Pipian

Pipian is a Chabacano chicken dish with Spanish inspiration similar to kare-kare except it is way lot simplier to cook and has very few ingredients.



Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, cut into serving pieces

1 head of garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon annatto (achuete), fried in lard or oil to extract the color

2 cups water 

1 chicken bouillon (for extra flavor)

¼ cup rice flour

⅓ cup peanut butter (or more, to taste)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

cooking oil

fish sauce (patis) or salt

pepper to taste

chopped green onions 

pechay and sitaw (optional)

Procedures:

Toast the rice flour in a pan (carajay) over low heat until lightly browned. Remove and set aside in a bowl.

In another pan, fry the chicken pieces in hot lard or oil until golden brown. Remove and set aside on a plate.

Using the same pan, sauté the garlic and onion. 

Add chicken pieces and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for at least 10 minutes.

Add toasted rice flour slowly while stirring to prevent lumps then the peanut butter and annatto extract. Stir well to combine.

Bring to a boil and simmer until the sauce thickens.

Note: Add more broth if the sauce becomes too thick.