📌 Filipino Pepper Menudo

Posted 7 May 2026 by: Admin #Recipes

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

55 minutes

Total Time

75 minutes

Servings

4 servings

A Sunday with guests and not much desire to spend three hours in the kitchen — this is exactly where Filipino Menudo comes in. This colorful pepper stew hails from the Philippines, where every family has its own version, and it has that rare gift: it impresses without making your life complicated. Make it the day before; it’s even better the next day.

Final result — A generous Menudo with red and green peppers, as served at large family gatherings.

In the dish, the tomato sauce has taken on a deep garnet hue after simmering. The chicken cubes are tender, well-coated, and the red and green peppers keep their brightness — almost like gems set in the stew. It smells of gently roasted garlic, tomato paste, and that slightly smoky base given by the poultry sausages. A smell that makes people leave the room to come and see what’s going on.

Why you’ll love this recipe

✓It can be prepared in advance : Menudo is better reheated. You make it the day before, you sleep well, and the next day you serve something that has had time to develop all its aromas.

✓Chicken livers make all the difference : Without them, it’s just a chicken tomato stew. With them, the sauce has a depth that’s hard to explain but noticed immediately.

✓It looks scary on paper, but it’s simple in practice : Many ingredients, yes. But each step is short and requires no special technique. It’s an assembly dish.

✓Leftovers are even better : Like most stews, it gains intensity over time. Two days later, the sauce is even more concentrated.

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients

Everything you need for a colorful Menudo: chicken, chicken livers, vegetables, and tomato sauce.

Boneless chicken thighs : This is the meat that holds up best to long cooking. A breast will dry out, but a thigh stays juicy. Cut them into 1.5 cm cubes — consistency is important here, not for aesthetics but for even cooking.
Chicken livers : Don’t skip them. They slightly thicken the sauce and give it an earthy flavor that balances the acidity of the tomato. If you have an aversion, start with a small amount — well-cooked and diced, you’ll barely notice them.
Red and green peppers : They only go in at the end, for a minute at most. Cut them into squares, not strips — squares fit better with the diced meat and vegetables. The red adds a slight sweetness, the green a touch of fresh bitterness.
Poultry or beef sausages : Thick slices, not too thin. This is the smoky element that gives that festive and slightly nostalgic feel we love in this dish. Smoked turkey sausages work very well too.
Potatoes and carrots : Quickly pre-fried in the pan before going into the stew. Without this step, they mash and disappear into the sauce. With it, they keep their shape and a small crust that absorbs the juices without disintegrating.

The marinade, ten minutes flat

Start with the chicken. Ten minutes in soy sauce is all it takes — the meat takes on an amber beige hue and the smell already begins to rise, slightly sweet and salty at the same time. No need for a whole night. The marinade does its job quickly. While it marinates, prepare the rest: peel, cut, and put everything in separate bowls. Menudo is an assembly dish — organizing before starting changes everything.

Vegetables and sausages first

Heat oil over high heat and sauté the diced carrots and potatoes. No need to cook them completely — just a light crust, light caramel color on the edges. You hear them sizzle loudly in contact with the hot oil, which is a good sign. Set them aside and do the same with the sausage slices until they are lightly browned. These pre-cooked elements then hold up in the stew without turning into mush.

The liver, quick and easy

In the same pan, lower the heat slightly and sauté half of the onions with the chicken livers. Two to three minutes, no more. An overcooked liver becomes rubbery and bitter — you feel it under your tooth, hard and unpleasant. Here, it should remain slightly pink at the center. Set them aside; you’ll add them at the very end of cooking so they stay tender.

Building the sauce layer by layer

In a large pot, sauté the minced garlic until it starts to take on an amber hue — about thirty seconds over medium-high heat. Add the rest of the onions, then the chicken drained of its marinade. The meat must sear before you pour anything in. When it is browned on all sides, stir in the tomato sauce, a little water, bay leaves, and a chicken bouillon cube. Mix, cover, and simmer over low heat for twenty-five minutes — this is when the sauce takes on that dark burgundy color and the aromas really begin to blend. Then add the pre-fried vegetables and sausages, continue for five to ten minutes, then stir in the livers at the very end.

Peppers at the last second

This is the step most people fail by adding the peppers too early. Off the heat or over very low heat, toss the red and green pepper squares into the dish. One minute, maximum. They must remain slightly crunchy and keep their bright color — the red must stay red, not turn a faded orange. Taste, adjust with fish sauce and black pepper. Serve immediately.

Tips & Tricks

Prepare everything before starting to cook. This dish follows steps quickly; you won’t have time to cut vegetables in between without something sticking or drying out.
The soy sauce in the marinade is already salty — taste before adding fish sauce at the end, or you will over-salt without realizing it.
If reheating the next day, add a small splash of water to the pot. The sauce thickens a lot as it cools and sticks easily over medium heat.

Close-up — The glossy sauce coats every piece of tender chicken — this is where all the flavor is concentrated.

FAQs

Can Menudo be prepared the day before?

Yes, and it’s even recommended. The sauce has time to concentrate and the flavors intensify considerably. Just save the peppers to add at the last minute when reheating — they would lose their crunch and color otherwise.

Can I skip the chicken livers?

Technically yes, but the dish loses a good part of its depth. If you really don’t like offal, start with a small amount — well-cooked and diced, they blend into the sauce and go unnoticed by most guests.

How long does Menudo keep?

Three to four days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It’s a dish that ages well — the next day, the sauce is even more concentrated and the flavors more blended. Add a splash of water when reheating, as the sauce thickens a lot when cooling.

Can it be frozen?

Yes, without the peppers. Freeze the stew as is for up to 3 months; peppers become soft and lose their color after thawing. Add fresh peppers when reheating.

Why do the potatoes and carrots need to be pre-fried?

Without this step, they mash during simmering and disappear into the sauce. Pre-frying forms a slight crust that allows them to hold their shape while absorbing the flavors of the stew.

I don’t have fish sauce, what can I replace it with?

A little extra soy sauce will do the trick for saltiness. Fish sauce brings a rounder, less sharp umami than soy, but the dish remains very good. Taste and adjust gradually to avoid over-salting.