Gingered Chicken Tinola and Green Papaya Soup Recipe

By
Connie Veneracion
Connie Veneracion
Connie Veneracion
Food writer and blogger living in the Philippines and specializing in Southeast Asian home cooking and travel.
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Updated on 12/13/22
Gingered Chicken Tinola and Green Papaya Soup Recipe

The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 50 mins
Total: 65 mins
Servings: 4 servings

A Westerner first experiencing chicken tinola would call it a soup. And it is. But, in the Philippines, there are soups that are served as a main course rather than as a starter. Chicken tinola is one of them. The chicken and vegetables are eaten with rice while the broth is sipped just like any soup.

Chicken tinola is a chunky soup with three main ingredients—chicken, green papaya and chile leaves (most often, the leaves of the bird's eye chile plant). The main flavor comes from the ginger. To cook tinola, chicken pieces are browned in sautéed ginger, garlic, and shallots, then simmered in broth. Wedges of green papaya are added during the last 15 minutes of cooking. The chile leaves, added after the heat has been turned off, complete the soup.

Learn what foods you need to stock your pantry with to cook Filipino recipes.

Ingredients

  • 1 (2-inch) knob ginger

  • 4 cloves garlic

  • 2 shallots

  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil

  • 1 whole chicken (about 1 1/2 kilograms/3 1/3 pounds), cut into pieces

  • 8 cups chicken broth

  • Patis fish sauce, to taste

  • 1 medium papaya, or 2 small ones

  • 1 large handful chile leaves

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Gingered Chicken Tinola and Green Papaya Soup Recipe ingredients

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  2. Peel the ginger using a spoon or vegetable peeler.

    Peel the ginger

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  3. Julienne the ginger.

    Julienne the ginger

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  4. Smash the garlic cloves and discard the skins.

    Smash the garlic cloves and discard the skins

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  5. Peel and thinly slice the shallots.

    Peel and thinly slice the shallots

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  6. Heat the cooking oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the ginger, garlic, and shallots. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until fragrant, limp and very lightly browned.

    Add the ginger, garlic, and shallots to the pot

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  7. Turn up the heat to medium-high. Add the chicken pieces and cook, stirring often until lightly browned.

    Add the chicken pieces to the mixture in the pot

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  8. Season with about a tablespoonful of fish sauce and continue cooking. Continue cooking, uncovered, until there is very little liquid in the pot.

    chicken cooking in a pot

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  9. Pour in the chicken broth. Bring to the boil. Lower the heat, cover the pot and simmer the chicken for 40 to 45 minutes.

    chicken with chicken broth cooking in a pot

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  10. Split the green papaya vertically. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon.

    Split the green papaya vertically and scoop out the seeds with a spoon

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  11. Cut off the skin with a small sharp knife. Cut the green papaya flesh into wedges.

    Cut the green papaya flesh into wedges

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  12. Separate the chile leaves from any stalks that they might be attached to. Discard all the stalks.

    Separate the chili leaves from any stalks

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  13. After the chicken has simmered for half an hour, taste the broth and add more fish sauce, if needed. Add the green papaya wedges.

    Add the green papaya wedges to the chicken in the pot

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  14. Turn up the heat until the broth is boiling vigorously once more. Turn down the heat to low, cover the pot and continue simmering for 15 minutes or until the papaya wedges are tender. Taste the broth once more and adjust the seasonings, if necessary.

    chicken and papaya cooking in a pot

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  15. Turn off the heat. Sprinkle the chile leaves over the chicken and green papaya wedges.

    Sprinkle the chili leaves over the chicken and green papaya wedges

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  16. Cover the pot and leave to allow the chile leaves to cook in the residual heat for 5 to 10 minutes depending on how large they are. Do not be tempted to add the chile leaves while the soup is still simmering. Chile leaves turn bitter when overcooked so cook them only in the residual heat.

    Gingered Chicken Tinola and Green Papaya Soup in a pot

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi