Easy Chicken Tocino Made In Just 20 Minutes

If you're craving a dish packed with flavor, this chicken tocino is just what you need. It's tangy and savory with the perfect amount of sweetness and a little bit of spiciness. Not to mention, it's effortless to cook, and it's is made with just a few simple ingredients.

THE BEST CHICKEN TOCINO

If you've never had chicken tocino before, you're missing out. This Filipino marinated chicken recipe is incredibly tender, juicy, and packed with sweet and savory flavor in every bite.

And although it's traditionally eaten for breakfast, this meal is delicious any time of day. 

Filipino recipes have been getting more popular online lately, and for a good reason.

But since Filipino restaurants can be a little hard to come by, I wanted to make my own version of this classic chicken recipe that you can make at home!

And, let me tell you, this tocino recipe is a game-changer. The chicken is marinated with delicious flavors and has a little bit of a crunch from the caramelized sauce. 

It is a great recipe to have for an easy and delicious meal prep, or just as tasty meal for any day of the week. This chicken tocino reminds me of this chicken 65 recipe - another delicious chicken breast recipe that is packed with flavor.

I love eating it with this instant pot sushi rice or these 5 ingredient biscuits for dinner, or just with a fried egg for breakfast.

And the best part about this recipe, it is a proven hit with both kids and adults, so you're sure to keep everyone at the table happy.

INGREDIENTS 

I can almost guarantee that you have all of these ingredients in your kitchen already.

The only thing that you might not have on hand is the pineapple juice. But make sure you use it because it is the secret to making this chicken tocino extra tender and getting all the marinade flavors to infuse with the meat.

Anyway, here's what you'll need for this recipe:

• 1 pound chicken breast or thigh cut into cubes
• ⅓ cup pineapple juice
• 3 tbsp of ketchup
• 3 tbsp of brown sugar
• 2 tbsp of chili sauce
• 1 tbsp of garlic powder
• ½ tbsp salt
• ½ tbsp black pepper
• ⅓ cup of water
• 1 tbsp oil

By the way, I use some of these same ingredients for my empress chicken recipe.

So if you're into sweet and savory chicken recipes, you'll want to check that out next!

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN TOCINO

This tocino is definitely one of the easiest chicken recipes you can make. It's basically a 3-step process – marinate, boil, and pan-fry.

All in all, it should only take about 15 minutes to cook the chicken once marinated.

And this recipe makes 4 servings, but you can easily double or triple it to feed more people or make sure you have leftovers!

So, without further ado, let's dive into the recipe.

STEP 1: MARINATE THE CHICKEN

Ok, so you'll want to start this step the night before because the longer the chicken marinates, the better your tocino will taste.

But with that being said, as long as you marinate it for at least 4 hours to cure the meat, it'll still come out fantastic.

Anyway, start by combining your pineapple juice, ketchup, sugar, chili sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Then, give it a nice stir to get everything well incorporated.

After that, add your cubed chicken to the bowl and let it marinate in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 4 hours.

STEP 2: BOIL THE TOCINO

Once your chicken marinades, you'll want to add it along with the marinade liquid to a saucepan and bring everything to a boil.

Then, add a third cup of water to the pan and let it continue boiling until all the liquid evaporates and your chicken is tender.

STEP 3: PAN-FRY AND FINISHING TOUCHES

For frying, first, add your oil to a pan over medium heat and let it heat up. Then sauté your chicken tocino until it's golden brown and caramelized.

Transfer it to a plate and serve with rice, a fried egg, and sliced peppers. And to make it authentic, stir-fry your rice with some minced garlic before serving.

Enjoy!

HOW TO REHEAT AND STORE YOUR CHICKEN TOCINO

So, as I mentioned, this recipe makes 4 servings, and you can double or triple it depending on how many people are eating and if you want to have leftovers. 

And if you do have leftovers, one of the great things about this recipe is how well they keep. The chicken will stay perfectly tender and juicy for days, making it an excellent choice for meal prep throughout the week!

Just store your leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge where they will stay good for up to 5 days.

REHEATING 

To reheat your chicken tocino, you can warm it up in the microwave for two minutes, or let it steam on the stovetop in a covered pan with a couple of tablespoons or so of water until heated.

You can also use the oven - keep the tocino in an oven-safe dish with a splash of water and cover it with tin foil. Then bake at around 250°F (120°C) until warm.

Oh, and I don't recommend sautéing your leftovers from the fridge. If it's already perfectly caramelized and golden brown, the sauce might burn if you try to fry it again.

FREEZING EXTRA BATCHES

Now, you can make extra batches of the marinated chicken to have on hand whenever you need a quick and delicious dinner option!

You can keep the marinated chicken in a freezer bag labeled with the date you made it, and it will stay good in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Then, just take it out and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight – or immerse it in a bowl of water for a couple of hours until fully thawed – and then cook as described above.

WRAPPING IT ALL UP

And that's how you make sweet, tangy, and crazy flavorful chicken tocino at home! 

This is one of those recipes you may have never heard of, but I think will become a household favorite. It's easy to make, has simple ingredients, and everyone who tries it will love it!

Anyway, I hope you like this chicken tocino recipe as much as I do. As always, let me know in the comments if you tried it. I'd love to know how it turned out!

CHICKEN RECIPES TO TRY NEXT

By the way, if you enjoyed this chicken recipe, we've got a few other really great ones on the blog too:

• Chicken Tempura
• Empress Chicken
• Spicy Southwest Salad Recipe
• Chicken Fricassee
• Chicken Bryan
• Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

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