Chicken Adobo
The Philippines' national dish and the first thing most Filipino cooks learn. Chicken braised in vinegar, soy and garlic until the sauce turns dark and glossy - it genuinely improves overnight.
- Time
- 45 mins
- Serves
- 4
- Steps
- 7
- Ingredients
- 9
Photo: Arnold Gatilao / CC BY 2.0, cropped
Method
- 01
Marinate the chicken in the soy sauce, half the garlic and the peppercorns for at least 30 minutes.
- 02
Lift the chicken out, keeping the marinade. Brown it in hot oil, skin side down, for 4 minutes a side.
- 03
Add the rest of the garlic and fry 30 seconds until fragrant.
- 04
Pour in the vinegar and let it bubble for 2 minutes without stirring. Letting the raw sharpness cook off first is the step people skip.
- 05
Add the reserved marinade, water, bay leaves and sugar. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes.
- 06
Turn the chicken now and then until the sauce reduces and coats the pieces.
- 07
Taste and balance with a splash more vinegar or soy. Serve with plenty of white rice.
Cooking Tips
- Let the vinegar bubble for two minutes without stirring before anything else goes in. This cooks off the raw sharpness.
- Adobo is genuinely better the next day, once the sauce has soaked into the meat.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Cane vinegar is traditional; white or apple cider vinegar both work.
- Chicken thighs and drumsticks hold up far better than breast over a long braise.
What to Serve With It
- Serve with plenty of white rice to soak up the sauce.
Storage and Reheating
- Keeps 4 days in the fridge and improves daily - the vinegar acts as a preservative.
- Freezes well for 3 months.
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