Chicken: a Miracle Food?
by nobert soloria bermosa on 18/04/08 at 9:44 am
Let’s find out why chicken is considered as a miracle food and exotic food as well in the Philippines.
Within a period of 45 days, chicken are already full grown and ready for consumption. In the Philippines, it is the one of the most important sources of foods aside from fishes. Literally speaking, it is considered as a miracle food because almost all part of the chicken is eaten in the Philippines. Nothing is wasted except the feathers, the beak and nails. You will also notice on this article that Filipinos are very fond of barbecue.
Proben or chicken proventiculus barbecue or deep fried

Proventiculus is the internal organ of the chicken that connects the gizzard and the crop. It can be barbecued or coated w/ flour and seasoning before frying.
IUD or Isaw – Chicken intestine barbecue

It was named IUD because it looks like the contraceptive material used by women in order not to get pregnant. These are boiled and seasoned before grilled.
Balun-balunan or chicken gizzard barbecue

These gizzards were already sautéed before grilled. Helmet or chicken head barbecue.

It was named helmet because it resembles a helmet. The heads were already sautéed and ready to be grilled.
Adobo o barbecue atay (chicken liver barbecue or adobo)

Chicken livers are sautéed w/ garlic, onions, laurel leaf, pepper and seasoned w/ soy sauce and vinegar. They can be put in a stick for barbecue.
007 or chicken wings barbecue

It was derived from the number of James Bond which is 007 because they appear to look like number 7.These are sautéed or marinated for hours before they are grilled.
Adidas or chicken feet barbecue

It was named adidas because it resembles the famous logo of adidas shoes. They are already sautéed and then barbecued.
Betamax or chicken blood barbecue

This is curdled and dried chicken blood, cut into cubes and barbecued. It’s called “betamax” because its shape and color makes it look like a tape of a betamax. These are boiled, sautéed and barbecued.
Day-old or one day old chick barbecue

Young chicks are served as a food for Filipinos. They are dressed, boiled, sautéed and barbecued.
Abnoy (Filipino slang for retarded) or incompletely hatched chicken egg barbecue.

Even the incompletely hatched eggs are eaten. The eggs are boiled first, the shell are removed and dipped in an orange food coloring to make it appear more delicious before it is grilled.
Kwek-kwek o tokneneng or deep fried spoiled chicken egg

Eggs which do not qualify for hatching are also cooked and eaten. It is boiled, coated with yellow-orange-colored batter and deep fried.
Robin or chicken spleen barbecue, Guya or ovary duct of a chicken

The sautéed ovary duct of a chicken is the main ingredient of a snack called guya added with rice porridge. It is similar to arrroz caldo. Another variant of this is the egg caldo. Instead of adding ovary duct or chicken meat, an egg is added on the rice porridge.
Note: No. 1 to no. 12 are eaten by dipping it in a specially made sauce, ketchup or w/ vinegar seasoned w/ garlic, onion, pepper, salt and msg.
Here’s a list of popular chicken recipes in the Philippines:
Adobong manok or chicken adobo

The chicken is sautéed in garlic, onion, laurel leaf and seasoned with soy sauce and vinegar.
Pinaupong manok or chicken steamed in salt

It is cooked by steaming a whole chicken in upright position in a bed of salt.
Tinolang manok or Chicken Ginger Stew with Vegetables

Sautéed chicken with unripe papaya and pepper leaves.
Sinampalokang manok or chicken stew in sour broth
Its only difference from tinolang manok is the tamarind leaves and the vegetables.
Litsong manok or roasted chicken

It is most popular recipe of cooking chicken in the Philippines and the favorite of everybody, young and old alike. What makes this a favorite is because of the sauce.
Arroz Caldo or chicken rice soup

A snack usually preferred to be eaten during the colder months and rainy seasons. It is best served while it’s hot.
There are still a lot of chicken recipes in the Philippines aside from the above-mentioned list. These are the most popular and familiar recipes I know. Next time I might include dinuguang manok and pininyahang manok (this recipe is published in Note Cook). Watch out for more about chicken.
For related articles see
12 Vitamin Rich Exotic Fruits from the Philippines And Other Tropical Areas
The Most Popular Dishes From Around the World
Famous Culinary Uses of Cassava in the Philippines
Filipino Foods Made From Camote
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12 Comments
tracy sardelli
Apr 18th, 2008
interesting and informative, some of the dishes sound really appetizing.
Alexa Gates
Apr 18th, 2008
the chicken and rice sounds really good
nobert soloria bermosa
Apr 18th, 2008
hi Tracy,
thanks a lot to you,
yes these really taste good
hi Alexa,
thank you so much,
Ruby Hawk
Apr 18th, 2008
That is wonderful not to waste anything.I am vegetarian and eat no meat myself, but I hate to see waste.
nobert soloria bermosa
Apr 18th, 2008
Wow that’s very interesting to know,
my mom is a vegetarian too.thanks Ruby
salvatore
Apr 19th, 2008
some dishes seem appetizing, interesting what different cultures have as menus or dishes
Anne Lyken-Garner
Apr 19th, 2008
What a host of very delicious meals here. This list makes me very hungry. Yum.
nobert soloria bermosa
Apr 19th, 2008
hi salvatore and Anne,
thanks to both of you,i would really say these are all yummy.
may
Apr 23rd, 2008
i love sinampalokang manok…nice article sir
josephine
May 24th, 2008
da best talaga
toninoname
Jan 12th, 2009
Yey! I love Pinoy food. I found writings of street food of Filipinos on http://www.filipinodesserts.net and http://www.filipino-foods.com. They made me hungry.
Kat
Mar 20th, 2009
I love this website. It brings back memories of my childhood. I am big foodie and have eaten so many different types of food. I’m also extremely fussy about quality. But, I stand to say that if I could have any last dish before I die it would be “Tinolang manok”. I spent the first 9 years of my life in the rural area of Northern Luzon. My famiy raised chickens and grew lots of fruits and vegetables. My mother used to cook the chicken as “Tinolang manok” and I have to say that it’s the one dish I miss the most. I have never tasted chicken like the ones my family raised in the Philippines. I would love to return and live there for at least a year to re-live my childhood.
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