Chicken Adobo
The Philippines' beloved braise: chicken simmered in vinegar, soy, garlic and bay until the sauce turns glossy and the meat is tender enough to fall from the bone.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Chicken Adobo, in 5 ideas
- Adobo is a method, not one recipe. The constant is vinegar and soy, the rest is family argument and regional pride.
- Do not stir for the first ten minutes after the vinegar goes in. Letting its sharpness boil off is the old cook's rule.
- The garlic goes in two waves in many homes. Some fried golden at the end and scattered over the top.
- A finish under a hot broiler or in the pan crisps the skin after braising. The best of both textures.
- Adobo keeps improving for days and travels well. Which is exactly why it was built to last in a tropical kitchen.
What you need
Ingredients
- 3 lb chicken thighs and drumsticks
- 1/2 cup cane vinegar or white vinegar
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1 head garlic, cloves smashed
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp black peppercorns, cracked
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp oil
- Steamed rice, to serve
How to make it
Method
Marinate the chicken in the soy sauce and half the garlic for 30 minutes. Lift the chicken out and keep the marinade.
Sear the chicken in the oil until the skin is golden. Set aside.
In the same pot, pour in the vinegar and boil, unstirred, for 3 minutes to cook off the sharpness.
Return the chicken with the reserved marinade, water, bay leaves, peppercorns, remaining garlic and sugar.
Simmer gently, covered, for 30 minutes, until the chicken is very tender.
Uncover and simmer 10 minutes more until the sauce is glossy and reduced. For crisp skin, broil the pieces for 3 minutes before returning them to the sauce.
Serve over plenty of steamed rice, spooning the sauce over everything.
If the sauce tastes too sharp at the end, a pinch more sugar and five more minutes of simmering rounds it out.