Chicken Tocino

This Chicken Tocino Recipe is sweet, savory, and juicy for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The chicken is marinated with pineapple juice, brown sugar, garlic powder, ketchup, and soy sauce to make the chicken burst with flavors.

you will love this

• Nothing is better than a homemade sweet, tangy, and crazy flavorful chicken tocino that you make in the comfort of your home.
• It is one of the easiest sweet and savory Filipino Chicken Recipes you will enjoy.
• Made with all-natural ingredients from your own kitchen, it is healthier, tastes better, and is more affordable than buying a commercial tocino that comes from a plastic bag in the Supermarket with over 20 ingredients.
• If you love more pineapple recipes, be sure to check out my Sweet and Sour Meatballs, Macaroni Salad, and Tepache Pineapple Drink.

Ingredients Notes

I am sure that most, if not all, of the ingredients are already in your kitchen.

• Chicken Thighs - I prefer thighs to the chicken breast because it has more fat content, are tender, and are slightly more flavorful.
• Pineapple Juice - This is one of the key ingredients to a juicy, sweet, and tangy meat. Marinating chicken in pineapple also serves as a tenderizer making the chicken moist and juicy. No pineapple juice? You can use orange juice!
• Sugar - Tocino chicken is sweetened with brown or white sugar in addition to pineapple juice and ketchup. I love brown sugar because of its deeper color and nutty flavor. You can also use honey, molasses, or maple syrup as a healthier option as a sweetener.
• Ketchup - It adds color and sweetness. Use banana ketchup or tomato ketchup. If you don't have ketchup, skip it and add a little bit more sugar and red food coloring. You can also try tomato sauce if that's what you have.
• Garlic powder - For a garlicky taste. You can also use fresh minced garlic.
• Soy Sauce, Salt, and Black pepper to taste.
• Red food coloring - Just to add color. It is only for appearance, and it doesn't add any flavor.

Instructions

Chicken Tocino is super easy to make! Prepping all the ingredients is such a breeze since we just need measuring spoons and measuring cups. It is basically 3 step process, and you can have the best tocino chicken dish on the table.

Marinating the Chicken. In a container, combine pineapple juice, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic powder, soy sauce, sugar, and salt. Mix everything together until well blended. Add the chicken into the marinade, and massage the meat with the curing mixture until well distributed. Cover with a lid and let it marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

Boiling the Chicken. After the chicken has absorbed all the flavors from the marinade, it's time to transfer the meat with the marinade to a skillet and add enough water just to cover the meat. Let it boil. Once it's boiling, turn the heat down and let the liquid reduce.

Frying the Chicken. After the meat is cooked through and the liquid is mostly evaporated, add enough cooking oil to sear the chicken. Continue to cook on low to medium heat, stirring regularly to avoid meat from burning, until chicken is nicely browned and caramelized. Serve and enjoy.

Questions and Answers

What to serve with it

Chicken Tocino is often served as the popular breakfast, lunchtime, or dinner combination with the following:

• Filipino Garlic Fried Rice
• Fried eggs or sunny-side-up eggs
• A bowl of Cooked White Rice
• Pancit Bihon and Pork Lumpia

Storage Tips and Reheating

• Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 7 days. Store uncooked tocino in the refrigerator with the marinade for up to 3 days. If you plan to keep it longer, transfer tocino in a ziplock bag and keep it in the freezer for up to 1 month.
• Reheating: Reheat tocino chicken in a skillet with cooking oil until warm thoroughly. Or microwave for 30 seconds or until completely warm.