Pininyahang Manok Recipe (Pineapple Chicken) (2024)

FAQs

How long is too long to marinate chicken in pineapple juice? ›

For the people out there Marinating it for hours,,, Don't ! The acids in the orange juice and pineapple juice will actually start to cook your chicken after about 40 minutes,, which is the maximum I would ever go.

Pininyahang manok, commonly anglicized as pineapple chicken, is a Philippine dish consisting of chicken braised in a milk or coconut milk-based sauce with pineapples, carrots, potatoes, and bell peppers.

Juicy pieces of chicken, fried up with peppers, onions and pineapple chunks in a simple, sweet and savoury stir-fry sauce. This is my go-to recipe when I've got a hankering for a sweet and sour style dinner, but I haven't got the time to coat and fry up chicken pieces.

Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich. Bromelain, the group of enzymes in fresh pineapple, is excellent at breaking down the connective tissues in thick, fibrous chicken breasts.

You can marinate chicken anywhere from 2 hours up to 24 hours, though marinating chicken for even 15 to 30 minutes can impart flavor and moisture into smaller pieces of meat. Generally, bone-in cuts of chicken, such as wings, drumsticks and breasts, will require a longer marinade time than their boneless counterparts.

Whisk together vegetable or canola oil, pineapple juice, paprika, basil, onion, thyme, and garlic. Place chicken breasts in a ziplock freezer bag, pound to an even thickness, and pour marinade into the bag. Place the chicken in the refrigerator and marinate for a few hours up to overnight.

It comes from the words sari and manok. Sari means "assorted" or "various", while manok originally meant "bird," as evidenced by early Spanish colonial sources, but came to mean only "chicken", which is how it is understood today (i.e. the creature is a "bird/chicken of assorted colors").

The word manok comes from the Proto-Austronesian manuk which meant (bird). In most modern Philippine languages, manok means chicken.

chicken, poultry, fowl.

However, what many people do not know is pineapple has an enzyme called bromelain that softens muscle fiber. This enzyme reacts with the protein in the meat to break it down and increases the meat's potential to absorb more moisture. This is the reason why pineapple is one of the most preferred tenderizers.

Where did Pininyahang Manok come from? ›

The dish originates from Southern Luzon which was once a regional center of pineapple fiber (Spanish: piña) production in the Spanish Philippines.

Pineapple, like any other fruit, is safe to eat and does not cause harm when consumed with chicken or any other food.

It's because they tenderise chicken using a simple method called Velveting Chicken using baking soda. It's a quick and easy method that any home cook can do, and can also be used for beef. Use this for all your favourite Chinese chicken dishes, like Cashew Chicken, Chicken Stir Fry, Chow Mein and Kung Pao Chicken.

If canned pineapple is used, the bromelain is no longer active due to the heating in the canning process. This means there is no longer a risk of it attacking any proteins it encounters. Another source of protease enzymes that can be used is papayas which contain papain.

Know the soaking time: As pineapple is acidic in nature, the resting time for the marinade should not be more than 12 hours. Soaking the meat in pineapple juice for longer may result in the cooking of the meat in the marinade.

More is not always better when it comes to marinating animal proteins, especially when there are acidic ingredients such as pineapple and/or vinegar involved. Add pork into the mixture for 2 to 8 hours. For chicken, marinate for 2 to 4 hours.

Most recipes for marinating meat and poultry recommend six hours up to 24 hours. It is safe to keep the food in the marinade longer, but after two days it is possible that the marinade can start to break down the fibers of the meat, causing it to become mushy.

Avoid over-marinating

While you can cook and eat chicken that has been marinating for more than 24 hours, you're risking exposing yourself to some strange textures. Chicken can get both mushy and tough when it's been left to marinate too long. If it's been more than 48 hours, the USDA recommends throwing it out.