Ginataang Manok Recipe

I like my ginataang manok spicy, with lots of chili pepper and enough gata to spoon over rice. It is chicken simmered in coconut milk and finished with fresh greens. I make this when I want a simple chicken dish with a rich sauce that does not need much else.

The chicken simmers first with a little water, then the coconut milk goes in and cooks down until the sauce turns thick. If your gata has ever turned oily or split, the heat was probably too high.

I use a lot of chili, but you do not have to. Cut it back, or leave the long green pepper whole if you want it mild. The leafy greens go in right at the end so they do not overcook.

What is Ginataang Manok?

Ginataang manok means chicken cooked in coconut milk, from gata for coconut milk and manok for chicken. Bicolano cooking is known for using gata and chili together, the same way you see it in laing.

Some cooks add papaya or kalabasa to make the pot more filling, but I keep this one focused on the chicken, with gata, chili, malunggay, and dahon ng sili. It is everyday food, the kind of thing you cook on a normal night to go with rice.

Ingredients

• Chicken – A cut-up whole chicken works best. Bone-in pieces stay juicy through the simmer and give the sauce more flavor, so I skip using breast on its own.
• Coconut milk – Fresh gata is best if you have it, but canned coconut milk works too. Just keep it from boiling too hard once it goes into the pot.
• Malunggay leaves – Fresh moringa leaves, stripped off the stems. Frozen malunggay also does the job.
• Hot pepper leaves (dahon ng sili) – These are the leaves of the chili plant, mild with a slightly grassy taste. If you cannot find them, use more malunggay.
• Ginger – Cut into thin strips so it spreads through the sauce.
• Garlic and onion – These start the flavor of the dish. Saute them until the onion softens before the chicken goes in.
• Long green pepper (siling haba) – Mild pepper flavor. Leave it whole for a little heat, or slice it to let more into the sauce.
• Thai chili pepper – This gives the dish most of its heat. Use fewer pieces for a milder dish.
• Patis (fish sauce) – Add it during the saute so it cooks into the chicken. Add more near the end after tasting.
• Maggi Magic Sarap – Maggi Magic Sarap gives the sauce extra savory flavor. If you do not have it, a chicken cube can stand in.
• Cooking oil – Any neutral oil for sauteing.
• Ground black pepper – Added at the end, to taste.

1. Heat the oil and saute the garlic, onion, and ginger until the onion softens.
2. Add the chicken and cook until the outside is light brown.
3. Pour in the patis and saute for 1 minute.
4. Pour in the water and let it boil.

1. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.
2. Pour in the coconut milk while stirring. Let it come to a gentle boil.
3. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered until the gata reduces to about half. Keep the pot uncovered after this.
4. Add the long green pepper and Thai chili pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes.

1. Season with Maggi Magic Sarap.
2. Add the hot pepper leaves. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Add the malunggay leaves. Simmer for 1 minute.
4. Season with ground black pepper to taste, then turn off the heat and serve hot.

The chicken should be cooked through by the time the sauce reduces. If you want to check, a thermometer should read 165°F inside.

What to Serve It With

• White rice – This is the one you really need. The sauce is thick and spicy, and it is made for spooning over hot rice.
• Fried tilapia – This works well when you want something salty on the side.
• Atchara – Pickled green papaya adds a sour, tangy bite that cuts through the coconut milk.
• Ensaladang talong – The smoky eggplant and tomato taste good with the rich gata sauce.

Storage

• Refrigerator – Whatever is left goes into a covered container and holds for about 3 days. The sauce thickens once it goes cold, then loosens back up with a little heat.
• Freezer – When I know it will not get finished in a few days, a batch goes in the freezer. The coconut milk can look grainy after thawing, but it still tastes fine once heated through.
• Reheating – Warm it back slowly and keep it from boiling hard, since that is what splits the sauce. A splash of water or coconut milk brings it back if it thickened too much in the fridge.

• Coconut milk – Canned coconut milk works if you do not have fresh gata. Coconut cream will make the sauce thicker and richer.
• Malunggay leaves – Frozen malunggay works well when fresh is out of season.
• Hot pepper leaves (dahon ng sili) – Use more malunggay in their place if you cannot find any.
• Vegetables – This version does not use papaya or spinach. If you want to add vegetables, use kalabasa or green papaya during the simmer.
• Maggi Magic Sarap – A chicken cube can work instead. Taste the sauce first before adding more patis.
• Thai chili pepper – Add more pieces for extra heat, or fewer to tone it down.

Cook this ginataang manok the next time you want chicken and rice with a rich, spicy gata sauce. Keep the pot uncovered once the gata goes in, let the sauce cook down, and use as much chili pepper as you can handle. Serve it with plenty of rice.