Tinola is Filipino comfort food and perfect for cooler weather. This hearty chicken soup features a gingery broth that is so warming and smells amazing! Each bowl contains a whole piece of chicken and tender chunks of green papaya; a scoop of steamed rice is a must for a complete meal. Fresh, flavorful, and deeply savory and ready in under an hour.

Chicken soup is universal and this version hits all the right notes. It’s familiar, yet different. I would categorize this as a soup-stew. Traditionally, the chicken is left on the bone, which gives the broth additional flavor. It’s really essential in providing that rich deep flavor. The strong, assertive flavor of ginger is not only flavorful, but is also a key player in fighting germs and warding away colds. And the green papaya which many people may enjoy in salads, becomes a whole new vegetable when cooked. The papaya gives heft and some substance to the soup. Liking what you’re hearing? Well let’s get to it.

Prep the Tinola Ingredients

This is an easy and straightforward soup recipe. First I start by prepping the chicken and veggies.

The chicken for this dish is usually cut into small chunks, which makes it easier to eat, and also makes more economical servings because you can get divvy up the chicken between more people. However, it’s not as easy to buy your chicken cut up this way here in the US. If you are able to find it, buy all means, go ahead and get it. But for simplicity’s sake, I’m using chicken legs. First, cut through the joints to separate the legs into thighs and drumsticks. Next, cut off any excess fat. I do leave the skin on because a little chicken fat is nice to have in a chicken soup. Plus there’s something about naked chicken parts in soup that I find disturbing 😉

Next you’re going to prepare the green papaya. Cut the papaya in half (you may only use part of the papaya depending on the size) and peel it. Then scoop out the seeds, making sure to also scrape any of the spongy fiber. Finally cut it into thick wedges.

The last step before cooking is to prepare your aromatics. Slice up some onion and smash some cloves of garlic. Tinola is one chicken soup that does not shy away from ginger. After peeling, the ginger gets smashed with a wooden spoon to help release its flavor. This is also a really fun way to get out some aggression…

Cooking Tinola

Now that all the ingredients are prepped, it’s time to start cooking. First the chicken gets browned, then the aromatics are added, and then we create the broth.

Now I pour in the chicken stock. This is my go to stock recipe but store bought will work well too. A dollop of fish sauce adds just the perfect funky pop.

The most important part is to make sure that the papaya is fully cooked through. It should not be al dente with a core in the middle. Papaya is a very firm vegetable so cooking it well will not turn it to mush. Once the papaya is cooked, take out the pieces of ginger and discard it. Then, throw in your spinach, taste and adjust seasoning as needed, and it’s ready for the table. This soup is made to be served with rice and Filipinos add it right to the bowl. So the soup will probably be a little more salty than a typical chicken soup. If you’re not serving this with rice (really?), then be a little more conservative with the seasoning.

Ladle the tinola into serving bowls, placing one piece of chicken in each bowl with plenty of papaya. One bite and you’ll never look at chicken soup the same.

This is a family favorite during sweater weather; I hope you love it too. Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen- we love hearing from you!

Tinola

• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: soup
• Cuisine: Filipino

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Ingredients

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Fillings:

• 2 chicken leg quarters
• 1 Tablespoon neutral oil
• ½ small green papaya (approximately ¾ pounds)
• ½ large onion
• 1 large handful baby spinach (approximately 1 ounce)
• 1 piece of ginger about the size of your palm (about 5 ounces)
• 4 large cloves garlic

Soup:

• 4 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock, or water
• 2 Tablespoons fish sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt (if needed)
• ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
• A couple pinches ground black pepper

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Instructions

1. Cut the leg quarters at the joint so you have 2 drumsticks and 2 thighs. Trim any excess fat but do not peel the skin off. Set aside.
2. Cut the papaya in half. Peel and seed the papaya, scraping out any of the spongy fibers under the seeds.
3. Then cut the papaya lengthwise into 3 or 4 wedges. Cut across the papaya into thick wedges. Set aside.
4. Peel the onion and slice into ½ inch pieces. Put the onion into a bowl. 
5. Cut the ginger into a couple of pieces.
6. Peel the ginger and then cover with a kitchen towel and smack with a wooden spoon to smash it. Add the ginger to the onion.
7. Smash the garlic and add it to the ginger bowl.
8. Heat a large heavy bottom pan or dutch oven over medium high heat for several minutes. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat to medium and add the chicken skin side down.
9. Cook the chicken undisturbed for 2 minutes to brown the skin, and then flip the chicken and cook the other side for another two minutes.
10. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic and stir for 1 minute to combine.
11. Pour in the chicken broth and add the papaya.
12. Stir in the fish sauce, white, and black pepper.
13. Bring the soup to a simmer over high heat.
14. Cover with a lid, lower heat to medium low, and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the papaya is translucent and tender. 
15. After the first 10 minutes of cooking, taste the broth. It should be a little saltier than soup since it will be served with rice. Add the salt if needed.  
16. Remove the pieces of ginger from the soup and discard.
17. Add the spinach and cook for a minute until it is wilted.
18. Serve the tinola with steamed rice on the side. 

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Notes

*If you’re using water instead of stock, add 1 teaspoon salt when you add the fish sauce. Then after cooking the chicken for 10 minutes, taste it and adjust seasoning as needed.

Keywords: soup, chicken, filipino, tinola, comfort food, fall, winter, green papaya

If you made the chicken stock I posted earlier this week, I have an excellent use for it. This Egg Drop Wonton Soup combines two Chinese takeout favorites in one easy and delicious meal. Frozen dumplings ramp up the convenience factor, and help turn this soup into a filling meal. Using my homemade chicken stock, which is infused with ginger and scallions, gives this simple soup savory depth. You could also make this vegetarian by using a vegetarian stock and meat free dumplings.

Cook the Dumplings First

I usually have some kind of dumplings in the freezer. Either these Pork Gyoza or Kimchi Shrimp Dumplings, would be amazing in this Egg Drop Wonton Soup.  Of course there are endless varieties of frozen dumplings you can buy as well. Frozen dumplings are a freezer staple for us and should be for you too. They are economical, simple to prepare straight from the freezer, make a great last minute appetizer, and can be added to other dishes to make them more interesting: hot pots, instant ramen, and of course this soup!

When the dumplings are cooked through, they will float to the top. You can lower the heat so the bubbling subsides to check.

Now for the Egg Drop!

If  you were mesmerized by egg drop soup as a child, you might be surprised by how easy it is to make those fabulous ribbons of egg. I tend to like my egg in bigger sheets so I get a good mouthful. If you prefer wispy streaks, pour the egg in very slowly in a thin stream.

At this point, take a taste of the broth. If it needs more salt, give it a splash of soy sauce. I use light soy sauce if I have it on hand; as the name implies it has a lighter color so it’s frequently used for clear liquids, but regular soy sauce will work too. Just add it sparingly, you can always add more. I also add the toasted sesame oil.

When the broth is to your liking, it’s time to garnish with the scallions and serve!

A little dollop of my chili crisp would be nice here, if you like things hot.  Let me know what you think of this lightning quick Egg Drop Wonton Soup by rating and commenting on the recipe below, and tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!

Egg Drop Wonton Soup

• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: serves 2-4 1x
• Category: soup
• Cuisine: Chinese

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Ingredients

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• 4 cups Asian chicken broth (you can also use vegetable broth or anchovy broth)
• 8 frozen dumplings either homemade or store bought
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 large handful baby spinach
• 1 Tablespoon light colored soy sauce (regular is fine too but add after tasting your broth)
• ⅛ teaspoon ground white or black pepper
• 2 scallions sliced
• 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• Salt to taste

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Instructions

1. Bring the chicken broth to a boil over high heat in a medium pot. 
2. Add the dumplings, stir, and let the soup return to a boil. Lower the heat to medium high and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring a couple of times so the dumplings do not stick to the bottom of the pot.
3. Once the dumplings are cooked, they should be floating at the top of the soup (turn the heat off and let the liquid stop bubbling to check). 
4. Lower heat to medium and slowly pour the eggs in a thin stream into the pot. 
5. Once the egg floats to the surface, add the spinach and stir it into the broth. 
6. Taste the broth and add the soy sauce if you think the broth needs a little saltiness. 
7. Add the toasted sesame oil.
8. Divide the soup into bowls, sprinkle with scallions, and serve the egg drop wonton soup immediately.

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Notes

*If you are using dumplings that are already cooked, you only need to cook them for a couple of minutes in the soup so they are heated through.

*If you only have store bought chicken broth and you have a little bit of time, simmer the broth with half of a roughly chopped onion, 3 scallions also roughly chopped, and 6 garlic cloves. Simmer the broth covered for 20-25 minutes before continuing with the recipe. The soup will be a lot more flavorful.

Keywords: soup, wonton, chicken stock, egg drop, dumplings