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Chicken Sinigang Recipe

Chicken Sinigang

iamwinfred
Chicken sinigang is the sour, savory soup that Filipino families turn to on a rainy afternoon or after a long week. It's a pot of tender chicken and vegetables simmered in a tamarind broth that hits sour, salty, and comforting all at once. This one-pot recipe comes together in about 55 minutes with simple grocery store ingredients, and the flavors deepen beautifully the next day.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine Filipino
Servings 6 servings
Calories 280 kcal

Equipment

  • Large stockpot or Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven Holds heat evenly and is nice enough to bring straight to the table
  • Cutting board
  • Chef's knife
  • Fine mesh skimmer spoon For clearing foam from the broth
  • Ladle
  • Measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks about 900g
  • 8 cups water about 1.9L
  • 1 medium yellow onion quartered
  • 2 medium tomatoes quartered
  • 1 thumb-sized piece ginger thinly sliced
  • 1 packet (40g) Tamarind Soup Base (Sinigang Mix) or 1/2 cup fresh tamarind pulp
  • 1 medium white radish (labanos) sliced into rounds, about 1/4 inch thick
  • 1 medium Asian eggplant sliced diagonally, about 1 inch thick
  • 1 bunch string beans (sitaw) cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 1 bunch kangkong (water spinach) or baby spinach
  • 2 to 3 long green chilies (siling pangsigang) optional
  • 3 tablespoons Filipino Fish Sauce (Patis) plus more to taste
  • salt and pepper to taste

For Serving

  • Steamed white rice for serving
  • Fish sauce with calamansi or lime for dipping, optional
  • Sliced fresh chili for extra heat, optional

Instructions
 

  • Rinse the chicken pieces under cold water and pat them dry. Quarter the onion and tomatoes, and slice the ginger into thin rounds. Wash and slice the radish, eggplant, and trim the string beans. Set the kangkong or spinach aside separately.
  • Add the chicken, onion, tomatoes, and ginger to a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Pour in 8 cups of water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat slightly and skim the foam from the surface with a fine mesh skimmer for the first 10 minutes.
  • Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot partially, and simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Avoid a hard boil to keep the chicken from becoming tough.
  • Add the sliced radish and eggplant to the pot and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the radish starts to turn translucent at the edges.
  • Stir in the tamarind soup base until fully dissolved, then add the fish sauce. Taste and adjust with more tamarind for tang or more fish sauce for saltiness, seasoning a little at a time.
  • Add the string beans and long green chilies, if using, and simmer for another 4 to 5 minutes until the beans are tender but still bright green.
  • Turn off the heat, add the kangkong or spinach directly into the hot broth, and let it sit for about 1 minute just until the leaves wilt.
  • Taste the broth one last time and season with salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately with steamed white rice on the side.

Notes

  • Skim the broth thoroughly in the first 10 minutes for the clearest, cleanest tasting soup.
  • Add vegetables in stages based on how long they take to cook, starting with the firmest.
  • Taste and adjust the tamarind mix gradually rather than dumping it all in at once.
  • Use bone-in chicken for a richer, more flavorful broth.
  • Add leafy greens off the heat so they stay vibrant instead of turning mushy.
  • Swap the tamarind mix for fresh guava (sinigang sa bayabas) for a milder, slightly sweeter broth.
  • Use green mango instead of tamarind for a brighter, fruitier sourness.
  • Add taro (gabi) early in the cooking process for a slightly thicker, creamier broth.
  • Store cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; freeze the broth and chicken without the leafy greens for up to 3 months.
  • Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat and add a small handful of fresh greens after reheating for best texture.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 280kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 24gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 780mgPotassium: 620mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 35IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 10mg
Keyword chicken sinigang, filipino chicken soup, sinigang recipe, sour filipino soup, tamarind chicken soup
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