This is an updated version of the chicken salpicao recipe originally published in December 3, 2020. Differences between the old and modified recipes:
- Skin-on chicken thigh fillets, not skinless breast fillets, are used in the modified recipe.
- Adding olive oil to the marinade is unnecessary because the chicken skin provides enough fat to keep the meat moist.
Cut the chicken thigh fillets into cubes, add garlic and pepper, and marinate in the fridge for at least an hour. If you have time to spare, marinating overnight will give the chicken even better flavor.
Before you start cooking the chicken, you have to toss the cubes in flour. Make sure every piece is lightly coated. The flour will create a nice crust during the first stage of cooking and, later, thicken the sauce.
Heat olive oil in a pan. Make sure it’s very hot before you spread the marinated and floured chicken. To ensure even browning, it is ideal to use a pan that can hold the chicken pieces in a single layer.
Allow the undersides to brown before stirring them. Continue cooking over high heat until you see the flour turn into a light golden crust.
Stir in sliced button mushrooms and cook just until the mushroom pieces go limp. Then, pour in the sauce, stir and let the chicken soak up the liquid. Note that because of the flour that coats the chicken pieces, the sauce will thicken fast.
Your chicken salpicao is ready once the contents of the pan loses its soupy appearance. Do not be tempted to stir too much and cook for much longer because the floury crusts might separate from the chicken meat, and you don’t want that to happen.
Chicken salpicao
Ingredients
- 700 to 800 grams chicken thigh fillets skin on, cut into one-inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons finely minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 ½ cups sliced button mushrooms
- 4 to 5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 4 to 5 tablespoons liquid seasoning I used Knorr — I do not recommend substituting soy sauce
To garnish
- 2 to 3 tablespoons finely sliced scallions
Instructions
- Place the chicken cubes in a bowl. Add the minced garlic and pepper. Mix well. Cover and keep in the fridge for an hour.
- Heat the butter and olive oil in a wide shallow pan — wide enough to contain the chicken cubes in a single layer. The heat should be very high.
- Place the chicken in a plastic freezer bag. Add the flour. Shake to coat each piece of chicken with flour. It is the flour that will thicken the sauce later and make it stick well to the chicken.
- When the olive oil and butter are hot, add the floured chicken, spreading the pieces so that every piece touches the oil. Do not stir for a minute or so to allow the underside to brown. Keep the heat very high.
- Stir. Cook for a few minutes, with occasional stirring, until the chicken changes color and a light crust forms.
- Add the mushrooms, cook just until softened, stirring occasionally.
- Pour in the Worcestershire sauce and liquid seasoning. Stir briskly; the sauce should thicken quite fast.
- Continue cooking until the liquid seasonings have been soaked up by the chicken and mushrooms.
