Chicken Bicol Express
Spicy, flavorful, perfect with rice! You’ll ask for another serving or even two!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Ingredients
- Cooking oil
- 6 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 2-3 tbsp chopped ginger (or 2 tbsp grated ginger)
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 500 g chicken thighs (boneless, cut into pieces)
- 1-2 tbsp shrimp paste (you can add more)
- 1 chicken cube (optional)
- 1 can coconut milk (full cream)
- Chilis (depends on how many chilis you’d like to put)
- Salt & pepper (to taste)
Instructions
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In a pan over medium-high heat, add garlic & ginger – cook for about 2 minutes.
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Add chopped onion and cook until soft.
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Next, add chicken and cook until no longer pink.
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Add shrimp paste and mix.
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Add about ¾ of the coconut milk from the can and mix. Simmer (uncovered) for 20-30 minutes or until liquid is reduced and oil starts to separate. Note: If after 20 minutes, you don’t see oil separate from the curd, you can remove the chicken (set aside) and continue simmering the sauce over low heat then return the chicken back to the pan when you finally see some oil.
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Throw that chilis to the pan along with the remaining coconut milk. Let it boil once more.
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Season with salt (or fish sauce) and ground black pepper.
Recipe Notes
- You can add 1 chicken cube to enhance the flavor.
- Chicken breast can be used instead of chicken thighs.
- If you don’t like the dish to render fat but still want to use chicken thighs, you can stop the cooking process as soon as the chicken is cooked.
- If using chicken thighs and even after 20 minutes, you don’t see oil separate from the curd, you can remove the chicken (set it aside) and continue simmering the sauce over low heat then return the chicken back to the pan when you finally see some oil.
- You can use coconut milk in can or fresh coconut milk.
- Instead of salt, you can use fish sauce.
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