Chicken Binakol ( Chicken in Coconut Soup)

Chicken Binakol is a chicken soup similar to Tinola but instead of using ordinary water, this chicken soup based is cooked on sweet young coconut water (buko). Binakol have two variations of this dish: first is the Batangas version; wherein they usually use a very flavourful and lean chicken meat from native chicken and cooked slowly for long period in a bamboo tube. The another one is the Visayan version specially in Aklan province; wherein it is cooked with lemongrass and simmered in a coconut shell.

Good for serving: 3 - 4 persons
Ingredients:

1 kilo, chicken, cut into serving pieces
1 liter, young coconut water
2 cups, young coconut meat
1 head, garlic, crushed
2 medium size, onion, diced
1 thumb size, ginger, sliced
2 stalks, lemongrass, white end part only
1 cups, chicken stock, or broth
2 tablespoons, fish sauce or Patis
handful of chilli leaves or capsicum leaves
2 tablespoons, cooking oil
salt and ground pepper to taste

Chicken Binakol Cooking Instruction:

In a pot with medium heat, add oil then brown chicken pieces on all sides. Remove chicken from pot then set aside.
In the same pot, sauté garlic, onion, ginger and ground pepper then add the coconut water, lemongrass and chicken.* then bring it to a boil.
Simmer in low heat for 25 minutes.**
Add chilli leaves, fish sauce, coconut meat (this is where you add the coconut meat if it’s soft) then simmer for 2 more minutes.
Season with salt according to taste, then turn-off the heat.
Serve it on a bowl or coconut shells.
Serve hot with rice. Share and enjoy

Note:

* If the coconut meat is a bit hard you can add it at step two, otherwise add it at the end.

** If using native chicken you have to simmer it for at least an hour or longer until chicken is tender.

Image Source: angsarap.net