One of the easiest meals I can cook is my Instant Pot Filipino Chicken Nilaga. This is a classic Filipino stew of boiled chicken with an assortment of vegetables. And if you don’t own the currently popular Instant Pot or multicooker, I offer how to cook this the classic stove-top way, as well.
My mother used to say, “If you can boil water, you can cook anything.” In turn this is what I taught my sons when they were learning how to cook. Chicken Nilaga is just that — boiled chicken. This is the perfect meal for chilly winter nights or busy weekdays. You merely drop everything in the pot and the meal cooks by itself. And in the Instant Pot, you cut cooking time in nearly half and walk away to do other stuff.
As the east coast braced for the brutally-cold winter of below zero temperatures, I was reminded of the warm comfort this chicken stew brought our family. My mom used to cook this stew every Sunday back in the Philippines. It didn’t matter that the tropical weather there was hot and humid. The all-in-one soup meal brought us soothing comfort in a bowl every single time.
Nowadays, in my American kitchen, Chicken Nilaga is a mainstay on my meal rotation. This soft stewed chicken in a clear broth flavored with fish sauce, scallions and onions is splendid paired with steaming white rice. I like to mash my boiled potatoes on my plate, and let it mix happily with the tender chicken, the medley of vegetables in the salty broth and all on top of the plump rice grains.
No other dish has made my life as a mom so easy on any day I want to feed my family a good home cooked meal. Thanks to my mom who taught me “how to boil chicken.” And now let me go ladle some superb soup broth into the bowls that await at our table tonight.
Instant Pot Filipino Chicken Nilaga
Equipment
- Instant Pot : 6 quarts or 8 quarts
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic peeled, minced
- 1 whole white or yellow onion sliced
- 1 Tablespoon patis (fish sauce)
- 4 to 5 pounds whole chicken, bone-in, skin on, cut-up,
- 8 to 10 cups organic chicken broth
- 1 to 2 pieces potatoes peeled, quartered
- 1 large carrot peeled, sliced
- 1 cup sliced green beans edges trimmed, cut in 2-inch length pieces
- 1 teaspoon whole black pepper corns
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 pieces Chinese sausages (lap cheong) sliced
- 1 bunch bok choy about 2 cups shredded (or use regular cabbage)
- 1 to 2 stalks scallion greens chopped, for garnish
- steamed rice, for serving
Instructions
- To cook in the Instant Pot: (I used a 6-quart)
- Press the Saute button. Add the vegetable oil to the inside pot. When oil is hot enough in 1 to 2 minutes, saute the garlic, onions, scallion whites.
- Add the fish sauce or Filipino patis. Saute for 2 minutes till onions soften and fish sauce flavor sets in.
- Click Cancel to turn off the Saute function.
- Add the chicken pieces. Next to the chicken, nestle the potatoes, carrots, and green beans.
- Pour the broth making sure the liquid covers the chicken and vegetables
- Season with whole pepper corns, salt and black pepper powder. Cover with the lid. Make sure the valve is set to Sealing.
- Click on Manual + Meats/Stews + High Pressure and cook for 40 minutes.
- When the timer sounds to signal cooking is done, do a Quick Release. Carefully open the lid.
- Add the Chinese sausages and the shredded bok choy to the inside pot.
- Close the lid tightly. Press Keep Warm and allow Chinese sausages and bok choy to cook at a low temperature for 10 minutes.
- Open the lid carefully. Ladle the chicken and vegetables in a large soup tureen or else in individual bowls. Serve warm with rice.
- *Important Note: After the initial Saute, it takes about 17 to 20 minutes for the Instant Pot to preheat before the High Pressure cooking time begins. For other multi-cooker brands, please consult the product manual.
- To cook on the stove-top:
- In a large stock pot, over medium high heat, add the vegetable oil. Add the garlic, onions, scallions and fish sauce or Filipino patis. Let this cook for 2 to 3 minutes till onions soften and fish sauce flavor sets in.
- Add the chicken,and broth, making sure the liquid covers the chicken. Season with whole pepper corns, salt and black pepper powder. Let the broth boil at high heat, then lower to medium. Cover and cook till the chicken is soft and tender for about 60 minutes.
- At the last 20 minutes, add the Chinese sausages, potatoes and carrots. Add the green beans and bok choy at the last 10 minutes. Serve hot with boiled rice.
- What is an Instant Pot: An Instant Pot is a brand of a multi-cooker which is a counter-top kitchen appliance that gives you two options to cook: fast by way of high-pressure settings, like a pressure cooker, or slow, the way a slow cooker does.
- Quick Release: When you release the pressure instantly. Press Cancel and turn the Steam handle on the lid to a Venting position.
- Cook's comments: Chinese sausages or ‘lap cheong’, made with pork, fat, rice wine, soy sauce and seasonings are a favorite ingredient to add to noodles, rice dishes, vegetables or steamed buns. Also known as Tsorizong Macau in the Philippines, its sweet-savory smokey flavors add a special depth to any dish. Eat the slices alone with rice or add it to entrees. These sausages are found in Asian markets. Some Asian stores sell different varieties ranging from regular with rice wine to very spicy. Be sure to read labels carefully for the correct flavor preferred.
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Nutrition
Nutrition Notes: The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Did you like this recipe? I have more Filipino Instant Pot recipes in my newest cookbook Instant Filipino Recipes: My Mother’s Traditional Philippine Cooking in A Multicooker Pot. Buy my cookbooks and books on Amazon.com – sold worldwide in paperback and Kindle format.
Disclosure: Instant Pot is the brand name of a multi-cooker that cooks in high and low pressure. I was not paid by the Instant Pot company to mention the product or brand nor endorse it. This is not an ad. My views and opinions are my own.
Copyright Notice: Hello, Friends! Please DO NOT LIFT OR PLAGIARIZE Asian in America recipes on this blog, my original recipes, stories, photos or videos. All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC by Elizabeth Ann Quirino. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to copy, scrape, lift, frame, plagiarize or use my photos, essays, stories and recipe content on your websites, books, films, television shows, videos, without my permission. If you wish to republish this recipe or content on media outlets mentioned above, please ASK MY PERMISSION, or re-write it in your own words and link back to my blog AsianInAmericaMag.com to give proper attribution. It is the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected]
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