Adobo Chicken is a magical dish that is endlessly adaptable. This ubiquitous beloved national dish of the Philippines is packed with incredible flavour and can be prepared in a myriad of ways.
They say leftover adobo (if there is any!) gets even better! It’s a dish that requires minimal shopping, and cooks in a jiffy, which makes it a perfect weekday dinner meal.
Star tip: Use beef or pork, or whatever you fancy. Even seafood! Make it vegetarian — just choose a vegetable that can hold up to a braise like broccoli, cauliflower, lotus roots, onion, green beans, carrots, even turnips!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For chicken marinade:- 6 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- â…“ cup (85ml) light soya sauce
- â…“ cup and 2 tbsp Filipino cane vinegar or distilled white vinegar (less if you want it less tart)
- 4 bay leaves (fresh) or 3 (dried)
For cooking:
- 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small brown onion, diced
- 1 ½ cup (375ml) water
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp whole black pepper
Garnish:
- Sliced spring onions/scallions
Steps:
- Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl and add chicken. Marinate for at least an hour, or overnight.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a sauté pan. Remove chicken from marinade (reserve marinade) and place in the pan. Sear both sides until browned — about 1 minute on each side. Do not cook the chicken all the way through.
- Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Heat the remaining oil in the sauté pan. Add garlic and onion, cook for 1 ½ minutes.
- Add the reserved marinade, water, sugar, and black pepper. Add chicken. Bring it to a simmer then turn heat down to medium high. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes (no need to stir), turning chicken at around 15 minutes, until the sauce reduces down to a thick syrup like consistency. *If the sauce isn't thick enough by the time the chicken is cooked, remove chicken and let the sauce thicken — return chicken to the skillet once the sauce reaches the right consistency.
- Serve over warm rice or parboiled potatoes.
This recipe works best with our Accent Series Stainless Steel Sauté Pan — with its wide cooking surface, you’ll have plenty of room for browning, and its tall side walls will contain all those beautiful juices for the chicken to simmer in.
