Chicken tocino is a sweet and salty Filipino breakfast dish. Usually served with garlic fried rice and eggs, it’s delicious, filling and so easy to make! One of the best ways to start your day.
(Love breakfast? Try this sweet and spicy beef tapa or some creamy ube champorado.)
For as long as I can remember, we Filipinos have associated tocino with marinated pork. The use of chicken is a relatively recent (at least to me) variation.
Frankly, I’m happy to use chicken and much prefer it. Not only because it’s known to be the healthier type of meat, but also because it’s generally more affordable than pork.
The flavors that we love in tocino — sweet, salty, and sometimes spicy — stay the same though. So everybody wins!
Let’s get to it.
Why you’ll love this simple chicken tocino marinade recipe
You won’t believe how easy it is to make tocino marinade at home. So much better than buying frozen tocino at the supermarket, which is most likely packed with preservatives and other things we can’t pronounce.
- Simple ingredients. Almost everything you need, you most likely already have in your kitchen.
- Easy to make. And it really is as easy as preparing the marinade, marinating the chicken, and frying.
- Tender meat. Our marinade has pineapple juice and vinegar; both help break down proteins in the meat and make it tender.
- Delicious. And it’s so good! Just like how the tocino of our childhood tasted like — perfectly fried with bits of caramelized sugar on the edges, served with garlic rice and fried egg. Yummy tocilog!
Chicken tocino ingredients and cooking tools
You can find the full ingredient list at the bottom of this article. Two things to note:
- Chicken — we use boneless and skinless chicken thighs that we slice into 2-3 inch fillets. You can also use boneless and skinless chicken breast. Chicken breast tends to dry out though, so we use thighs as much as possible.
- Annatto powder — annatto powder (achuete or achiote) is what makes tocino red. I would caution against using red food coloring as a substitute to make your dish red though. Annatto powder has a mildly sweet and spicy flavor that food color won’t provide.
Expert tips
- To slice or not to slice. We always slice our meat into 2-3 inch fillets. You can opt not to and just slice after cooking or before serving. We like how the smaller pieces can absorb more of the marinade. We also prefer thin tocino with slightly crispy edges. So it’s really up to you.
- Allow time for the chicken to marinate. It’s best to give the meat time to absorb all that flavor from the marinade of brown sugar, garlic powder and pineapple juice. Don’t marinate for more than 24 hours though; the meat will become mush.
- Cook in water first. To ensure the chicken cooks through and to avoid the sugar from burning, cook your tocino in water first (pan over medium heat). Once it comes to a boil, add oil and fry.
- Don’t crowd your pan. You want to fry your chicken tocino in a single layer on your pan for an even cook.
Recipe FAQs
Tocino is a Filipino dish made from pork or chicken that’s been marinated in a sweet and salty mixture, then fried.
It’s commonly eaten for breakfast but works for lunch and dinner, too.
Tocino is sweet and salty, sometimes a little peppery.
You often hear tocino mentioned in the same vein as tocilog.
Tocilog is simply “tocino” + “sinangag” or fried rice + “itlog” or egg. This is a breakfast meal typically enjoyed in the Philippines.
You can absolutely use this marinade recipe to make pork tocino. You cook it the same way as well.
Cooked chicken tocino can keep up to 5 days in the fridge. Freeze if you want to store for longer.
More Filipino breakfast recipes
Do you love Filipino food for breakfast? Check these out:
Tocino chicken is one of those dishes we default to when we don’t know what to cook. So easy to make, filling, and so good!
I hope you like it too.
Happy cooking!
Did you make this easy chicken tocino recipe? I’d love to hear all about it! Leave a comment or a star rating below. You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook. I’d love to see your creations!
You can find me on Pinterest and YouTube as well.
Easy Chicken Tocino Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless and skinless chicken thighs can also use chicken breast
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp paprika
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1 .35-oz sachet annatto powder
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- water for cooking
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients (except the chicken) in a bowl until incorporated.¾ cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp paprika, ½ tsp white pepper, 1 .35-oz sachet annatto powder, ½ cup pineapple juice, 2 tbsp white vinegar
- Add chicken to the marinade and ensure all pieces of meat are submerged.2 lbs boneless and skinless chicken thighs
- Cover the bowl with cling wrap and marinate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Place the chicken in a pan on medium heat, place enough water that would cover the chicken about halfway through, and bring to a boil.water
- Lower the heat, add oil and continue to fry the chicken until the water has evaporated, the meat is cooked through and the sugar has caramelized. Serve warm.oil
Video
Notes
- We always slice our meat into 2-3 inch fillets. You can opt not to and just slice after cooking or before serving. We like how the smaller pieces can absorb more of the marinade. We also prefer thin tocino with slightly crispy edges. So it’s really up to you.
- You want to fry your chicken tocino in a single layer on your pan for an even cook.
- Cooked chicken tocino can keep up to 5 days in the fridge. Freeze if you want to store for longer.
- See post for more tips and FAQs.
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
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