Ginataang Manok with Papaya is a popular Filipino coconut-milk stew recipe that is a combination of chicken pieces, green papaya, green beans, and various aromatic spices cooked together in a flavorful coconut broth. The dish is often served with steamed rice and enjoyed as a main course.

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Coconut-based dishes have been part of Filipino cuisine for centuries, with the use of coconut milk dating back to pre-colonial times. It is not surprising since the Philippines has an abundance of coconut trees which gives them the name “the coconut capital of the world”.

I have cooked many Ginataang recipes, and they are delicious and nutritious. That is because of most it contain vegetables and meat as protein. They are typically eaten with white steamed rice and are sometimes served with different side dishes.

In this post, I have made a delicious coconut-milk-based chicken stew called Ginaatang manok with papaya. In English, the word Ginataang means “cooked with coconut milk” while the word Manok means “Chicken”. I promise you are going to love it since this is one of my favorite Filipino chicken stew dishes.

Recipe ingredients

Here are the ingredients you need to make Ginataang Manok with Papaya:

Chicken: I am using Chicken Thigh and Leg since they provide rich and flavorful meat that becomes tender and juicy when cooked. These cuts are often preferred for stew dishes like Ginataang Manok due to their moistness and ability to withstand longer cooking times.

Green Papaya: They are unripe papaya fruit that has a firm and slightly sweet flavor as it is cooked in coconut milk. In this recipe, green papaya is peeled, seeded, and sliced into bite-sized pieces

Green Beans: Also known as “Sitaw” is a long, slender green vegetable. I included this in my recipe for added color and a bit of vegetable flavor.

Herbs: I added garlic, ginger, and red onion since they enhance the flavor and aroma of my Filipino chicken coconut dish.

Fish Sauce: This is a popular Filipino condiment sauce that adds a savory umami flavor to dishes. It has a salty flavor but it provides a balance to the sweetness of the coconut milk which adds flavor to my stew dish.

Bouillon Cube: I am using a chicken bouillon cube which adds flavor to my stew.

Water: You need water to combine with the coconut milk, bouillon cube, and other ingredients to form a flavorful broth in which the chicken and vegetables are cooked.

Vegetable Oil: I use canola oil to saute the chicken, onion, garlic, and ginger before adding the coconut milk and water.

Step by Step Instruction

Here is the instruction on how to make Ginataang Manok with Papaya:

• In a large cooking pot, I add vegetable canola oil and then saute the red onion first, followed by ginger & garlic.
• Once I stirred them for a few minutes, I added the chicken leg and thigh and sauté it for 5 minutes

• I poured the coconut milk and water on the chicken, and let it simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside the remaining half of the coconut milk for later use.
•  Once you reach 20 minutes, add the remaining coconut milk.
•  After that, I added the green beans and green papaya. I let it simmer for 5 more minutes so it will be soft.
•  Seasoned it with fish sauce, black pepper, and salt.
•  Once done, you can now serve it with white steamed rice. Enjoy!

Tips and Hints

• Clean the chicken with lemon or calamansi juice and juice to remove the odor when simmering it.
• If you like your stew creamier and thicker texture, you can use coconut cream instead of milk
• Fish sauce is an important condiment since this is what adds flavor of my ginitaang manok
• You can use the orange papaya which is the ripe fruit but it has a soft texture and it cooks faster than the green papaya

Frequently Asked Question (FAQs)

Other Filipino Coconut Milk Recipes

Here are other delicious Filipino Ginataang or coconut milk stew recipes that you can make at home:

1. Filipino Chicken Curry

2. Chicken Bicol Express

3. Ginataang Manok with Kalabsa (coconut milk with squash and moringga leaves)

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