Cook’s notes
It’s the chicken version of a soup called picadillo that I grew up with. Don’t confuse Filipino-style picadillo with the Mexican and Cuban picadillo which is a ground beef stew. The Philippine version of the Cuban picadillo is arroz a la Cubana.
Picadillo in the Philippines is a soup with small pieces of beef. My father made his with potato cubes; my mother-in-law’s version has chayote. My version has carrot, potato and chayote cubes.
But because my older daughter Sam eats no mammals, chicken is substituted for the beef. The cooking time is a mere 30 minutes but the soup is simply superb.
Tip #1: Because the chicken used in the recipe is boneless, you will need chicken bone broth. Plain water will not give the soup the richness that makes it so delectable.
Tip #2: I really do not recommend using chicken breast meat which will have a dry mouth feel by the time the vegetables are done.
Chicken picadillo soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 shallots peeled and thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
- 4 large tomatoes diced
- 1 to 2 bay leaves
- 4 to 8 skin-on chicken thigh fillets cut into half-inch cubes
- fish sauce
- ground black pepper
- 1 medium carrot peeled and cut into half-inch cubes
- 1 medium chayote peeled, cored and cut into half-inch cubes
- 1 large potato peeled and cut into half-inch cubes
- 4 to 6 cups chicken bone broth
- cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a pot.
- Saute the shallots, garlic and tomatoes until softened.
- Add the chicken and one to two bay leaves.
- Pour in a tablespoon of fish sauce and a quarter teaspoon of ground pepper.
- Cook, stirring often, until the chicken is no longer pink and the mixture is starting to turn dry.
- Add the carrot, chayote and potato cubes.
- Pour in the chicken bone broth and bring to the boil.
- Taste and add more fish sauce and ground pepper, as needed.
- Cover the pot, lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are done, about 15 minutes.
- Taste the broth one last time and adjust the seasonings as needed.
- Serve the chicken and vegetable soup garnished with cilantro.
Samgyeopsal-inspired pan-grilled pork belly
