thinly sliced crosswise
- 1 red bell pepper sliced into squares
- 1 green bell pepper sliced into squares
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons liver spread
- 1 onion diced
- 5 cloves garlic chopped
- 4 tablespoons cooking oil
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan. Pan-fry the chicken pieces until the sides turns light brown in color. Remove from the chicken and set aside.
- Sauté onion and garlic using the remaining oil.
- Add the chicken back in once the onion softens.
- Pour soy sauce and stir while deglazing the chicken residue stuck on the pan.
- Add pineapple chunks and water. Let boil.
- Put-in the Knorr Chicken Cube. Cover the pan. Adjust the heat between low to medium settings. Cook the chicken for 25 minutes.
- Add liver spread and carrot. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add bell peppers. Season with salt and ground black pepper.
- Combine cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water. Mix well and then pour into the pan. Stir until the sauce reaches your desired thickness.
- Add sugar. Cook for a minute.
- Transfer to a serving plate. Serve warm with rice.
- Share and enjoy!
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