Chicken Adobo

Chicken Adobo (Filipino-style braised chicken in vinegar and soy)

The unofficial national dish of the Philippines: chicken gently simmered in soy sauce, cane vinegar, garlic, peppercorns and bay until tender, then crisped and reduced to a glossy, tangy-salty glaze. This is the home-cook version, closest to a classic Kapampangan-style adobong manok.

Prep

10 min

Cook

50 min

Total

60 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •900 g (2 lb) bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks, skin-on, with skin scored; do not trim fat
• •120 ml (½ cup) Datu Puti or Sukang Iloco cane vinegar, Filipino sukang maasim (cane vinegar) is traditional; distilled white vinegar is the common home substitute
• •80 ml (⅓ cup) dark soy sauce, Filipino toyomansi or Chinese dark soy for color and depth
• •240 ml (1 cup) water
• •1 tbsp whole black peppercorns, cracked, not ground
• •10 cloves garlic, smashed but left whole
• •4 leaves dried bay leaves
• •1 tbsp neutral oil, for the optional crisp-finish step
• •2 tsp fine sea salt, only if needed at the end; soy sauce is already salty

Steps

1. 1 Combine the chicken, vinegar, soy sauce, water, peppercorns, garlic and bay leaves in a heavy pot or Dutch oven. Do not stir once the vinegar is in; bring to a boil uncovered.
2. 2 When the mixture reaches a rolling boil, lower the heat to a steady, gentle simmer. Skim any grey foam that rises. Cover partially and simmer for 30 minutes, turning the pieces once halfway through, until the chicken is just cooked through (internal temperature 75 °C / 165 °F in the thickest part of the thigh) and the broth has reduced by about a third.
3. 3 Taste the broth. Add salt only if needed; Filipino soy sauce is often salty enough on its own.
4. 4 Using tongs, lift the chicken out of the pot and pat the pieces very dry with paper towels. Strain the braising liquid and reserve it; pick out the bay leaves and discard.
5. 5 Heat the oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Lay the chicken pieces in the pan skin-side down and sear 3-4 minutes until the skin is deep golden and crisp. Flip and sear the other side 1-2 minutes.
6. 6 Pour the reserved braising liquid into the skillet. Bring to a brisk simmer and cook, swirling often, until the sauce reduces to a glossy glaze that coats the back of a spoon, 4-6 minutes. Spoon the glaze over the chicken repeatedly so it sticks.
7. 7 Transfer to a serving plate, scatter a few of the softened garlic cloves on top, and serve with steamed jasmine rice and the remaining glaze spooned over.