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20-minute soy calamansi chicken

Inspired by the Filipino beef dish called bistek, skin-on chicken thigh fillets are lightly browned and braised in soy sauce with plenty of garlic. The cooking is concluded with the addition of onion rings and freshly-squeezed calamansi juice.
20-minute soy calamansi chicken served with onion rings and sliced scallions
Chicken / duck / turkey recipe by Connie Veneracion | Last updated: 10.11.2025
Prep: 5 minutes mins
Cook: 20 minutes mins
Total: 25 minutes mins
Servings: 2 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Modern Filipino
Label: Chicken fillet
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Connie’s notes

It is a very customizable dish.
We’re partial to Kikkoman here at home but feel free to use some other light soy sauce. Dark soy sauce will work too but the dish will turn several shades darker. Optics not an issue? Then, go ahead and substitute. 
If the salty-tangy combination is too sharp for your taste buds, consider using sweet soy sauce.
Calamansi juice not available? You may use lemon or lime juice instead.
But if you’re thinking of using chicken breast fillets in place of the thigh fillets, please don’t.

Ingredients

  • 2 large skin-on chicken thigh fillets
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons soy sauce Kikkoman was used here
  • 1 yellow onion peeled and cut into thin rings
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons calamansi juice

Instructions

  • Press the chicken fillets between stacks of paper towels to remove surface moisture.
  • Set the stovve on HIGH and heat the cooking oil in a frying pan.
  • Lay the chicken fillets, skin side down on the hot oil. Leave for the skins to brown a little then flip to brown the other side.
    Adding garlic to lightly browned chicken thigh fillets
  • Stir in the garlic and cook for half a minute.
  • Pour in the soy sauce with a quarter cup of water and bring to the boil.
    Braising chicken thigh fillets in soy sauce
  • Cover the pan, let the heat to LOW and cook for about 10 minutes.
  • Scatter the onion rings on top of the chicken, turn up the heat to HIGH, cover the pan and cook just until the onion rings soften.
    Adding onion rings and calamansi juice to chicken in pan
  • Drizzle in the calamansi juice.
  • Scoop rice into shallow bowls, arrange a chicken fillet on top, add a heap of onion rings, drizzle in some of the lovely sauce, garnish with scallions, and serve.
    20-minute soy calamansi chicken served with onion rings and sliced scallions
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About Connie Veneracion

Home cook and writer by passion, photographer by necessity, and good food, coffee and wine lover forever. I create, test and publish recipes for family meals, and write cooking tips and food stories. More about me and my umami blogs.

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