Chicken adobo is one of the most popular dishes in the Philippines and some may even say that it is the national dish. Filipino cuisine has a heavy Spanish influence due to their history. The word adobo derives from the word "adobar" in Spanish, which is to "marinade". When they noticed that Filipinos marinated their meats in vinegar, they decided to call it adobo.
Chicken Adobo is a tender braised chicken with a salty, sour, and sweet taste. It's very appetizing and comforting especially when paired with rice! We love that there are many varieties of adobo.
Ingredients
2 lbs bone-in Chicken (thighs, drumsticks, or wings), best with skin on
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 cup distilled White Vinegar
1 cup hot water
8 cloves Garlic, minced
2 tsp brown or white sugar
3 Bay leaves
2 Tbsp Black Peppercorn
Instructions
Pat dry chicken with paper towels. Place chicken in ziplock or bowl and marinate it with soy sauce & garlic overnight.
Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Remove garlic from marinade (save the marinade for later) and sauté a few seconds until fragrant.
Push garlic & onion to 1 side of the pan and then add chicken. Sear chicken until nicely browned.
Pour in hot water, reserved marinade, vinegar, sugar, bay leaves, and black peppercorn. Let boil. Cover skillet with a lid and lower fire to medium low heat. Braise the chicken for about 30 mins or until done. The chicken should be very soft & tender! Enjoy.
Notes: Chicken adobo is very customizable to your own taste!
Highly recommend to NOT use chicken breast. Dark meat is best. This recipe goes well with Pork as well!
Some people like to add more or less vinegar and/or sugar.
Some like to marinate the chicken in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, & bay leaves. Some don't marinate it at all! We just marinated it with soy sauce & garlic. (It really depends on how you like it)
Some like to add onions and other ingredients.
If you want to thicken the sauce, add 1-2 teaspoon cornstarch with 1 Tbsp of water and stir frequently until it thickens.
If you make this recipe, we'd love to see it! Tag us at @NY.Foodie on your stories & posts.