Kay sigla ng gabi
Ang lahat ay kay saya
Nagluto ang Ate ng manok na tinola ♫♫

Did you know that Chicken tinola exist long before? In fact, the dish was mentioned in Chapter 3 of Noli Me Tangere written by Dr. Jose Rizal in 1884.

Tinolang Manok, as we call it in tagalog, is an authentic Filipino dish and considered as a staple in every Filipino household. In almost all Christmas celebrations and gatherings, this may be one of the menus your family would love to share during Noche Buena.

Traditionally, native chicken is used in cooking this dish and you cannot call it tinola if there is no ginger in it. This chicken ginger stew soup is cooked with green papaya and chili pepper leaves and seasoned with fish sauce. Aside from being a great tasting dish, Chicken tinola offers good nutritional value. A bowl (250g) of it provides 219 kcal, 7g carbohydrates, 35g protein and 6g fats. Moreover, papaya contains vitamin A, vitamin C and antioxidants which help in building immunity while chili pepper leaves is a good source of calcium, phosphorus, and iron. On the other hand, chicken provides a good amount of protein which helps in repairing our body tissues.

To date, there are other variations popping out in preparing tinola. Instead of using green papaya and chili leaves, some uses sayote fruit and malunggay leaves. Also, some uses pork or seafoods instead of chicken meat. With these variations, the dish continues to evolve but still serves a lot of nutrients with its healthful ingredients.

As part our tradition, families gather for salu-salo and gift-giving after attending the Christmas Eve Mass. A warm and comforting dish like Tinola is perfect match in this cold season. It can be enjoyed by your family as a starter or a hearty main course partnered with plain rice in your Christmas feast.

References:

DOST-FNRI Philippine Food Composition Table

https://www.myfilipinorecipes.com/poultry-recipes/chicken-tinola