Chicken Kare-kare

Chicken kare kare is a Filipino chicken stew is made by chicken pieces, beans, banana blossom, pechay, eggplant, in a yellow peanut sauce made with peanut butter, onion, garlic, ground rice. chicken kare-kare makes one good lunch or dinner meal. So follow our chicken kare kare recipe to make this delicious chicken dish in your home.

CHICKEN KARE-KARE

Kare-kare is that one dish I had a hate-turned-into-love relationship. I really love exploring foods as a child but during the first time I was offered kare-kare, I sadly said no. I am a great peanut butter fan but during those times, I cannot imagine peanut butter in a savoury sauce with meat.  I bet I’m not the only one who felt that way on the first time.

It was an instant regret when I tried kare-kare as an adult. My fault was not adding bagoong alamang to it for the full-experience.

Kare-kare is a classic Filipino stew which is mostly unique due to its rich and thick peanut sauce. The name of this dish is believed to originate from the word “curry”. The traditional kare-kare uses ox tail and is cooked in giant clay pots for the most special holiday celebrations. Modern version of kare-kare uses the most common meat products like beef, seafood, pata, pork belly, pork hocks or feet, beef chuck, beef shank and beef brisket. The choice of meat is simmered for hours to achieve the desired tenderness.

Sauteed bagoong alamang is the crown of the kare-kare. The traditional peanut sauce has a sublte taste to highlight the nutty peanut flavor. The alamang provides richness which greatly enhances the dish.

Kare-kare is usually served only on special occasions because of the lengthy cooking preparation. Good thing now is that rice flour and peanut butter are some of the more convenient ingredients which makes kare-kare easier to prepare for a daily meal.

After realizing that I missed out a lot when I swiped left on that very first kare-kare offered to me, my goal now is to enjoy kare-kare as many times as I can. Instead of adhering with the classic beef and ox tripe kare-kare, I modified the authentic recipe by using chicken meat for a shorter preparation time and a healthier nutritional content. Here’s a recipe of the chicken kare-kare which is budget-friendly and cooks fast and easy.

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN KARE-KARE

As you might know, the classic beef and ox tripe kare-kare takes millions of hours of preparation. And the good news is, that’s not gonna happen with our chicken kare-kare.

The most distinct feature of a kare-kare lies in the sauce. With that, we are not going to marinate the chicken and let it absorb the savoury sauce for later. Start by sautéing the aromatics and the chicken pieces and adding the annatto water. Some more convenient alternatives for annatto seeds are annatto powder or red food coloring. It’s really a fun experience for me when the red color infuses with the water so I specifically opted to make newly-extracted ones.

Let the chicken simmer in the annatto water to cook and absorb color. Now is the time to add the star ingredient—the peanut butter. You can use any type of peanut butter but the best ones are the homemade ones. They are creamier and smoother, best uses in savoury sauces like in this one.

Just a quick note. The peanut butter will make or break your dish. Beware on the amount of peanut butter you are adding to the sauce. Better have a taste test so that your stew would not taste like you’re eating peanut butter straight out of the jar.

The next thing to do is to add the vegetables one by one. Some versions I know cook the vegetables separately and just add them at the end of the dish. You can try that too. In this recipe, I opted to cook them all in one pot so the savoury sauce will also seep in these vegetables.

If you’re planning to use banana blossoms, peel off the outer layer until you reach the white or pale-coloured core to ensure that it won’t end up discoloured and with a bitter aftertaste.

Giniling na bigas or ground rice is the authentic sauce thickener for the kare-kare. If you have mortar and pestle or grinder at home, roast some rice and crush them into very fine powder. Add it directly to the sauce. If not available, you can use a slurry to thicken the sauce.

The last thing to do is to simmer for a few minutes until everything is set. Serve your chicken kare-kare with some bagoong alamang on the side and with a bowl of hot steaming rice. Enjoy!

Chicken Kare Kare Recipe

Chicken Kare Kare is very popular and a well sought dish in Philippines. This chicken kare kare recipe will show you how make most tastiest chicken kare kare with mouth watering thick peanut sauce.Try this chicken kare kare recipe to treat your family with delicious and tasty chicken kare kare

Chicken Kare-kare Recipe (TAGALOG)

MGA SANGKAP:

• 1 kilo manok (hiniwa sa serving pieces)
• 8 piraso ng sitaw (hiniwa ng 2 inch pieces)
• 1 banana blossom (hiniwa)
• 1 tali ng pechay
• 2 piraso ng talong (hiniwa)
• 1 sibuyas (hiniwa)
• 2 butil ng bawang (hiniwa ng maliliit)
• 3 kutsara ng atsuete seeds (binabad sa ¼ cup water)
• 3 kutsara giniling na bigas
• ½ tasa ng peanut butter

PAANO LUTUIN:

1. Magpainit ng mantika at igisa ang sibuyas at bawang ng 30 segundo. Ilagay ang mga piraso ng manok at iprito ng 1 – 2 minuto kada side. Baliktarin para maluto ang kabilang side. Maglagay ng konting tubig sa kawali.
2. I-strain ang atsuete seeds at ilagay ang pulang tubig sa kawali. Haluin.
3. Takpan ang kawali at hayaan itong maluto ng 20 minuto.
4. Ilagay ang peanut butter at haluin para matunaw. Ilagay ang banana blossoms at lutuin ng 1 minuto.
5. Ilagay ang sitaw at mga talong. Haluin para malagyan ng sauce. Hayaan ito maluto ng 30 segundo.
6. Ilagay ang giniling na bigas at haluin ng konti para lumapot ang sauce.
7. Ilagay ang pechay at haluin para malagyan ng sauce. Lutuin ito ng 1 – 2 minuto.
8. Kapag luto na ang lahat ng ingredients, ilipat ang chicken kare-kare sa isang serving plate.
9. Maglagay ng bagoong alamang sa ibabaw at iserve kasama ang mainit na kanin. Enjoy!