Chicken sisig is a Filipino dish of sautéed and seasoned chopped chicken served on a sizzling plate. Learn how to cooking this on the stovetop and via modern robot cooking methods.
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Sisig is exactly what it sounds like. Served sizzling on a hot iron plate, chopped grilled meat tossed with savory sauce, citrus, chilies, and aromatics is a true feast for the senses. Traditionally, it’s prepared from leftover lechon, a whole roasted pork that is a mainstay of many Filipino celebratory occasions. But sisig can be part of everyday cooking with common ingredients like pork belly, tofu, or, in this case, chicken. Even without a hot iron plate that most restaurants favor for a dramatic presentation (oh, the sizzle and smoke!) or an entire lechon on your kitchen counter, it’s easy to enjoy this popular dish at home.
In this article, we’ll demonstrate how to create an authentic Filipino recipe at home with two distinct approaches: one using a stovetop and a contemporary approach that greatly reduces your cooking time. However, before we begin, let's look into what makes this dish so unique and learn a little bit about its origin story.
Sisig is a Filipino dish that hails from the Pampanga region, about an hour north of Manila. The origin of sisig (so named after the old Tagalog word “sisigan”, meaning “to make sour”) goes back to the 1700s. Spanish missionary Diego Bergaño was the first one to record this dish in a Kapangpangan dictionary. Fast forward to modern times when sisig is now considered a prized pulutan, a dish shared with friends who pick (pulut) at the sisig while drinking San Miguel beer or other libations. A street food classic, sisig has found its way into restaurants and home kitchens. Filipino immigrants to the US have brought this dish with them, and SF Bay Area restaurants like Tselog’s and Gerry’s Grill are known for their sisig.
Dietary preferences have led to updates. Variations to this dish have eschewed pork for chicken or use vegan-friendly options like fried tofu or tempeh. While some recipes feature pork jowl and offal, our version is prepared with more accessible ingredients. Bite-sized skin-on chicken thighs and chicken liver (optional) are fried with fragrant garlic, sweet onions, and fiery chilis. A delectable melange of zesty calamansi (Philippine citrus), creamy mayonnaise, soy sauce, and oyster sauce is tossed with the chicken and aromatics. As a final touch, eggs are poached to perfection on top.
15 minutes prep, 30 minutes of cooking time
2-3 Servings
3 tablespoons neutral oil (canola or avocado)
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, small cubes
5 cloves garlic, minced
½ onion, small dice
4 Thai chili peppers, whole and slit (optional)
½ pound chicken liver, washed, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tablespoons of oyster sauce
10 teaspoons of soy sauce
6 teaspoons of calamansi juice (substitute lemon juice)
5 tablespoons of mayonnaise
4 chicken eggs (broken)
1. Heat a large cast iron skillet or any heavy bottom frying pan in medium heat, then add 2 tablespoons cooking oil. After 1 minute, add chicken thighs and salt, then cook until opaque, between 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Turn up the heat to high. Sear chicken for about 5 minutes until the edges turn golden brown.
3. Turn down the heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil into the pan, along with chicken liver (optional), chopped garlic, onions and Thai chili peppers (also, optional). Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of black pepper powder and saute until aromatics are fragrant, about 2 minutes.
4. Add oyster sauce, soy, calamansi juice and mayonnaise to the pan, then toss gently. Cook for another 2 minutes.
5. Turn down the heat to low and crack 4 eggs on top of the Chicken Sisig. Cover the skillet and poach eggs for about 4-5 minutes to your liking.
6. Scatter fresh chopped onions on top, and gently fold the eggs into the Chicken Sisig. The yolks should still be a little runny. Drizzle another teaspoon of calamansi juice before serving.
These nutritional values make Chicken Sisig a low carb, protein-packed delight. It includes anti-inflammatory properties from chillies, onions and garlic, as well as Vitamin C from calamansi juice.
Calories: Approximately 400-450 calories per serving. This dish is moderately high in calories, mainly from the combination of chicken, mayonnaise, and seasonings.
Protein: Around 25-30 grams per serving, which makes this a good source of protein due to the chicken meat.
Carbohydrates: Relatively low carb-content, approximately 10-15g per serving, primarily from the added vegetables and seasonings.
Fats: Around 25-30 grams per serving; a high amount of fat comes from the mayonnaise and chicken skin.
Fiber: Approximately 2-3 grams per serving.
Sodium: Chicken Sisig is typically high in sodium, around 800-1000 milligrams per serving, due to soy sauce, seasonings, and other salty ingredients.
Sugar: Approximately 2-3 grams per serving.
Chicken Sisig is a welcome addition to any happy hour or party spread. Try serving it as silog (Filipino rice plate) or with a vegetable dish. You can pair your Chicken Sisig with:
San Miguel Beer or White Castle Whiskey: From beer houses and videoke bars across the Philippines to Filipino nightclubs in LA, Sisig is popular with revelers who partake of these sariling atin (Tagalog for “our very own") brands of alcoholic beverages.
Lumpia: Imagine Chicken Sisig sharing space on the buffet table with crispy fried Lumpia. A Chinese influenced Filipino spring roll, who can resist Lumpia Shanghai made with ground pork and jicama or Lumpiang Gulay that has shrimp, bean sprouts and carrots as the filling.
Garlic Fried Rice: Garlic Fried Rice is a delicious breakfast or lunch staple made with leftover steamed jasmine rice that is stir-fried with golden brown garlic. When served with a protein and an egg, it becomes a silog (from the word sinangag, the cooking method of stir-frying and itlog, an egg).
Pinakbet: Add more fiber and vitamins by eating your Chicken Sisig with Pinakbet, an Ilocano dish of kabocha squash, yardlong beans, okra and eggplant, cooked with aromatics and umami-packed alamang (shrimp paste). Serve over steamed rice and you have yourself a delicious weeknight dinner.
This dish, while incredibly delicious and a fantastic introduction to Filipino cooking, can be somewhat challenging and may require a few tries to master. While we encourage you to try your hand at this recipe at home, we'd like to cater to those with busy lives. For those who love exotic flavors but lack the time to prepare them, we have a time-saving alternative that consistently delivers on taste and quality.
Nymble, a fully automated, end-to-end cooking robot, offers the experience of a private chef right in your kitchen. With expertise in preparing a wide variety of dishes from around the globe, Nymble allows you to explore over 1000 recipes, build grocery lists, customize meals to your preferences, and schedule meals for when you want to eat it. Simply select a recipe, load the ingredients into its compartments, and relax while Nymble cooks you a hot, delicious meal.
Ingredient Containers are filled accordingly:
Container A: Chicken Eggs, 4 whole
Prep - Break chicken eggs, keeping the yolks intact.
Container B: Boneless Chicken Thighs with Skin, 16 oz
Prep - Cut chicken into small cubes.
Container C: Garlic (4 cloves) , White Onion (½ unit) , Green Thai Chili Peppers, Chicken Liver (optional)
Prep - Mince garlic and onions, cut a slit on each chilli pepper, clean and cut the chicken liver into bite-sized pieces.
Container D: Oyster Sauce (3 ½ tablespoons), Soy Sauce (10 ½ teaspoons), Calamansi (6 teaspoons), Mayonnaise (5 tablespoons)
Prep - Add a splash of water into container and load with oyster sauce, soy sauce, calamansi and mayonnaise.
Spice Pods:
Pod 1 - Salt
Pod 2 - Black Pepper Powder
1. Press the "start cooking" button to initiate the recipe.
2. Nymble dispenses the precise amount of oil into the pan, ensuring just the right amount for the recipe.
3. Nymble then adds boneless chicken pieces to the pan and dispenses salt.
Nymble combines a smart camera system with machine learning capabilities to manage and guide the cooking process. It checks the doneness of each ingredient by looking at things like color, texture, and moisture, then comparing that information to a large collection of cooking data. This careful oversight helps ensure each ingredient is cooked just right according to the recipe.
Nymble’s technology mimics how a skilled chef cooks, adjusting heat and timing based on what its camera sees. This way, Nymble can add each ingredient at the right time and stir, fold, and cook each part to perfection.
4. Nymble stirs and cooks the chicken until it achieves a perfectly crispy texture, using its vision technology to monitor the process and make adjustments as needed.
5. Next, Nymble introduces the aromatics and chillis to the pan, using its camera system to assess the desired level of tenderness and color.
6. The robot stirs the mixture thoroughly for even cooking.
7. Black pepper powder is sprinkled in for a spice kick.
8. Nymble then adds the oyster sauce, soy sauce, calamansi juice and mayonnaise mixture to the pan, again relying on its camera vision technology to avoid overcooking.
9. The final step is poaching the eggs before giving a last gentle stir of all the ingredients together.
10. Throughout the process, Nymble uses its camera system to evaluate the overall doneness of the dish.
11. Once the Chicken Sisig reaches the perfect level of doneness, the recipe concludes and the dish is ready to be served.
To see how Nymble cooks this dish entirely on its own, watch this video to see the complete recipe unfold.
We are delighted to share that Nymble received an overwhelming number of pre-orders in 2023, resulting in the complete sell-out of our initial batch of kitchen robots. However, we are currently ramping up production for the next batch, and by signing up today, you will secure your place on the waitlist for the upcoming release, expected in mid-2024.
You can also go on our recipes page to explore more authentic Filipino recipes.
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