Chef-tested recipe
Visayan chicken soup with fresh coconut water, young coconut, lemongrass and green papaya
Chicken binakol is a Visayan soup whose clean savoury broth is naturally sweetened with fresh coconut water and tender young coconut meat. Traditionally it may be cooked in a bamboo tube, but a covered clay pot or heavy saucepan produces an excellent home version. Ginger, lemongrass, green papaya and leafy greens keep the soup fragrant and restorative.
Recipe at a glance
- Servings
- 8 servings
- Prep Time
- 35 mins
- Cook Time
- 1 hour 10 mins
- Resting Time
- 10 mins after cooking.
- Total Time
- 1 hour 55 mins
- Cuisine
- Filipino, Visayan
- Course
- Soup or main dish
- Cooking Method
- Sautéing and gentle simmering
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Best Served With
- Steamed rice, calamansi, fish sauce with chilli, or grilled vegetables.
Before you begin
Ingredients & equipment
Gather what you need first, then cook through the method with confidence.
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Equipment
- Large heavy pot or clay pot with lidpaid link
- Tongspaid link
- Ladlepaid link
- Chef’s knifepaid link
- Cutting boardpaid link
- Digital kitchen scalepaid link
- Instant-read thermometerpaid link
Ingredients
For the soup
- Whole chicken: 2 kg, cut into 10 serving pieces
- Fine sea saltpaid link: 18 g, divided
- Freshly ground black pepper: 4 g
- Neutral cooking oilpaid link: 30 ml
- Fresh ginger: 70 g, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
- Garlic: 35 g, sliced
- Shallots or red onion: 250 g, sliced
- Lemongrass stalks: 4, bruised and tied
- Fresh young coconut water: 1.5 litres
- Unsalted chicken stock: 500 ml
- Green papaya: 700 g, peeled, seeded and cut into 3 cm pieces
- Young coconut meatpaid link: 400 g, cut into wide strips
- Fish sauce: 45 ml Shop paid link
- Fresh chilli leaves or baby spinach: 180 g
- Green finger chillies: 3, left whole
Preparation Overview
Cut the chicken through the joints and pat it dry. Reserve all coconut water, then scoop the young meat in wide strips. Bruise the thick lemongrass ends with the back of a knife and tie the stalks together for easy removal.
Method
Season the chicken with 10 g salt and the black pepper.
Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in two batches for 3–4 minutes per side, then transfer to a tray.
Lower the heat to medium. Add ginger, garlic and shallots and cook for 4 minutes until fragrant but not dark.
Return the chicken and its juices. Add lemongrass, coconut water and chicken stock.
Bring just to a boil, skim the surface, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cover partly and cook for 30 minutes.
Add green papaya, young coconut meat, fish sauce and whole green chillies. Simmer for 20–25 minutes until the papaya is translucent and the chicken reaches at least 74°C at the thickest part.
Fold in chilli leaves or spinach and cook for 2 minutes.
Taste and add the remaining salt only as needed. Remove the lemongrass, turn off the heat, and rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Beginner Technique Notes
Use fresh, unsweetened coconut water. Packaged coconut drinks with sugar or flavouring will make the broth cloying.
Maintain a gentle simmer to keep the broth clear and the chicken tender.
Green papaya should be firm and unripe; ripe orange papaya is too sweet and soft for this soup.
Tips and Variations
For a more traditional presentation, cook and serve the soup in a clean clay pot.
Chilli leaves give a distinctive gentle bitterness; spinach is the most accessible substitute.
Add a few pieces of chicken back or neck to the pot if you want a fuller natural broth.
Serving Ideas
- Place one chicken piece, papaya, coconut strips and greens in each deep bowl before ladling over the clear fragrant broth.
Storage
Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 2 months, preferably without the leafy greens. Reheat gently to 74°C; avoid prolonged boiling because it toughens the chicken and dulls the coconut aroma.
Nutritional Value
Allergen Notes
Contains fish from fish sauce and coconut. Check prepared stock for celery, gluten, soy or other allergens. Use salt instead of fish sauce if required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does chicken binakol taste like dessert?
No. Coconut water gives gentle sweetness, but fish sauce, chicken, ginger and lemongrass keep the broth savoury.
Is binakol the same as tinola?
They are related chicken soups, but binakol is distinguished by coconut water and young coconut meat.
Can mature coconut meat be used?
Young, tender coconut is preferred. Mature coconut is too firm and oily for the soup’s delicate texture.
Must it be cooked in bamboo?
No. Bamboo is traditional in some preparations, but a covered heavy pot is practical and authentic in flavour.
