Chicken Tocino is marinated in pineapple juice, ketchup, and spices for sweet and garlicky flavors you’ll love! This Filipino cured meat is super easy to make and delicious as an all-day breakfast meal.
What better food to break our fast than a hearty silog plate? Runny yolks, garlic-studded fried rice, sweet and salty cured meats…mmm, mmm, mmm! Best way to start the day, any day.
Silog, for the uninitiated, is the colloquial term used to describe a classic Filipino breakfast made up of fried rice (sinangag), sunny side up eggs (itlog), and meat of choice such as beef tapa (tapsilog), longganisa (longsilog) pork tocino (tosilog), and daing na bangus (bangsilog).
Chicken tocino might be confusing for those not familiar with the Filipino food culture as tocino technically means pork or, more specifically, the belly part of the pig.
In the Philippines, however, the term tocino is associated with the process of preserving meat in sugar, salt, and spices and includes any protein cured in this type of marinade.
Tocino Seasonings
My pork tocino recipe is marinated in a mix of simple sugar, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and red food coloring. I kicked up the flavor for this chicken version by adding pineapple juice for a tangy taste and banana ketchup for color.
Helpful tips
- Although you can use chicken breast, I recommend boneless leg or thigh meat as the extra fat keeps these cuts moist and juicy.
- Do not marinate longer than overnight as the acidity of the pineapple juice might denature the proteins and turn the meat mushy.
How to serve
- Serve with garlic fried rice and sunny side up eggs for a hearty breakfast.
- Sandwich in warm loaves of pandesal for a filling midday snack.
- Cut into bite-sized pieces, skewer with bamboo sticks, and grill over hot coals until cooked through and nicely charred for fun party food.
- Add to stir-fried noodles or fried rice for a quick lunch.
How to store
- To store uncooked, transfer to resealable bags or airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To ensure even cooking, thaw in the refrigerator completely before frying. To cook, place the marinated chicken in a wide pan with about 1 cup of water. Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat and simmer until meat is fully cooked and liquid is mostly absorbed. Add about a tablespoon of oil and cook, stirring regularly, until nicely browned and caramelized.
More chicken recipes
Ingredients
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1/4 cup banana ketchup
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 pounds chicken thigh or leg meat, boneless and skinless
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine pineapple juice, ketchup, sugar, garlic powder, and salt, Stir until well distributed.
- Add chicken and massage meat with curing mixture until evenly colored. Transfer to a covered container or ziplock bag and refrigerate for about 4 hours or overnight to cure.
- In a pan over medium heat, add chicken including marinade and enough water to cover.
- Bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer until meat is tender and cooked through, adding more water in 1/2 cup increments as needed.
- When the meat is cooked through and liquid is mostly absorbed, add oil. Continue to cook, stirring regularly, until chicken is nicely browned and caramelized. Serve hot.
Notes
Video
Nutrition Information
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Tony Jae says
can this be grilled instead?
Lalaine Manalo says
Yes 🙂
ANABELLE BORDON MARINO says
Thanks for the yummy recipes! God bless you ❤️❤️❤️🙏🙏🙏🙏
Lalaine Manalo says
You’re welcome. Enjoy! 🙂
William Randall says
I made this. I made the marinade, put in my chicken, and put in the refrigerator overnight. I cooked it up the way I would normally cook my store bought tocino. It tasted like a Hawaiian chicken, not like tocino at all.
Emma Tan says
Hi po! Gaano katagal po shelf life nito?
Lalaine Manalo says
It should be ok in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Issa says
Looked for this recipe as my mother was buying ready made chicken tocino and it’s quite expensive. Thought I’ll make a batch to last for at least a week.
Thank you for sharing.😍
Lalaine Manalo says
Enjoy!
Josephine says
Can i substitute to pineapple juice to lemon juice
Lalaine Manalo says
Yes, you can but don’t marinate for too long as the acid in the lemon juice might make the meat mushy.
Aurora Zulueta says
Hi, in your reply dated Nov 21, you mentioned you freeze it WITH marinade. But in your Notes, it’s not to marinate more than overnight. Please, which is which…
Thanks!
Lalaine Manalo says
Hello, Aurora,
I apologize for the confusion. Freezing hinders the acids from breaking down the meat, so you can actually freeze the chicken with the marinade.
Eunice says
How will it last mam?
Lalaine Manalo says
Just transfer it to a resealable bag or airtight container and store in the freezer. It should last for up to 3 months 🙂
PJ Radovan says
Hi! Can I use Heinz catsup intead of banana ketchup?
Lalaine Manalo says
Yes, you can. Just adjust the sweetness with additional sugar as banana catsup is sweeter than tomato ketchup 🙂
Michelle Ubungen says
Im making 8lbs of this for class and I was wondering, can I cook this in a pot, or should the meat be laying flat on a pan?
Lalaine Manalo says
A wide, shallow pan is best but can cook it in a pot if you don’t have a pan to fit a large batch. Just make sure to stir regularly when the oil is added so the chicken will brown and caramelize evenly.
Geena says
Hi,
Can I use UFC tamis anghang ketchup? Thanks!
Lalaine says
Yes, you can but it will just be a little spicy 🙂
Geena says
Hi,
Can i use UFC tamis anghang ketchup?
Emy says
I just made this and it’s lovely!
I removed the chicken from the pot and then reduced the liquid before adding it back in, as it seemed to take too long otherwise.
I had it with scrambled egg and look forward to trying with garlic rice tomorrow!
Thanks for sharing the recipes!
Lalaine says
Thanks, Emy! I am glad you enjoyed the recipe!