• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Curious Flavors
  • Recipes
    • Appetizer
    • Main Dish
    • side dish
    • Soups
    • Noodles
    • Desserts
    • Bread
    • Breakfast
    • Drinks
    • Pasta
  • About Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
Home » Chicken Tocino

Chicken Tocino

November 19, 2022 by Jomelyn 4 Comments

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This Chicken Tocino Recipe is sweet, savory, and juicy for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The chicken is marinated with pineapple juice, brown sugar, garlic powder, ketchup, and soy sauce to make the chicken burst with flavors.

Chicken tocino in a plate with garli fried rice.

you will love this

  • Nothing is better than a homemade sweet, tangy, and crazy flavorful chicken tocino that you make in the comfort of your home.
  • It is one of the easiest sweet and savory Filipino Chicken Recipes you will enjoy.
  • Made with all-natural ingredients from your own kitchen, it is healthier, tastes better, and is more affordable than buying a commercial tocino that comes from a plastic bag in the Supermarket with over 20 ingredients.
  • If you love more pineapple recipes, be sure to check out my Sweet and Sour Meatballs, Macaroni Salad, and Tepache Pineapple Drink.

Ingredients Notes

I am sure that most, if not all, of the ingredients are already in your kitchen.

Ingredients for chicken tocino.
Red food coloring is not in the photo, but I added a drop of it to achieve the pinkish tocino color.
  • Chicken Thighs – I prefer thighs to the chicken breast because it has more fat content, are tender, and are slightly more flavorful.
  • Pineapple Juice – This is one of the key ingredients to a juicy, sweet, and tangy meat. Marinating chicken in pineapple also serves as a tenderizer making the chicken moist and juicy. No pineapple juice? You can use orange juice!
  • Sugar – Tocino chicken is sweetened with brown or white sugar in addition to pineapple juice and ketchup. I love brown sugar because of its deeper color and nutty flavor. You can also use honey, molasses, or maple syrup as a healthier option as a sweetener.
  • Ketchup – It adds color and sweetness. Use banana ketchup or tomato ketchup. If you don’t have ketchup, skip it and add a little bit more sugar and red food coloring. You can also try tomato sauce if that’s what you have.
  • Garlic powder – For a garlicky taste. You can also use fresh minced garlic.
  • Soy Sauce, Salt, and Black pepper to taste.
  • Red food coloring – Just to add color. It is only for appearance, and it doesn’t add any flavor.

Instructions

Chicken Tocino is super easy to make! Prepping all the ingredients is such a breeze since we just need measuring spoons and measuring cups. It is basically 3 step process, and you can have the best tocino chicken dish on the table.

Marinating the Chicken. In a container, combine pineapple juice, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic powder, soy sauce, sugar, and salt. Mix everything together until well blended. Add the chicken into the marinade, and massage the meat with the curing mixture until well distributed. Cover with a lid and let it marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

Marinating the chicken in the curing mixture.

Boiling the Chicken. After the chicken has absorbed all the flavors from the marinade, it’s time to transfer the meat with the marinade to a skillet and add enough water just to cover the meat. Let it boil. Once it’s boiling, turn the heat down and let the liquid reduce.

Boiling the meat to make chicken tocino.

Frying the Chicken. After the meat is cooked through and the liquid is mostly evaporated, add enough cooking oil to sear the chicken. Continue to cook on low to medium heat, stirring regularly to avoid meat from burning, until chicken is nicely browned and caramelized. Serve and enjoy.

Frying chicken tocino until nicely brown and tender.

Questions and Answers

What is tocino?

Tocino means bacon in Spanish, typically made from thinly sliced pork belly. It is a type of cured meat that is fried until crispy. There are different cuisine that makes tocino in their own variations.

What is Filipino tocino?

Filipino tocino is a cured meat, usually with pork belly sweetened its marinated from pineapple juice, ketchup, sugar, soy sauce, and garlic.

Can I freeze tocino?

Yes! Tocino is freezer-friendly and usually sold in the supermarket frozen.

What kind of meat is best for tocino making?

The more fat content the meat has, the better for making tocino. Pork belly and chicken thighs are the best cut and have the higher fat content in meat. More fat means more flavor.

How long can tocino last in the refrigerator?

Uncooked tocino can last in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Cooked tocino on the other hand, can last up to 7 days in the refrigerator if stored properly. If you want to keep it longer than that, you can freeze cooked or uncooked tocino in a ziplock bag or air-tight container for up to 4 months.

What to serve with it

Chicken Tocino is often served as the popular breakfast, lunchtime, or dinner combination with the following:

  • Filipino Garlic Fried Rice
  • Fried eggs or sunny-side-up eggs
  • A bowl of Cooked White Rice
  • Pancit Bihon and Pork Lumpia

Storage Tips and Reheating

  • Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 7 days. Store uncooked tocino in the refrigerator with the marinade for up to 3 days. If you plan to keep it longer, transfer tocino in a ziplock bag and keep it in the freezer for up to 1 month.
  • Reheating: Reheat tocino chicken in a skillet with cooking oil until warm thoroughly. Or microwave for 30 seconds or until completely warm.
Chicken tocino in a plate with garli fried rice.

Chicken Tocino Recipe

Jomelyn Mauermann
This Chicken Tocino Recipe is sweet, savory, and juicy for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The chicken is marinated with pineapple juice, brown sugar, garlic powder, ketchup, and soy sauce to make the chicken burst with flavors.
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 12 hrs
Course Breakfast, lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Filipino
Servings 4 servings
Calories 270 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 skillet

Ingredients
  

  • 5 pieces chicken thighs skinless, debone and sliced 2×2 inches
  • ¼ cup cooking oil

Marinade for Chicken

  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup pineapple juice or orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder or minced garlic
  • ¼ cup ketchup
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 drop red food coloring optional

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl or container, combine garlic powder, brown sugar, salt and black pepper, pineapple juice, ketchup, soy sauce and food coloring if using any. Mix until well blended.
  • Add the chicken into the marinade, and massage the meat with the curing mixture until well distributed. Cover with a lid and let it marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
  • In a pan over medium heat, add chicken, including marinade with enough water to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer until meat is tender and cooked through and the liquid is absorbed.
  • Add cooking oil and continue to cook in low-medium heat, stirring regularly, until chicken is nicely browned and caramelized. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Recipe Note:

Double up the recipe to save time and freeze some for a quick breakfast, lunch, or dinner idea. Chicken tocino is freezer friendly. 
If you want to achieve pinkish color for appearance, you can add a few drops of red food coloring. 

Nutrition

Serving: 4servingsCalories: 270kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 2gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 794mgPotassium: 149mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 33gVitamin A: 80IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 1mg
Keyword chicken tocino
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Related Posts:

  • Hot and Sour Soup
    Hot and Sour Soup
  • Tepache Fermented Pineapple Cold Drink (easy)
    Tepache Fermented Pineapple Cold Drink (easy)
  • Asian Sweet and Sour Meatballs with Pineapple
    Asian Sweet and Sour Meatballs with Pineapple
  • Shakshuka with Mushrooms
    Shakshuka with Mushrooms
  • 15-Minute Baked Lemon Herb Salmon
    15-Minute Baked Lemon Herb Salmon
  • Sweet Sticky Sesame Tofu
    Sweet Sticky Sesame Tofu
  • Puto Cheese
    Puto Cheese
  • Vegan Japchae Recipe
    Vegan Japchae Recipe

Filed Under: Breakfast, Main Dish

Previous Post: « Filipino Garlic Fried Rice
Next Post: Perilla Leaves Kimchi (Kkaennip Kimchi) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cristina

    November 19, 2022 at 11:06 pm

    5 stars
    We made this tocino yesterday. The meat is very flavorful. Thanks for the yummy recipe. I will check out your other meaty recipes on your blog.

    Reply
  2. Hanna

    November 20, 2022 at 3:19 am

    5 stars
    I made this recipe for dinner. Everyone loves it. Thanks

    Reply
  3. Solair

    November 20, 2022 at 1:32 pm

    5 stars
    I absolutely love your recipes. It makes me want to cook because they are easy to follow and are very delicious, especially this tocino. Now no need to buy in the store because I can make my own tocino at home from your recipe.

    Reply
    • Jomelyn

      December 5, 2022 at 9:02 pm

      I am so glad to help, always. Let me know if your need more help.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Categories

Recent Recipes

Finish dish of cheese lumpia on the table with dipping.

Cheese Lumpia

February 1, 2023 By Jomelyn Leave a Comment

Finish dish of tuna sisig in a plate.

Tuna Sisig

January 27, 2023 By Jomelyn Leave a Comment

Serving orange chicken dish on a plate, ready to eat.

Orange Chicken Tofu

January 21, 2023 By Jomelyn Leave a Comment

A bite of sweet and sticky tofu nugget.

Sweet Sticky Sesame Tofu

January 19, 2023 By Jomelyn Leave a Comment

Finish dish of pork binagoongan with rice on a plate.

Easy Pork Binagoongan

January 18, 2023 By Jomelyn Leave a Comment

Pakbet in a plate with rice on the side.

Pinakbet Ilocano

January 13, 2023 By Jomelyn Leave a Comment

Finish dish of ginataang gulay in a plate with rice.

Ginataang Gulay

January 13, 2023 By Jomelyn Leave a Comment

Finish dish of ginisang gulay in a skillet.

Ginisang Gulay

January 9, 2023 By Jomelyn Leave a Comment

About Me

About Me

Hi, my name is Jomelyn, and nice to meet you! I am a wife and a busy mom of a 5-year-old sweet little boy. 

Cooking and baking are not complicated. I encourage you to try it. Scroll some of our recipes and let’s do it!

Footer

Categories

About Me

  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Privacy Policy
  • Recipes

Recent Posts

  • Cheese Lumpia
  • Tuna Sisig
  • Orange Chicken Tofu
  • Sweet Sticky Sesame Tofu
  • Easy Pork Binagoongan

Copyright © 2023 CURIOUS FLAVORS. All rights reserved.