Let’s speak about Pocherong Manok, consolation meals at its best. It has a wealthy tomato-based broth, tender hen, and a mixture of greens that absorb all that savory goodness. Think about a lighter and barely candy model of mechado, however nonetheless hearty sufficient to make you attain for further rice. It brings again reminiscences of household dinners, with Lola reminding you to complete your potatoes earlier than the saba bananas disappear.
Printed: 5/31/25
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Pocherong Manok is a hearty stew made with hen, greens, and a tomato-based broth. It’s completely filling and warming! In case you take pleasure in tomato-based dishes and nutritious elements like me, this can be a nice recipe to strive.
After I first made this, I needed to carry out as a lot taste as doable whereas holding the steps straightforward to observe. So, I ready this Pocherong Manok recipe by frying the bananas and potatoes first after which layered the flavors utilizing Chorizo de Bilbao (dry sausage originated within the Philippines) and tomato paste earlier than letting it simmer in a broth. The strategy is easy, and I’m certain pochero will likely be your subsequent favourite hen dish after making an attempt this one out!
What’s Pocherong Manok?
The phrase “pochero” (or “puchero” in Spanish) initially referred to an earthenware pot used for cooking. Over time, it began to explain the dish itself, which is a hearty stew historically made in such a pot. What makes it really Filipino is the contact of sweetness from the saba bananas and the combo of greens that stretch the meal.
And you probably have ever confused Hen Afritada with Pocherong Manok, you aren’t alone! They each characteristic hen cooked in a tomato-based sauce and are beloved Filipino consolation meals. However regardless of their similarities, these dishes every carry one thing totally different to the desk. Afritada is easier, utilizing hen, tomato sauce, potatoes, carrots, and bell peppers. In distinction, Pocherong Manok is heartier and extra festive, made with hen and a wider mixture of greens. Briefly, Afritada is extra savory, whereas Pochero is extra layered.
Elements and Goal
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Hen (2 lbs, lower into serving items) – varieties the principle protein and base taste of the dish
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Maggi Magic Hen Dice (1 piece) – enhances the broth with umami depth
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Saba bananas (3 items, sliced diagonally) – provides pure sweetness and creamy texture
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Potatoes (2 items, cubed) – provides physique and helps thicken the broth barely
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Canned chickpeas (14 oz) – provides protein and nutty texture
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Lengthy inexperienced beans (15 items) – provides crunch and freshness
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Cabbage (½ head, quartered) – contributes delicate taste and bulks up the stew
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Bok choy (1 bunch) – provides leafy texture and delicate bitterness
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Yellow onion (1 piece, chopped) – builds the flavour base
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Garlic (5 cloves, chopped) – deepens the aroma and savory notes
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Tomatoes (2 items, wedged) – varieties the acidic spine of the tomato-based sauce
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Chorizo de Bilbao (2 items, sliced) – infuses smoky, meaty taste
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Tomato paste (3 tablespoons) – intensifies the tomato profile and thickens the broth
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Water (2 cups) – creates the bottom liquid for simmering
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Cooking oil (1 cup) – used for frying and sautéing numerous elements
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Fish sauce – seasons with saltiness and umami
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Floor black pepper – provides delicate warmth and depth
The best way to Prepare dinner Pocherong Manok
- Begin with Frying the Bananas and Potatoes – Warmth 1 cup of cooking oil in a wok or deep pan. As soon as sizzling, fry 3 sliced saba bananas and a couple of giant cubed potatoes till they’re golden brown on the surface. This provides a barely crispy exterior whereas holding them delicate inside. In case you are out of saba bananas, ripe plantains can work as a good sub.
- Sear the Hen to Seal in Taste – Go away about 3 tablespoons of the used oil within the wok. Pan-fry 2 lbs of hen, lower into serving parts, for round 2 minutes per facet. This step locks within the juices and offers an excellent base for the broth. Set the hen apart after searing.
- Construct the Fragrant Base – Add 2 extra tablespoons of oil if wanted. Sauté 1 chopped yellow onion for a minute till translucent. Stir in 5 chopped garlic cloves and cook dinner till they begin to brown barely for that deeper taste. Add 2 wedged tomatoes and cook dinner for an additional minute to assist launch their pure juices and acidity.
- Deliver within the Chorizo and Hen – Toss in 2 sliced items of Chorizo de Bilbao. Allow them to sizzle for a minute so the oils can taste the bottom. Return the hen to the wok, combine nicely, and cook dinner every little thing collectively for two extra minutes to assist the elements mingle.
- Simmer with Sauce and Taste Boosters – Stir in 3 tablespoons of tomato paste and pour in 2 cups of water. Deliver this to a boil to activate the tomato paste and start creating the broth. Add 1 piece of Maggi Magic Hen Dice and stir till it dissolves utterly.
- Add the Bulk Elements – Combine within the canned chickpeas, beforehand fried potatoes, and bananas. Simmer for two minutes to let their flavors seep into the broth. These elements give the stew its signature texture—delicate but agency sufficient to carry their form.
- End with Greens and Seasoning – Add 15 lengthy inexperienced beans and ½ head of quartered cabbage. Cowl the wok and let it cook dinner for 3 minutes to melt them whereas nonetheless holding some crunch. Season with fish sauce and floor black pepper to style. Lastly, add 1 bunch of bok choy, flip off the warmth, and let the residual warmth steam it for two extra minutes. This technique retains the bok choy crisp and flavorful. Get pleasure from your soul-warming Pocherong Manok!
Suggestions & Tips
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Soak your potatoes in water for 10 minutes earlier than frying to stop sticking and get a greater crisp. Uncooked potatoes are loaded with extra floor starch, which might trigger them to clump collectively within the pan and cook dinner erratically. A fast 10-minute soak in chilly water helps rinse that off. After that, dry the potatoes completely with a clear towel—moisture is the enemy of crispiness. You need one thing golden in your pocherong manok broth, and it’s the potatoes shining!
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Need to skip canned chickpeas? Boil dried ones forward of time and maintain them within the freezer. I used canned chickpeas as a result of they’re a lot simpler to organize. However if you need dried ones, simply soak them in a single day, boil till tender, and portion into freezer luggage with only a splash of their cooking liquid. That method, they don’t dry out in storage. While you’re prepared to make use of them, simply thaw what you want on this recipe.
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For even higher banana texture, freeze peeled saba first and thaw earlier than frying as a result of it caramelizes sooner. While you fry these bananas in your pocherong manok, a golden crust with a delicate heart is what’s ready for you. Simply be sure that to allow them to thaw utterly and pat dry to keep away from oil splatter.
Finest Solution to Get pleasure from Pocherong Manok
Pocherong manok is a kind of meals finest loved throughout Sunday lunches or household get-togethers when everybody’s craving one thing do-it-yourself and satisfying. You may serve it piping sizzling with a beneficiant heap of steamed white rice. Ensure that the hen must be fall-apart tender, and the greens barely agency however cooked by means of. Pairing it with sawsawan (dipping sauce) like patis and chili can heighten the flavors much more, providing you with that salty, spicy hit that cuts by means of the richness. You carry pocherong manok out if you need one thing comforting and nutritious in a single plate!
How This Pocherong Manok Stands Out
I’ve cooked pochero in many alternative varieties, however this pocherong manok brings a bit little bit of every little thing into one pot. This model pulls taste from the chorizo as an alternative, making it smokier and extra layered. I additionally skipped the same old all-in-one sauté technique and as an alternative fried the bananas and potatoes first, which provides a caramelized texture that you’ll not get in any other case. The usage of tomato paste, quite than simply contemporary tomatoes, additionally intensifies the broth with out making it too watery.
What to Have With Pocherong Manok
After all, pocherong manok isn’t lonely on the desk. It craves the corporate of heat plain rice. The savory and barely candy broth blends into the rice. On the facet, atchara (pickled papaya) or cucumber salad works as a palate cleanser, particularly with the richness from the chorizo and tomato paste.
Some Filipinos love pairing it with something that’s fried, fish, for instance, so as to add crunch. In Spain, nevertheless, the place the unique “pochero” idea got here from, it’s frequent to have a easy piece of crusty bread on the facet. That works right here too, particularly when you’re mopping up the final bits of broth.
Prompt Recipes
In case you are into nutritious dishes like pocherong manok, you would possibly need to discover these subsequent:
- Pochero with Pork and Beans – This model makes use of canned pork and beans, making it faster and a bit sweeter. It leans extra into the Filipino pantry-style dish.
- Pata Pochero – Utilizing pork hock, this one’s extra gelatinous and opulent. The broth turns wealthy and sticky, and the meat simply falls off the bone, very best for many who love their pochero with further umami punch.
- Beef Pochero – This swaps our manok with beef, nevertheless it nonetheless has the identical nutritious contents, because of our elements. So bif you favor beef at present, you’ll be able to do this beefy stew.
Attempt Pocherong Manok, you would possibly simply discover your subsequent rainy-day favourite or a weekend staple value repeating!
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Pocherong Manok
Pocherong Manok is a Filipino hen stew simmered in a lightweight tomato-based broth with greens and saba bananas, making a comforting steadiness of savory and naturally candy flavors.
Directions
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Warmth the cooking oil in a wok. Fry the bananas and potatoes till it begins to brown. Put aside.
3 items saba bananas, 2 items potatoes
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Go away round 3 tablespoons of oil within the wok. Pan-fry the hen for two minutes on either side. Take away the hen and put aside.
2 lbs hen
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Add 2 tablespoons extra of cooking oil. Sauté the onion for 1 minute.
1 yellow onion
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Stir-in the garlic. Proceed sautéing till it begins to brown after which add the tomatoes. Sauté it for 1 minute.
5 cloves garlic, 2 items tomatoes
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Add the chorizo. Stir after which add again the hen. Proceed to sauté this for two minutes.
2 items Chorizo de bilbao
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Add the tomato paste and pour 2 cups of water into the wok. Let it boil.
3 tablespoons tomato paste, 2 cups water
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Add Maggi Magic Hen Dice. Stir,
1 Maggi Magic Hen Dice
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Add the chickpeas, potatoes, and bananas. Prepare dinner for two minutes.
14 ounces chickpeas (garbanzos)
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Put the lengthy inexperienced beans and cabbage. Cowl and proceed cooking for 3 minutes.
15 items lengthy inexperienced beans, ½ head cabbage
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Season with fish sauce and floor black pepper.
Fish sauce and floor black pepper to style
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Add the bok choy. Cowl the wok. Flip the warmth off and let the residual warmth cook dinner it for two minutes.
1 bunch bok choy
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Switch to a serving bowl. Serve with rice.
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Share and revel in!
Notes
- Saba bananas – Go for fruit that’s primarily yellow with a scatter of black freckles as a result of these are the candy spots the place the flesh is flavorful but nonetheless agency. That delicate firmness retains the slices intact whereas frying and simmering. Skip bananas that really feel mushy or are largely black, since they have a tendency to disintegrate within the pot, and go away the inexperienced, under-ripe ones behind. They style starchy and gained’t give the dish its light trace of sweetness.
- Tomato paste, not sauce – A spoonful of paste provides deep, concentrated tomato taste and thickens the broth simply sufficient to make it cling to the hen and veggies. As a result of it provides richness with out further liquid, the stew stays soupy as an alternative of watery. Its taste is much extra intense than common tomato sauce, which is strictly what a slow-simmered dish like Pocherong Manok wants.
Diet Info
Energy: 5378kcal (269%) Carbohydrates: 283g (94%) Protein: 254g (508%) Fats: 377g (580%) Saturated Fats: 58g (290%) Polyunsaturated Fats: 100g Monounsaturated Fats: 201g Trans Fats: 2g Ldl cholesterol: 680mg (227%) Sodium: 1790mg (75%) Potassium: 9646mg (276%) Fiber: 95g (380%) Sugar: 103g (114%) Vitamin A: 50457IU (1009%) Vitamin C: 771mg (935%) Calcium: 1997mg (200%) Iron: 46mg (256%)
