Chicken Castanets

I just recently came back from a three week visit to the Philippines. The purpose of the visit was to see my mom whom I have not seen since 2013. I was happy to see my mom, my siblings, relatives and friends from university days. I also had the chance to spend some time with my brother in law’s side of the family. I was able to sit down with my brother in law’s mom, a good cook, while she shared the family’s recipes to me. It was an amazing experience to be able to acquire some recipes from this wonderful person. One of the recipes she shared was this chicken castanets, a recipe that was highly recommended by her family members.

Chicken castanets is a stew consisting of some ingredients that are popularly used by Filipinos. I used chicken thighs in this recipe but other chicken pieces may be used as well. The chicken pieces were marinated in liquid seasonings first and then pan fried until brown. It was then cooked along with the chorizo, carrots and mushrooms. The grape tomatoes and dried thyme were added at the last minute of cooking time.

The result was an incredibly flavorful dish. I did not even have to correct the seasonings. It was perfect as is. The combination of the chorizo and mushroom in the sauce was so good while the addition of thyme at the end made this dish even more flavorful. This chicken dish will definitely be in my list of recipe favorites. Enjoy!

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Chicken Castanets

Liza Agbanlog

4 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Filipino

Servings 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 8 chicken thighs or 4 thighs and 4 drumsticks
• 2 tbsp Knorr or Maggi seasoning
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil plus more for sautéing
• 4 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 small Spanish chorizo (about 5 oz) sliced diagonally
• 1 carrot peeled and cut into rounds
• 6 oz small white mushrooms lightly rinsed and wiped dry, about 2 cups
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 16 grape tomatoes
• ½ tsp dried thyme optional
• 1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp water

Instructions

 

• Marinate chicken pieces in Knorr seasoning for at least an hour or overnight.
• Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the chicken in batches, until golden brown; set aside.
• Using a different pan or skillet, sauté garlic and onion in hot oil for 2-3 minutes or until onion has softened.
• Add chorizo, carrots and mushrooms; sauté for 2 minutes or until mushrooms turned brown.
• Add chicken broth and browned chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and let mixture simmer for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked.
• Stir in tomatoes and dried thyme, if using. Give cornstarch mixture a quick stir and then add to the pan. Let mixture simmer until sauce thickens. Season to taste by adding Knorr seasoning if needed.
• Serve with steamed rice and enjoy!

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