Chicken Pares Recipe

This chicken version of pares is just as tasty!

**What Is Chicken Pares?**

This chicken pares recipe is a twist on beef pares, which is a popular Filipino street food known for its rich, flavorful sauce and tender chunks of beef. The term “pares” literally translates to “pair,” signifying the dish’s traditional combination with fried rice and a savory soup. The dish’s roots can be traced back to Chinese cuisine, but it has been adapted to suit the Filipino palate, resulting in a unique blend of tastes that has become a beloved classic in the Philippines.

The delicious combo of sweet and savory is mirrored in this chicken version of the beef pares recipe that we love! You still get the delicious flavors but without the long cooking time necessary to tenderize the beef. Chicken is the quicker cooking meat so you’ll be ready to eat in minutes rather than hours.

How to Serve Chicken Pares

Pares, whether chicken or beef, is traditionally served with garlic fried rice and a side of broth — in this case, chicken broth!

Beef pares is usually served as a full meal set, and is commonly found on roadside restaurants in the Philippines. This chicken pares version is less common, but it’s just as flavorful and easier to make at home.

How To Cook Chicken Pares

Begin by heating the vegetable oil in a pot over medium heat. Sauté the garlic and ginger until they turn a light brown color. Add the onions and continue cooking until they become translucent. This base of aromatics will infuse the chicken with rich flavors.

Next, stir in the chicken pieces, cooking them for about 10 minutes, or until they start to brown. Once the chicken is browned, add water, Knorr Chicken Broth Cubes (available here), soy sauce, sugar, and star anise to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for approximately 20 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.

Season the dish with salt and pepper according to your taste preferences. Continue to simmer the pares until the sauce thickens. The final touch is to garnish with green onions before serving.

Tips To Make Easy Chicken Pares

1. Don’t be afraid to adjust the flavors.

The key to an exceptional chicken pares dish is the balance between its sweet and savory components. The soy sauce provides umami and saltiness, while the sugar adds a subtle sweetness that should not overpower the savory flavors.

Additionally, what gives pares its unique flavor is the star anise. You can adjust the strength of its flavor by controlling how long you let it simmer in the broth. The longer it stays in, the stronger the star anise flavor becomes.

2. The cut of the chicken matters.

The tenderness of the chicken is paramount in chicken pares. While it’s more economical to use a whole chicken that’s chopped into smaller pieces, you can also opt for specific chicken parts!

Chicken breast chunks are great when you prefer white meat and want a leaner cut. However, it can get dry when it’s overcooked, so make sure to take the pot off the heat as soon as the chicken is cooked and the sauce is thick enough!

On the other hand, red meat lovers can opt for chicken quarters, legs, or thigh parts. You can ask your local butcher to divide chicken quarters into leg and thigh parts (it’s also a more economical part to buy than thigh or leg parts that have already been pre-cut).

3. You can use a cornstarch slurry to thicken up the sauce.

It takes about 10 minutes to get the chicken pares sauce to thicken up, and this is actually the better way to let it thicken as it also allows your chicken to cook longer in the delicious sauce. However, if you’re pressed for time, you can mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in 1/3 cup of water to make a cornstarch slurry and slowly drizzle it in to make the sauce thicker. Note that you don’t have to add the whole thing; you can stop as soon as the sauce reaches your preferred consistency.

**Chicken Pares Storage Tips**

**1. You can refrigerate leftover chicken pares.**

Chicken pares keeps well in the refrigerator. In fact, it’s one of those Filipino ulam dishes that becomes more flavorful over time! Just make sure to keep it in an airtight container. It’s best consumed within a week.

**2. Freeze chicken pares to extend its shelf life.**

This chicken pares recipe makes for a great make-ahead meal as you can store the dish in an airtight container and freeze it indefinitely. It can be reheated in a microwave or over a stove, and you’ll have a deliciously hearty ulam in no time.