How to Make Filipino Chicken Adobo

Co-authored by Ed Kuoha

Chicken adobo is one of the most famous and talked-about dishes in Filipino cuisine. It's great for people with a very busy schedule and who like simple meals that are quick and easy to prepare.

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 5

10-12 chicken drumsticks or 8 thighs, about 3 lbs (1.4 kg)
1/4 cup light soy sauce (60 ml)
1 1/4 cup vinegar: cider, white, rice, or Filipino palm vinegar (300 ml)
10 large garlic cloves, peeled and coarse chopped
1 cup whole canned tomatoes with liquid (240 ml)
2 medium onions, sliced thin
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. fresh ground black pepper, according to taste (15 ml)
2 bay leaves, broken

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Cooking in a Pot

1
Prep the chicken. Wash the chicken in water and drain well. Leave the skin on and bones in.
2
Mix the ingredients the day before.^{[1]
X
Research source} Ideally, your ingredients will marinate for a day before cooking. Use a large glass or stainless steel bowl and combine the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, pepper, and tomatoes.
- Break up the whole tomatoes with your hands in the bowl.
- Add the chicken and submerge it almost completely in the mixture.
- Cover lightly and refrigerate for about 18 to 24 hours.
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3
Cook the chicken. Pour the chicken and mixture into a non-stick, 4-quart (3.8 L) pot.
- Bring to a gentle boil at about 212 degrees F (100 degrees C). Cover and let cook for 25 minutes or until the chicken’s center is 175 degrees F (80 degrees C). Use a meat thermometer to check the chicken’s temperature.
- Move the chicken to a plate, using tongs.
4
Reduce the sauce. Skim as much fat as possible from the liquid as it cooks and increase heat. Boil the water down by half.
5
Brown the chicken.^{[2]
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Research source} As the sauce reduces, grease a 12-inch (30.5 cm) sauté pan with olive oil.
- Heat the pan to medium-high or 375 to 450 degrees F (190-230 degrees C).^{[3]
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- Add the chicken, skin down, to brown for up to 8 minutes. Keep the pieces skin down, but move if necessary to keep the chicken from sticking to the pan.
- Adjust heat so the chicken doesn’t burn. Internal temperature should be about 175 degrees.^{[4]
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- Watch for splatter!
- Cook for up to about 8 minutes or until the chicken is a deep golden brown.
6
Add onions. When the chicken is a deep brown on one side, turn the pieces and add the onion slices around them. Continue to brown the chicken, and move around the onions to prevent burning.^{[5]
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Research source}. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until the onions are tender.^{[6]
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7
Transfer and serve. As soon as the chicken starts falling off the bones and the sauce starts to have a gravy-like consistency, you are ready to serve. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken and onions to your serving bowl. Pour the boiled-down juices over the chicken and onions.
- Enjoy with white rice.
- Serve with pinot noir or red zinfandel. For a non-alcoholic option, consider ice tea, lemonade, or ginger beer.
- Place leftovers in the fridge. It tastes even better after a day or two.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using a Slow Cooker

1
Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker. That includes the rinsed chicken. In this method, all ingredients are cooked at once.^{[7]
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2
Let sit. Let the ingredients stand at room temperature in the slow cooker for about 15 minutes.
3
Cover and cook. Remember not to open the slow cooker while cooking.
- Cook for 3 hours on high or for 6 hours on low until the chicken is done.
4
Serve with rice. Short grain white rice is most common, but you can use brown rice alternatively for added nutrition. Some people like to add salt to the rice.^{[8]
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5
Keep the leftovers. Leftovers of Philippine chicken adobe are particularly delicious. Eat leftovers a day or two later, or freeze in a plastic zip bag.^{[9]
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