Igorot Heritage · Smoky Chicken Stew
Pinikpikan
Photo: Shubert Ciencia / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
The name comes from 'pikpik,' meaning to beat lightly — a traditional Igorot preparation method meant to bring blood to the surface of the meat before it's cooked.
Chicken prepared using the traditional Igorot method has its feathers singed off over open flame before the bird is boiled with ginger, chayote, and vegetables, often with a hunk of smoked pork stirred in. The burnt-feather step leaves the broth with a distinctive smoky depth found in no other Filipino chicken soup.
Why it's made this way: The dish carries deep roots in Cordillera highland tradition, historically prepared alongside prayer rituals to the Igorot deity Kabunian, and it remains tied to community and heritage even as modern preparations soften the older method.
More from Philippines
Part of World of Street Food — 3248 dishes from 118 countries.
Something wrong here? Tell us in the comments below.
Photo credits.