These Filipino Christmas recipes are my full Noche Buena menu: crispy Jollibee style fried chicken, chicken adobo, beef salpicao, lumpia, pancit, glazed ham and silky leche flan. Everything you need for the big Christmas Eve feast, in one place.
I grew up in the Philippines and Noche Buena was much more celebrated than Christmas. It is so different from Canada but all I remember is how much fun it was staying up all night, eating constantly and playing with my cousins. We even went to midnight mass at church. I remember staying up until 2:00am.
Plan it like this: one or two mains, lumpia and pancit for the table, garlic fried rice, a soup if it's cold out, and leche flan to finish. Make the flan and roll the lumpia the day before, so Christmas Eve is just frying and serving.
Noche Buena mains
Jollibee Fried Chicken
Crispy, juicy Chickenjoy made in the air fryer, with the gravy. Of course with the gravy.
Classic Filipino Chicken Adobo
No marinating, ready in 30 minutes. Chicken thighs braised in cane vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, peppercorns and bay leaves.
Pork Adobo with Coconut Milk
Adobo sa gata. Tender pork shoulder in a rich, creamy coconut milk adobo sauce.
Beef Salpicao
Ribeye cubes seared hard with crispy garlic, soy sauce, Worcestershire and oyster sauce, finished with cold butter. 20 minutes.
Beef Kaldereta
Spicy, saucy Filipino beef stew that feeds a crowd.
Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham
Bone-in ham glazed with pineapple, honey, orange, cinnamon and star anise. The Christmas ham, done.
Maple Bourbon Glaze Ham
A sticky maple bourbon glaze for your holiday ham. Sweet, smoky and easy.
[CARMEN: add Filipino Sweet Spaghetti here once it's live]
Sides and party food
Crispy Chicken Lumpia
Lumpiang Shanghai with ground chicken and carrot, rolled tight and fried crispy. Roll and freeze them ahead.
Chicken Pancit
High protein chicken pancit with vermicelli, cabbage and carrots in bone broth. Ready in 30 minutes.
Garlic Fried Rice (Sinangag)
Day old rice, a lot of garlic, butter and green onion. 10 minutes.
Filipino BBQ Pork Skewers
Sweet and sticky, straight off the grill.
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Soups
Arroz Caldo
Ginger chicken rice porridge. The cozy bowl for a cold Christmas Eve.
Lola's Chicken Tinola
Ginger chicken soup with chayote and spinach. A classic Filipino dish.
Beef Bulalo
Beef shank and bone marrow soup with corn and cabbage.
Desserts
Classic Leche Flan
Silky Filipino leche flan with egg yolks, condensed milk and evaporated milk. Make it the day before so it can chill.
Ube Leche Flan
Classic leche flan with ube. Purple, creamy and very festive.
Coconut Mango Sago
Ripe mangoes, sago pearls, coconut milk and condensed milk. Cold, creamy and ready in 30 minutes.
Noche Buena FAQs
Noche Buena is the big Filipino family feast on Christmas Eve, usually eaten after midnight mass.
Usually a glazed ham, fried chicken, lumpia, pancit, Filipino spaghetti, a stew like kaldereta, rice and leche flan for dessert.
Leche flan and lumpia. Chill the flan overnight, and roll the lumpia ahead and freeze it, then fry it on Christmas Eve.
Long noodles stand for long life in Filipino tradition, so pancit shows up at every celebration.
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