Chicken Tinola Pho

When it comes to comfort food, two dishes always come to mind: Vietnamese Chicken Pho (Pho Gà) and Filipino Chicken Tinola (Tinolang Manok).

Growing up, tinola was the the dish I grew up eating all the time. The perfume of simmering chicken and ginger would fill the house on a rainy afternoon. Pho is the quintessential Vietnamese noodle dish that evokes Anthony Bourdain sitting in a bustling Vietnamese restaurant, the air filled with the scent of charred ginger and star anise, slurping rice noodles with fresh herbs and lime. Both are the kinds of soup you eat when you’re under the weather or just craving comfort.

So, one day I thought: why not combine them? That’s how this Pho-Tinola fusion recipe was born — a bowl that’s gingery, aromatic, veggie-packed, and noodle-slurp-worthy all at once.

Ingredients

1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (whole or cut into large pieces)

1 Tbsp neutral oil (canola or vegetable)

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 thumb-sized piece ginger, peeled and sliced into strips

8 cups chicken broth (or water + bouillon)

1–2 pcs chayote, peeled and cut into wedges

2 cups fresh spinach (about 3 oz)

1-2 Tbsp fish sauce (patis), plus more to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

Optional: 1–2 pcs long green chili (siling pangsigang)

Toppings (Pho-style):

Fresh Thai basil

Bean sprouts

Lime wedges or calamansi

Thinly sliced red onion or scallions

Fresh chili slices (optional)

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, and sauté until fragrant.

2. Add chicken thighs and cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned on the outside.

3. Stir in fish sauce, then pour in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that rises. Lower heat and simmer uncovered for 20–25 minutes, or until the chicken is tender. Remove chicen to shred.

4. Add chayote wedges and simmer for another 8–10 minutes, or until just tender.

5. Stir in spinach (and green chili, if using). Simmer for 1–2 minutes until spinach wilts. Add back chicken. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, or more fish sauce.

6. Ladle hot tinola into bowls and serve with cooked pho noodles and a side of fish sauce with calamansi or lemon for dipping.

Classic comfort combined