How To Cook The Best Pininyahang Manok Recipe (Creamy Pineapple Chicken)

Unique chicken recipes are always a big hit to most Filipinos. Particularly when such methods possess a mixture of sweet and sour flavors are in one dish. Why not explore how to cook Pininyahang Manok (pineapple chicken) as our featured recipe in this article?

Interestingly, Filipino's attraction to the one-two punch of sweet and sour blend in any recipe is glaringly apparent in other local or foreign-adopted dishes like the famous adobo, spaghetti, and other fish or meat cuisine like our featured recipe Pininyahang Manok. Hence, the sweet and sour blend has become attributed to the so-called "Pinoy style."

Based on this trivial information, it. It just fits to share with you where and how this recipe emerges, how you cook this and other innovations that you can explore. So, scroll down and enjoy reading what we have in store for you.

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What Is Pininyahang Manok

Pininyahang Manok is a Pinoy-style chicken stew with pineapple and all-purpose cream. It is usually moist with creamy and tangy flavors, which is certainly a family favorite. But, the question is, "where did this recipe come from?"

According to folklore, this chicken dish hailed from Batangas, a province in the Southern part of Luzon Island, Philippines. This place, together with other areas in that region, is famous for its abundant supply of pineapples. Thus, mixing pineapples in a creamy chicken dish was a product of the local's experimentation.

However, the period it has emerged, and who is the creative mind behind this is uncertain. In a way, the Pininyahang Manok recipe is similar to gossip because it spread and flourished without knowing where and how it came. Nevertheless, this is juicy, sweet, and to-die-for when you have not shared it with others of all the scandals. 

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Ways To Cook Pininyahang Manok Recipes

Although it is neither sure in what period was it discovered nor the cook behind this concoction. But, what is of great importance is how to cook this one lovely heck of a meal? That's why in this segment, we listed down and differentiate various ways to cook Pininyahang Manok.

Stew

 As previously described above, the classic method for this dish is Pininyahang Manok Stew. In this cooking style, you saute a pound of serving-sliced chicken over minced garlic and diced onions. And then, enhance the flavor with fish sauce and black pepper. 

Excitingly, pour the pineapple chunks and juice into the brewing stew for the chicken meat to absorb the punch of sweetness. Afterward, elevate it further by including a mixture of fresh milk and cornstarch. With this, you can't also wait to do this recipe by yourself as you imagine it now. 

More than that, stewing may improve and concentrate the flavor naturally coming from the ingredients. Plus, it nicely softens meat ingredients, making it digestion-friendly. But, this method requires your enduring patience because it takes so much time preparing this.

Slow Cook 

You may book in your schedule if you have the luxury of time, preparing the Slow Cook Pininyahang Manok. However, instead of sauteing, you have to coat the chicken with a mixture of fish sauce, black pepper, minced garlic, and diced onion before you put it inside a slow cooker. Don't forget to pour the pineapple syrup, chunks or rings, and cream before you close the lid and wait for 4-5 hours until done. 

Besides, if you have work and want this meal at dinner time, you can ask someone to prepare this in the morning and cook it after lunch. By the time you get home, you are relieved, arriving with a freshly baked sumptuous dish. With this strategy, you have utilized your time very efficiently. 

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Other Delicious Variants And Recipes

It appears that there are only limited ways on how to cook Pininyahang Manok. However, the variations may be a lot better. Listed below are some exciting and mouth-watering improvisations and variants of this pineapple chicken stew. 

Classic Filipino Recipe

As introduced, the Classic Pininyahang Manok highlights the presence of a chicken stew with pineapple and all-purpose cream. You can do this version by sauteing the well-prepared ingredients and simmer for about 15 minutes. Undoubtedly, this classic version suits the Filipino-style taste. 

Pininyahang Manok sa Gata (Coconut Milk)

Meanwhile, another version features sauteing the pineapple chicken stew mixed with coconut milk or gata instead of all-purpose cream. Contrary to the previously narrated folklore, this is the original recipe that emerged from the Southern Luzon provinces because coconuts are abundant in the industry like the pineapple was. Whether it's true or not, this variation pertains to Pininyahang Manok sa Gata.

More so, coconut milk contains a sufficient amount of lauric acid, which contains numerous nutrients. These essential vitamins and minerals help in many ways, such as lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, building muscle, reducing fats, improving digestion, and preventing fatigue.

Magnificently, this recipe version is like taking the notch up higher when eating pineapple chicken stew. The opposing taste of pineapple and coconut milk complement each other, making the chicken meat creamier and sweeter. But, be responsible when you have leftovers because it quickly spoils when not stored in the refrigerator after eating. 

with Sprite 

If you're in a state of sugar-rush and, at the same time, craving for chicken, then Pininyahang Manok with Sprite is the perfect version for you. In this innovation, add a bottle of Sprite into the marinade of combined fish sauce and black pepper, infused with pineapple syrup and chunks. 

Furthermore, you can cook this either by stew or slow cooker. When you try this, expect an intensified burst of flavors blending all together. But, don't eat this often because it might increase your blood sugar. 

with Tanglad and Onion (Lemon Grass)

Aside from "sliced packages," you can also enjoy your pineapple chicken recipe using a whole chicken. Although you will use similar ingredients with the classic version, you won't use the same cooking style. Hence, a slow cooker is a suitable method for this. 

To do this right, put a string of lemongrass and a pair of onion halves inside a whole chicken after you thoroughly cleaned it and removed the innards. The marinade is coated all over the chicken to make sure that the flavors are equally distributed. As a result, you minimize the stench odor and maintain the freshness and concentration of the tastes. 

with Carrots and Potatoes

Do you miss eating chicken afritada but without tomato sauce? Save your tears because Pininyahang Manok with Carrots and Potatoes is here for your dramatic appetite. In this variant, just include a couple of nicely peeled and sliced carrots and potatoes in the stewing of your chicken dish. 

Carrots and potatoes have ample amounts of essential nutrients that improve eye-sight and digestion. Plus, it makes your plate of pineapple chicken stew colorful. 

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Troubleshooting When Cooking These Recipes

Chicken recipes like Pininyahang Manok are usually tricky because even if you follow through the steps, the result may deviate from what you have expected. For this reason, we recommend these suggestions as a remedy for unforeseen errors.

• First, the chicken turned out tasteless despite your obedience to the recipe. You can solve this by gradually increasing the amount of marinade mixture and reheat it. 
• If the taste becomes too salty, then add more pineapple syrup because sweetness can balance out the salt. 
• On the contrary, when it becomes too sweet, then supply more fish sauce to neutralize sugar.
• When you accidentally overcooked the meat, set aside the recipe until it cools down. Store it inside the freezer and reheat it the following day using slow cooking. 

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Trivia

Regardless of the uniqueness of Pininyahang Manok, this recipe is prone to mistaken identity. The following is a list of dishes or recipes that resemble pineapple chicken stew and its variants.

• Ginataang Manok with Pineapple (Coconut Chicken Stew with Pineapple) - his chicken recipe is almost identical to Pininyahang Manok sa Gata. However, in ginataan, you pour the coconut milk first before mixing the pineapple syrup. While in pineapple chicken, it's vice-versa. 

• Pork and Chicken Adobo with Pineapple - This recipe is almost alike with pineapple chicken without the all-purpose cream. But adobo is entirely different because of the vinegar and sauce marinade, which is not the case with the Pininyahang Manok recipe.

• Chicken Afritada with Pineapple - as briefly discussed in one of the variants, chicken afritada and pineapple chicken may be akin to each other if you remove tomato-sauce. 

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Tips

With a lovely Pininyahang Manok recipe, you have to take this seriously to come up with a successful recreation. In line with that, please follow some tips below to enhance your cooking.

• You can also select the chicken part to use in the recipe. The breast part seems to be more challenging to absorb flavor than the other parts.  
• To achieve flavorful chicken meat, you may marinate the chicken beforehand for a longer time. You can expect that the taste goes through the bones. Yes, you can finish eating without leaving any trace.
• Use a full wok or pan in cooking so that your combined recipes has enough space when you mix and stir. This way, you are correctly distributing the seasoning and making the taste evenly among the chicken meat. 

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Best Served With

 Most Filipino dishes are always compatible with partner foods. So, to entice you more, listed below are other recipes, drinks, or desserts you may join with Pininyahang Manok.

• Hot-steamed rice - for Filipinos, this flavorful chicken is a perfect viand partnered with rice. More often this is always present in rice-all-you-can eateries or restaurants.
• Fried Rice - even if this kind of rice is already tasty enough, the sweet blend of pineapple can still withstand. Expect the same result when you jointly eat this.
• Vegetable dishes - to make your meals balanced, you can pair this chicken recipe with veggies. Somehow it will neutralize the excessive fatty content of chicken meat. 
• Fish Sauce and chili - if you are not on a diet and want to munch extra rice, why not dip your Pininyahang Manok on a saucer of fish sauce and chili? The sweet and spicy blends will take your breath away. 
• Fruit Juices - since there is a fruit mix in the chicken recipes, it is not awkward to drink fruit juices to quench your thirst while eating. 
• Soft Drinks - eating this meal with tons of rice is like going big time. So maximize it even further by drinking carbonated drinks. 
• Ice Cream - even though the Pininyahang Manok recipes have a sweet blend, it leaves a stenchy feeling in your mouth, making you feel lethargic or sleepy. You can revive yourself by eating a cone or cup of ice cream.

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Conclusion

To sum up, the Philippines has abundant and impressive natural resources that can supply high-quality ingredients to produce beautiful recipes like Pininyahang Manok. Secondly, though the cooking styles are simple, it still requires focused attention and adaptable hands to follow. Lastly, the different variants are quite challenging yet exciting to explore.

Now that you have accessible information through this blog, we highly encourage you to explore how to cook Pininyahang Manok. We understand that you hesitate due to fear of mistakes, but you can never find out unless you try. Just think of how good the experience can become if you have gone through it.

For more delicious recipe, visit Eat Like Pinoy!

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