It took less than 1 hour to prepare this chicken dish, rice, and delicious salad with homemade dressing. This dish was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! 

Chicken Adobo with green salad on a plate.

This past Monday, Carolyn from All Day I Dream About Food posted this Filipino recipe called Chicken Adobo. I was just about to decide what to cook for dinner when I saw her post. I’ve been quite busy lately and I needed something quick and yummy. Don’t we all need that? After I check the ingredients for this recipe, I realized I already have everything at home. Cool, let me try my first Filipino recipe!

Chicken Adobo with green salad on a white plate.

As soon as my husband came home, he knew something delicious was in the oven from the smell in our house. It took less than 1 hour to prepare this chicken dish, rice, and delicious salad with homemade dressing. This dish was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! You all have to try this wonderful tasty recipe. If you are not in the mood for cooking, just keep this recipe in your folder or email it to yourself. Oh, when you make the dish, be sure to cook extra rice. We enjoyed this dish so much that I can even cook it again tomorrow.

Chicken Adobo with green salad on a white plate.

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Chicken Adobo

Chicken Adobo

4.82 from 11 votes
 It took less than 1 hour to prepare this chicken dish, rice, and delicious salad with homemade dressing. This dish was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! 
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients
 
 

  • 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (Adults will need at least 2 pieces and the sauce will be enough for up to 8 pieces)

Sauce:

  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3 cloves garlic (sliced)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • freshly ground black pepper
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.

Instructions
 

  • Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a large pot (I used my Dutch oven). Make sure the pot is big enough so the chicken will not overlap each other.
    Chicken Adobo Ingredients
  • Bring the sauce to a boil on medium-high heat.
    Chicken Adobo 1
  • Add the chicken and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
    Chicken Adobo 2
  • Flip the chicken once halfway through. After 30 minutes, remove from the heat.
    Chicken Adobo 3
  • Set the oven broiler to high (550ºF/288 ºC) for 3 minutes before cooking. Line the bottom of a baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy cleaning) and place a wire rack on top. Place the chicken, skin side down, on the wire rack. Place the baking sheet in the middle rack of the oven, about 8" (20 cm) away from the heating element. Broil the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side. Keep an eye on the chicken so it does not burn.
    Chicken Adobo 5
  • Meanwhile, reduce the remaining sauce in the pot over medium-high heat until it thickens.
    Chicken Adobo 4
  • Serve the chicken on a plate and keep the extra sauce in a small bowl. Drizzle the sauce right before you serve.

To Store

  • You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for a month.

Notes

The recipe is adapted from All Day I Dream About Food.

Nutrition

Calories: 971 kcal · Carbohydrates: 4 g · Protein: 72 g · Fat: 72 g · Saturated Fat: 19 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 15 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 30 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 425 mg · Sodium: 1295 mg · Potassium: 907 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 1 g · Vitamin A: 369 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 46 mg · Iron: 3 mg
Author: Namiko Hirasawa Chen
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Filipino
Keyword: chicken
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Update: Pictures and recipe updated in June 2012

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4.82 from 11 votes (9 ratings without comment)
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This is pretty darn close to how I make my chix adobo, apple cider vinegar as well, suggest adding crushed ginger to address inherent gaminess, but then you broil at the end? Niiiiice! Oh I have to try that. Thanks so much, Nami!5 stars

Hi, Erick! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post!
We hope you love the broiled chicken texture. Additional ginger sounds excellent, as well. Thank you for sharing this tip!

Thanks for the recipe, Nami! Adobo is an easy recipe but well-loved by almost everyone I know who have tried it. I normally add the condiments by feel and use mirin when it gets too sour. I add some dried oregano too. 🙂5 stars

Hi Miriam, Thank you very much for sharing your cooking experience/tips with us!
Mirin and dried oregano sound great! We will try the addition next time when we cook.🙂

add 4 bay leaves to the Adobo recipe, it makes a big difference!

Thank you for your delicious recipes! I love this and have made it for dinner a few times now but I was wondering why my sauce never seems to thicken. Is it supposed to be more on the liquidy side?

I love your recipes! Adobo is a staple of Filipino cuisine. Although the recipe varies a bit, the ingredients you posted are spot on. One key ingredient is missing though, and you might want to put it in the next time you cook it. Bayleaf! A dry leaf, or two will make a big difference. Some people even add a bit of sugar to remove the acidic bite of the vinegar. You might also want to try varying the cooking procedure: Just put all ingredients in a pot and boil away until the meat is cooked and the liquid becomes a delicious reduction.

FYI, if you don’t have apple cider vinegar, white or rice vinegar works too. I like to add potatoes and carrots as I reduce the sauce. All this talk is making me hungry for adobo!

Can I use rice vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar?

This recipe looked so easy, and as luck would have it, I actually bought garlic and chicken today, and had all the ingredients too. I decided not to broil it (because of laziness), but the chicken turned out soooo tender and delicious!! Thank you so much for the adaptation of this recipe. I’m going to have to wait until my Filipino roommate to get her opinion haha. Thank you again 🙂