A Filipino Chicken Adobo recipe that will delight even the most discerning palates. Simple to make and hassle-free
Chicken Adobo is the national dish of the Philippines, and for good reason! Honestly, it’s so simple to make that it truly has the potential to become your favorite Asian chicken recipe.
The sauce is syrupy, sweet and sour (but not like the classic sweet and sour sauce), the dish doesn’t have many ingredients and the meat is incredibly tender! Both because it’s simmered, but also because the acidic marinade has real tenderizing properties. In short, it’s divine.
What is chicken adobo?
Unsurprisingly, it’s a chicken dish from the Philippines like lechon kawali. Originally, soy sauce wasn’t used at all and it was simmered in a marinade almost exclusively composed of vinegar, which was a way to preserve the meat.
There are hundreds of variations, some with coconut milk, some with a lot of sauce resembling a curry, and others almost dry. Here, we’ll be somewhere in between, as the one I was able to taste has a well-reduced and caramelized marinade, but with enough sauce to flavor the rice that accompanies it.
The theory of chicken adobo
Everything is about balance in chicken adobo. The distinctive vinegary taste comes from an exact ratio of vinegar and soy sauce, namely 1/3 soy sauce to 2/3 vinegar, regardless of the other ingredients.
To this, you need to add black pepper and bay leaves as well as sugar. From there it’s freestyle, meaning that most adobo recipes will develop from this base.
If the chicken adobo is stewed like the one in this recipe, all the marinade will be added and compensated with water or broth to cover the chicken well. A Filipino friend also told me that sometimes, instead of palm/coconut sugar, they simply reduce the amount of water and add… sprite, which apparently not only brings the sweet element but also helps tenderize the meat
The main ingredients of Filipino Chicken Adobo
The soy sauce: Ideally, you find Filipino Silver Swan soy sauce, but otherwise you can substitute with a mixture of light and clear soy sauce
The vinegar: rice vinegar gives good results, but it will be truly authentic if you can find cane or coconut vinegar
The palm sugar: palm sugar or coconut sugar, it’s the same thing. The only difference is that palm sugar is very difficult to use (must be grated). In short, use either one without distinction
Authentic Chicken Adobo
Matériel
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs of chicken with bone and skin
- 100 g palm sugar or coconut sugar (more convenient), or cane sugar
- Water for cooking
- Neutral oil for cooking
Aromatics
- 10 pods garlic peeled and lightly crushed
- 2 onions cut into short julienne
- 6 leaves bay leaf
Marinade
- 100 ml light soy sauce ideally the Philippine version Silver Swan
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce only use if you don’t have Silver Swan soy sauce
- 200 ml rice vinegar ideally Philippine cane vinegar
- 2 teaspoons black pepper ground
Side dishes and garnishes
- Green onions chopped, for garnish
- Jasmine rice cooked, for serving
Procédé
- Mix the soy sauces, vinegar, and black pepper in a resealable bag.100 ml light soy sauce, 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce, 200 ml rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons black pepper
- Add the chicken pieces to the marinade. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes. Maximum 2 hours as it’s a very acidic marinade.6 chicken thighs of chicken
- In a large pot or pan, just wide enough to contain all the chicken in a single layer, add a little oil and the onions.2 onions, Neutral oil
- Cook the onions over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until they are caramelized, tender, and sweet. If brown residues accumulate at the bottom of the pan, deglaze with a little water.
- When the onions are almost ready, add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes until the onions are completely cooked.10 pods garlic
- Push the onions to one side of the pan, then add a little oil in the empty space.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and wait for the pan to get hot. Add the chicken pieces, skin side down, and let them sear for one to two minutes to brown the skin.
- Once browned, turn the chicken pieces over and add the marinade as well as the sugar.100 g palm sugar
- Add water so that the sauce reaches just below the skin of the chicken.Water
- Add the bay leaf.6 leaves bay leaf
- Cover and reduce the heat so that the liquid simmers gently. Let simmer for 40 minutes or until the chicken is fork-tender. Turn the chicken pieces halfway through cooking, if desired.
- When the chicken is cooked, to further concentrate the sauce, remove the lid and reduce the sauce over high heat. Be careful to stir well and watch closely at this point, as it can burn quickly. This step can take up to 30 minutes depending on the quantity you’re making.
- The dish is ready when you see a clear separation between the fat and the sauce in the pot.
- Garnish with chopped green onions, and serve with jasmine rice.Green onions, Jasmine rice
