Chicken Giniling Recipe

Chicken Giniling is a Filipino dish that is mixed with ground chicken, mixed vegetables, and tomato paste. It is a Filipino version of Picadillo, which is best to eat with rice.

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• Giniling vs Picadillo
• Recipe Ingredients
• Cooking Instruction
• Variation and Tips
• Other Filipino Recipes to Try
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Picadillo is a popular ground meat dish found in most Latin American countries and the Philippines. But among Filipinos, we call this dish "Giniling" which is a Tagalog word meaning "Ground meat"

That is because some parts of South America and the Philippines were once colonized by the Spaniards. And because of trading and culture, this is where the Spanish food influence comes in. Empanada, chorizo, escabeche, and Lechon are all examples of Spanish-influenced Filipino dishes that are found in other Latin American countries.

I was not even aware of that until my uncle told me about this. In the Philippines, giniling is usually ground pork or sometimes beef. But, in this post, I will be using ground chicken instead, which is healthier since it is white meat and low in cholesterol.

Giniling vs Picadillo

These two dishes might seem the same, but they are actually different when it comes to the ingredients and the way of cooking:

Picadillo: If you go to Latin American countries like Mexico, Cuba, or Puerto Rico, they will call this ground meat dish Picadillo. Furthermore, aside from serving with rice, they sometimes used it as a filling for an empanada, tacos, tortillas, or other pastries. Lastly, in their version, they tend to add cumin spice to their ground meat.

Giniling: If you go to the Philippines and see this type of ground meat dish, the locals do not identify this dish as Picadillo, but rather Giniling. Because rice is a popular staple food, we usually serve this with rice and fried egg. Also, in this version, our ingredients are similar to the South American version, except we don't add capers or green olives in our dish. Lastly, in this version we add soy sauce instead of spices in our dish.

Notes: If you encounter a dish called Arroz a la Cubana, this is similar to Giniling, except it is served with a fried egg and a small banana called Plantain.

Recipe Ingredients

Here are the ingredients to make this delicious chicken giniling recipe:

Ground Chicken: I am using chicken breast, but I have to grind it into ground meat since it is fresh that way.

Vegetables: There are 3 kinds of vegetables I am using in this recipe. I am using potatoes, chickpeas, and carrots.

Raisins: This is one ingredient that makes this dish flavorful since it adds natural sweetness to the giniling.

Condiments: What makes this dish Filipino is that we add condiments like soy sauce or oyster sauce. The soy sauce adds saltiness while oyster sauce adds the sweetness of the ground chicken.

Tomato Paste: Both versions use Tomato paste in their ground meat dish. To me, I don't really add that many tomatoes since I am not a fan of it.

Cooking Instruction

Cooking Chicken Giniling Recipe is easy to make and it is delicious too.

Firstly, I add vegetable oil to the pan, and then when it's becoming hot, I added the chopped onion and garlic

Next, I added the ground chicken, and I stir to mix. Let the chicken cook for 3-5 minutes before adding the chopped potatoes and carrots. I let it continue simmering for additional 5 minutes or until the vegetable is cooked, and there is less juice produced from the ground chicken.

After that, I added the soy sauce and the oyster sauce and stir to mix. After that, I added chickpeas and raisins.

Lastly, I added tomato paste. Mix gently and let it cook for a few minutes before I turned off the heat.

Notes: I don't add water in this recipe because the ground chicken already releases its juice.

Variation and Tips

• You can add capers and olives if you want to make a Cuban or Latin American recipe variation.
  
• To add other vegetables, you can include corn kernels.
  
• To make the chicken giniling soupy, add ½ cup of water
  
• Instead of tomato paste, you can add tomato sauce.
  
• This recipe is best to serve with rice, but you can also use it as a filling for Filipino chicken empanada.
  
• If you prefer ground beef, you can check my Filipino-style beef giniling.

Other Filipino Recipes to Try

Here are other delicious Spanish influenced Filipino food recipes to try:

• Chicken Afritada
  
• Chicken Adobo with Potatoes
  
• Skinless Chicken Longganisa

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