Tinola-Filipino Chicken Soup!

I have a good friend who is currently challenged by some medical issues. I wanted to make her chicken soup, which always makes me feel better. My husband, Jerry, suggested I make Myrna a Filipino Chicken Soup since that is her homeland. Also known as Tinolang Manok this soup is rich, delicious, nourishing and very tasty. I didn’t realize papaya, green or ripe, was so good for you. Filled with enzymes and essential nutrients, it is excellent for digestive health. Ginger is also believed to help reduce nausea, pain and inflammation. These are the two predominant flavors in Tinola. I found the recipe online and wasn’t sure how authentic it is, but when Myrna said it tasted like “home” it made me very happy. I did change things up a bit and will give you my recipe diversions as we go.

This is the second batch of Tinola and the papaya had ripened a bit more than they should, but soup was still delicious!

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, chopped in serving pieces (I used 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts.)
1 medium piece fresh ginger root, about 2 inch piece, julienned
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, minced
1 Tbsp. patis (fish sauce) (I used Oyster Sauce as that’s what I had in the pantry.)
2 medium green papayas, peeled and sliced diagonally (My one large papaya had started to ripen, but still had more green than red/orange flesh when I made the first batch for Myrna.)
1 bunch chili leaves (can use spinach–which I did; if chili leaves are not available)
1 Tbsp. olive oil (Not called for in the recipe, but I used to saute ginger and garlic.)
Dash of pepper to taste (I used a big dash of white pepper.)
4 cups low salt chicken stock (I had a very rich, not LOW-SALT chicken stock in the fridge already made.)

Here’s Myrna recently in New York City!

Preparation:
In a medium sized pot, add 1 Tbsp. olive oil, saute ginger until golden brown, followed by garlic and onions. Then put the chicken, fish sauce, and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes.

I brought the chicken broth to a boil, reduced heat and added the 3 whole large chicken breast. Reduce heat to simmer and gently poach the chicken until cooked through; about 15 minutes. Remove the breast to cool and when cooled shred the chicken.

Add the sliced papaya, white pepper, and fish sauce to the pot with ginger, garlic and onions. Add shredded chicken and the chicken stock. Simmer over medium heat for about 1/2 hour. Remove from heat and add 3-4 large handfuls of fresh spinach. The spinach will cook/wilt in the hot broth. Check for seasoning and add salt/more pepper as needed.

Serve over hot, steamed rice.