Pininyahang manok facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Pininyahang manok

Alternative names	Pineapple chicken
Course	Main dish
Place of origin	Philippines
Region or state	Southern Luzon
Serving temperature	hot
Main ingredients	chicken, pineapples, potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, milk (or coconut milk)
Similar dishes	hamonado, afritada

Pininyahang manok, also known as pineapple chicken, is a yummy Filipino dish. It features chicken cooked in a creamy sauce made with milk or coconut milk. You'll also find tasty pineapples, carrots, potatoes, and bell peppers in it! Sometimes, instead of milk, people use chicken broth. This dish comes from Southern Luzon in the Philippines, a place famous for growing pineapples.

How to Make Pininyahang Manok

Making Pininyahang manok usually starts with the chicken.

• Some cooks first soak the chicken in pineapple juice. This step is called marinating and helps the chicken get extra flavor.
• Next, the chicken is lightly fried in oil with garlic and onions. This makes the chicken a little golden brown.
• Then, water is added, often with a bit of evaporated milk or condensed milk.
• After that, chunks of pineapple, diced carrots, potatoes, and bell peppers are put into the pot.
• Instead of regular milk, some recipes use coconut milk or cream for a richer taste.
• The dish is seasoned with salt, sugar, black pepper, or fish sauce to make it taste just right.
• Finally, everything is left to simmer (cook slowly at a low heat) until all the ingredients are soft and cooked through.

Tips for Cooking

Because this dish uses milk or coconut milk, it's best to eat it fresh. It doesn't keep well for a long time.

• A different way to make it is to skip the milk entirely. Instead, cooks use chicken broth as the base.
• To make the sauce thicker in this version, a little cornstarch can be added.
• Sometimes, other ingredients are added for extra flavor. These can include Vienna sausages, hot dogs, cheese, eggs, or diced tomatoes.
• Pininyahang manok is usually served hot over white rice.
• It's often topped with fresh scallions (green onions) and sometimes even cashews for a nice crunch.

Similar Filipino Dishes

Pininyahang manok is a bit like other Filipino dishes, but with key differences.

• It is similar to a chicken dish called afritada that also uses pineapples. However, afritada uses tomato sauce instead of milk.
• It also tastes a bit like chicken hamonado. But hamonado uses soy sauce for its flavor.
• Both afritada and hamonado do not use milk in their recipes.